Lot 13 Blog has teamed up with PSU Football House Rentals and is offering a $25 discount on all house rentals! Simply click this link: http://psufootballhouserentals.com/football and enter coupon code “Lot 13″, minus the quotes.
This is a great option for those who can’t find a hotel and/or don’t want to pay the exorbitant rates for two nights. Get some friends together and rent an entire house!
Recently, we took some time to sit down with PSU Football House Rentals Founder Mike Doyle and chat about his business. Below is the complete interview!
Q: How did you get the idea for PSU Football House Rentals?
For the last 6 years, we have connected homeowners with football fans in South Bend, Indiana for Notre Dame home games through PSU Football House Rental’s partner website, Rent Like a Champion. We realized that hotels in South Bend were overpriced, too small for big groups of friends, and too far away from campus. The idea really took off, and before long we were hosting more than 30 groups every weekend. We have friends and family who went to Penn State, who told us that the hotel situation in State College was nearly identical to South Bend. There weren’t enough rooms to accommodate all the football fans coming into town for games, and the hotels that were there raised their rates to unreasonable prices for football weekends. Taking all this into account, we decided to launch PSU Football House Rentals, and have been doing our best to spread the word to Penn State fans ever since.
Q: As you can imagine, some people might have hesitation when it comes to renting their home (or renting someone else’s home). What advice do you have for those looking to get involved with your business?
In the 6 years that we have rented out homes to groups for football weekends, we have never had any major issues regarding dissatisfied or disrespectful renters. We find that the groups coming to town are typically alums with their families, folks who will treat the rented home as if it was their own. While renters are at times hesitant to staying in someone else’s home for the weekend, our return customer rate tells us that people really do find it more enjoyable than a hotel room. Homeowners put away personal items, leave out fresh sheets and towels, and have the house in pristine condition for our renters, meaning that you feel like the home is really your own for the weekend.
Q: How many people can I bring with me if I rent a house?
We have homes for groups of all sizes, from a small family of 4 to a large group of 12 friends.
Q: Are there houses available for the big games (Alabama, Iowa, and Nebraska)?
We have homes available for every single Penn State home game, even the big ticket games like Alabama, Iowa, and Nebraska. The Alabama game has definitely been the most popular game in terms of booking, but there are still a lot of great homes available to rent.
Q: What are your predictions for the upcoming season?
This should be a really interesting season in the Big Ten, especially with the addition of Nebraska to the mix. Having Alabama, Iowa, and Nebraska all come to Happy Valley this season is incredible and should make for a really exciting season. I expect Penn State to compete for the Leaders Division with Wisconsin, and think that the Nittany Lions could definitely end the season atop the division. That could set up a very interesting rematch with Nebraska in the conference championship game.
Q: Most importantly, are you a PSU alum?
While not an alum, I was born and raised on Big Ten football, being from central Illinois. While my allegiance will always be to Notre Dame, I have always found myself drawn to the tradition and lore of the Penn State football program.
