Introducing Sweet Inn, The New(ish) Hotel Meets Airbnb Alternative…

People love Airbnb for three main things.

1. Price. 
2. Location.
3. Extra bedrooms.

Hotels corral travelers into touristy neighborhoods and impose strict rules on guests, such as two per room maximums, forcing you to pay for a second room if traveling as a family, or cough up for a big suite. Not fun. At the same time, hotels offer some creature comforts which Airbnb style apt offerings simply do not, such as water bottles in rooms, *generally* dependable wifi service and conveniences like restaurants and room service. Hey, you’re traveling it’s ok to be pampered and it’s not wrong to want the traditional hotel indulgence. But in the end, you’re forced to pick: hotel pampering, or price? It turns out – a third choice, Sweet Inn, may be the very wisest of all. Meet the best of Airbnb crossed with the comforts of hotel stays…

Last week, I spent the American tradition of Thanksgiving with my family in Paris, France. With holidays in full swing, hotel rooms were not cheap, and needing at least two rooms wasn’t helping either. I chose instead to sample a new(ish) accommodation service, known as Sweet Inn, which was founded in 2014. It’s an apartment rental service, much like your Airbnb offering, but it’s got some seriously fun quirks…

• Every apartment is vetted, curated and maintained.
• You can book a private chef to cook for you in house.
• All stays get hotel quality linens, bed sheets, towels.
• Branded water bottles are everywhere, and complimentary.
• There’s a local concierge, and a “city lobby” to drop bags.
• In person check in, with a knowledgeable local.

Now, about the cost. It’s actually not unreasonable at all. We enjoyed a ridiculously large three bedroom apartment in the beautiful neighborhood of Montmartre, complete with sauna, living room, kitchen and screening area that goes for €300 a night. Most hotels in the city were running at least €220 per night, per room and quite frankly, as much as I love my sister – I wasn’t looking forward to sharing a room with her. For €300 per night, Sweet Inn offered a splendid solution, with a beautiful apartment featuring enough bedrooms for all to enjoy, in a neighborhood where you just don’t find hotels. The company offers everything from studios to multi bedroom digs, and naturally smaller places start for much less. The “city lobby” is a brilliant concept as well, which allows travelers to drop their bags and relax before or after check in/check out.

I’ve long loved Airbnb, but this was simply another level of enjoyment, without a different level of cost. I find simple travel joys like ample water bottles to be priceless, and they were everywhere. There’s usually an inherent “awkward” feeling to an Airbnb, where you’re unsure if you should use the towels, but having hotel quality fresh bedsheets and linens made even my parents feel right at home. It’s a generational thing perhaps, but they were quite skeptical!

Sweet Inn is currently found in: Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Jerusalem, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Seville and Tel Aviv, with more on the horizon. In Paris, there appear to be roughly 100 apartments, with between 30-40 in most other cities. All I can say is that I will now go out of my way to book a Sweet Inn property in these cities. The value for money is just that good. I felt like a hotel guest, but I also felt like a local. It’s the best of both worlds.