Nothing compares to staying in State College on a football weekend. The traffic along Route 322, the mile-long line outside The Waffle Shop on Sunday morning, and feeling as if you are truly home all create a unique experience.

As many football fans know, hotels can fill up months in advance. Recently, borough visitors have turned to Airbnb — a lodging service that performs exceptionally well in college towns — to book their stays.

In a report published by Airbnb in January 2018 after the 2017-2018 college football season, State College claimed a first place ranking in two categories. Hosts in Happy Valley made an average of $2,575 per season.

In terms of total host earnings, owners collectively earned $1.43 million for the season. Penn State was the only Big Ten school ranked in the top five for both of these categories.

This past weekend, Penn State fans shattered records beyond Beaver Stadium, welcoming new levels of Airbnb renters to State College. White Out weekend brought 2,038 renters to the area, attracting almost 900 more guests than the same weekend last year when Penn State played Indiana at home.

Guests were from a total of 9 countries, 31 states, and 287 cities. While these patrons certainly brought in a lot of revenue for local businesses, homeowners also profited, raking in a total of $537,000 in just two days. This is almost half of what homeowners earned last season in total, and more than double the $212,000 earned during last year’s Indiana weekend. 

Airbnb press secretary Liz Debold Fusco said she thinks there are many advantages to staying in an Airbnb as opposed to a hotel, especially for young graduates returning to campus.

“I feel like the top reason is proximity,” she said. “Visitors are staying in a community and find pride in supporting the local area. The affordability is also attractive and allows visitors to stay in a large group.”