An enterprising New Yorker built an igloo in his back garden and tried to rent it out on Airbnb as a snow storm battered the east coast of America.
Patrick Horton, 28, built the ice house behind his home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and listed it on the accommodation website as a “boutique igloo for two” at $200 a night.
But the listing for the igloo, which received five booking enquiries, was taken down by Airbnb shortly after it was listed.
The listing said: “Dripping with ingenuity and alt-lifestyle aura lays this Snowpocalypse’s most desirable getaway.
“Built completely by hand, all natural.
“Come experience this chic dome-style bungalow with Bae.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/indiastreetigloo?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3164961-https://twitter.com/hashtag/indiastreetigloo?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#indiastreetigloo</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://t.co/xunxUAwxRb" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3164961-https://t.co/xunxUAwxRb" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/xunxUAwxRb</a> — Patrick M. Horton (@patrickmhorton) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/patrickmhorton/status/691374027504492544" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3164961-https://twitter.com/patrickmhorton/status/691374027504492544" data-vars-event-id="c23">January 24, 2016</a>
The private igloo boasted an airbed, was suitable for smokers and had access to wireless internet, the listing stated.
In an email to Mr Horton, an Airbnb spokesman said: “We are happy to see that you guys are busy and having fun during the Blizpocalypse.
“Unfortunately, your igloo, while very well constructed, has failed to meet our occupancy standards and has been removed from search results.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/indiastreetigloo?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3164961-https://twitter.com/hashtag/indiastreetigloo?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#indiastreetigloo</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://t.co/Y2HZnanGm6" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3164961-https://t.co/Y2HZnanGm6" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/Y2HZnanGm6</a> — Patrick M. Horton (@patrickmhorton) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/patrickmhorton/status/691325277847289857" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3164961-https://twitter.com/patrickmhorton/status/691325277847289857" data-vars-event-id="c23">January 24, 2016</a>
Mr Horton took Airbnb’s response in his stride, but told Brokelyn.com he and his roommates had been planning to build the igloo for about two months.
He said: “We were sitting and joking around that we should build an igloo, and then we decided we’d actually do it. We were just waiting for a snow day.
“We built an eight-foot high pile of snow on Saturday, let it freeze overnight, and then spent three hours on Sunday digging it out.”
The Evening Standard has contacted Airbnb for comment.
