Rent Like a Champion (RLaC), an air BnB for college football fans, is becoming popular for fans across the country who are traveling to college towns to watch their school play.
In smaller towns, there is a shortage of places to stay, but RLaC allows fans to rent homes for themselves and friends so that they can be conveniently close to the game.
Fans go onto the website Rent Like a Champion website and are able to choose the home that’s right for them based on price, location, and the number of people that the home accommodates. Fans are even able to talk directly with the homeowner via the website, so that they can make sure they are comfortable with their choice.
As for homeowners, they are able to list their homes on the website and choose the price they want to rent it for. It is a streamlined and easy process for homeowners because RLaC takes care of the contracts, payments and marketing.
RLaC is currently offering rentals at 21 schools around the country, including Penn State, Ole Miss, Michigan and Auburn. For football teams that have a huge fan base, it ensures that many more fans are able to come watch and cheer them on.
Their biggest market right now is Notre Dame, which is where the company first started. Recently, RLaC rented out more than 300 homes in South Bend for fans that traveled to the Texas vs. Notre Dame game.
But RLaC is not stopping at these 21 schools. As Mike Doyle, CEO of RLaC, tells us there are 20 more schools that they are planning to expand to.
While there are many other Air-BnB-esque companies, Doyle thinks that RLaC is set apart from others because they know what college football fans want. “As college football fans, we know what other fans want – great homes near campus that can serve as a home base for the weekend. There are other sites that allow travelers to rent simply a bedroom, but with an average group size of 8 people, we require that our homeowners leave the home during the rental weekend,” said Doyle.
Having the homeowners leave their house for the weekend allows fans to get a hotel feel without the hotel price and without having the hassle of trying to find a hotel during a busy game weekend.
According to Doyle, “We are marketing directly to the college football fans who are going to be returning to campus for game weekends each Fall, giving our homeowners a better chance of getting rented.”
With the security of knowing there is a season every year, RLaC is expanding fast, and are gaining a market of returning fans that are pleased with the company. Fans know that next year they will have somewhere to stay, and homeowners know that they can make some extra income for years to come.