Airbnb Opens Doors for Canadian Hockey Youth

02/12/2019 04:00

Airbnb Billet Day celebrates the common bond of billeting and home sharing
Airbnb supports future generations of hockey in Canada with a $25,000 donation to the GTHL Legacy Fund
Former professional hockey player, Patrick Sharp, shares his billet story, encouraging Canadians to open their homes and build lifelong relationships like the one he has with his host family

TORONTO, Dec. 2, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, Airbnb launched Billet Day with a $25,000 donation that supports the next generation of hockey in Canada, and celebrates the common bond between billet families who open their doors to athletes across the country and the thousands of Canadian Airbnb hosts who welcome travellers into their homes.

Airbnb (CNW Group/Airbnb)

Canadians have a long history of opening their doors and welcoming guests -- sometimes even strangers -- into their homes. For decades, young rising hockey stars across the country have benefitted from this tradition of generosity through hockey billeting. This same tradition can be found among people throughout history who have shared their homes with travellers - it's just a little easier in this day and age with online platforms like Airbnb.

"Billeting taught me to appreciate the experience of meeting people who started as strangers and ultimately became life-long friends," says former professional hockey player Patrick Sharp. "I hope that more Canadians will consider opening their doors to make these types of connections, whether it's hosting on Airbnb or billeting young athletes."

Billeting has been an integral part of the success behind dozens of Canada's biggest hockey legends and the close relationships that form between the athletes and their billet families are also often built between Airbnb hosts and their guests.

"Airbnb Billet Day is a chance for us to celebrate and support billet families while also highlighting Airbnb hosts who share a similar bond with their guests," says Lindsey Scully, Communications Lead for Airbnb in Canada. "Sharing your home is a great way to build life-long relationships while making a little extra money. In fact, last year in Canada, hosts on Airbnb made $70 million just during the two-week period over the holidays."

Visit https://news.airbnb.com/en-ca/ to learn more about Billet Day.

About Airbnb
Airbnb is one of the world's largest marketplaces for unique, authentic places to stay and things to do, offering over 7 million accommodations and 40,000 handcrafted activities, all powered by local hosts. An economic empowerment engine, Airbnb has helped millions of hospitality entrepreneurs monetize their spaces and their passions while keeping the financial benefits of tourism in their own communities. With more than half a billion guest arrivals to date, and accessible in 62 languages across 191 countries and regions, Airbnb promotes people-to-people connection, community and trust around the world.