New Yorker builds US$200-a-night ‘boutique’ igloo

NEW YORK — An enterprising New Yorker sought to turn a walloping snowfall into a money spinner by building an igloo in his backyard and advertising it as a boutique getaway for two on Airbnb for US$200 (S$286) a night.

But freelance art director Patrick Horton said his icy listing lasted on the property-sharing website just six hours before he was informed that it was being removed for not meeting occupancy standards.

Mr Horton said he and two roommates spent six hours building Brooklyn’s answer to a traditional Arctic home.

He then advertised the “Boutique Winter Igloo for 2” on Airbnb in hip neighbourhood Greenpoint.

Despite Airbnb giving him the cold shoulder Horton says he got five enquiries while the listing was live.

“Interestingly enough, Airbnb actually allows igloos to be rented,” he told AFP. “There are igloos on their site but for some reason ours did not meet the qualifications.”

Airbnb did not immediately respond to an AFP request to comment.

Mr Horton says he is thinking about advertising it on Craigslist, despite a second day of warmer temperatures and sunny weather that has seen some of New York’s enormous snowfall melt.

“As long as it’s cold enough we’re going to keep it up and find another site to take it and try to rent it from there,” he said.

The storm slammed the eastern United States at the weekend, forcing New York to shut down on Saturday under a sweeping travel ban.

New York’s Central Park recorded 26.8 inches (68cm) of snow, the second-highest accumulation in the city since records began in 1869, beaten only by 0.1 inch more in February 2006.

Williamsburg, which neighbours Greenpoint in Brooklyn, recorded 29 inches, the National Weather Service said. AFP