June 25, 2012

COMPETITION

Show us the city you love and win €100!

Win a €100 9flats voucher, just for showing us the best bits of your favourite city on Pinterest. Here’s how to enter our ‘Pin City’ competition.

**Sorry, competition ended 6 July, you can click to see who won though…

June 22, 2012

9flats news

And what do our hosts think of us?

We recently sent out a survey to our hosts asking them about why they host, and their experience with 9flats. Here’s what they said…

June 8, 2012

TRAVEL TIPS

9 unmissable places to see live, local music

Some of the best travel memories I have are of hazy evenings swirling a cocktail in an intimate live music venue. But how do you know which unmarked doors to knock on, and which red, carpeted staircase to venture down?

You’re in luck. Four 9flats musician hosts have let you in on their smoky, moody, must-visit musical secrets…

(photo: ALIghthouse, Flickr)

May 22, 2012

opinion

Is collaborative consumption actually new? We think not.

We’re pretty happy to be at the forefront of a new idea: encouraging the world to stop being selfish and start sharing things. But then we thought, are we really that innovative?

Here are six reasons our grandparents might beg to differ…

(photo: Paul Townsend)

May 15, 2012

9flats news

9flats: perfect for family holidays

Family holidays. Many shiver at the very words. First there’s the time spent planning it. Then there’ll be the heated discussion on where to go. When at last a democratic decision is made (by mum), there’s the not so small topic of budget… Which is why we wanted to make life a little easier for […]

May 9, 2012

9flats news

Introducing… our small but beautiful ‘Pin it’ button

Have you fallen in love with Pinterest yet? We have! Here’s what it’s all about and why you should sign up and start following 9flats…

May 4, 2012

9flats host tips

11 tips to get that first booking on 9flats

So it seems that the world and his dog is offering apartments, mansions, pubs, igloos and huts for rent. For the vast majority, it is sadly a painful waiting game for that first booking. Here are 10 tips to avoid that pain: 1. Buy or borrow an SLR camera for shooting photos of your place […]

April 27, 2012

Renting your space legally

With home holiday rentals on the rise, governments are starting to wake up to this lucrative market. Until now, these rentals have existed in some kind of legislative grey zone but some local authorities are starting to implement new laws to govern them. While we’re not entitled to give you legal advice, we do want […]

April 20, 2012

So, what exactly do you think of us?

It’s a little bit scary when you send surveys out (what if no one replies? what if nobody loves us?). But we’re always glad we did. It’s easy to spend lots of time doing things we think would be good, whereas it can be much more helpful to find out what you actually want. With […]

April 11, 2012

opinion

What’s value for travellers?

What is good value on your travels? is it value for money? does it mean getting an extra bed for your child at no charge, a free breakfast, a duvet instead of a blanket, a pool with a view that you share with other travelers, far and away from the crush of humanity, or uptown? How about […]

March 16, 2012

9flats host tips

Who exactly am I renting from?

There are many good reasons to let your guests know who you are before you meet them. Updating your profile with a picture gives your listing a personal touch, and may lead to more bookings. And getting in touch with your guests, telling them a bit about yourself, can help them feel more comfortable, even […]

March 13, 2012

Join the 9flats Easter Egg Hunt!

Easter. The time of bunnies, chocolate, too much food, four beautiful days off and… yes, all things eggy!! To celebrate, we’re having a little 9flats Easter Egg Hunt over the next three weeks. 9 eggs. 9 days. 9 prizes. Here’s how it’s going to work: Hide: We’ll cleverly hide an egg in a photo in […]

March 8, 2012

9flats host tips

How maps can save you from shame and embarassment

This is the second in a series of posts containing practical advice on how to have a safe, enjoyable trip when vacationing with 9flats. Part 1 is here. Last time I wrote about the importance of making sound arrangements for handing over your keys. This week continues with a simple check list. After you give […]

March 7, 2012

9flats news

How travel booking engines scam you

On any platform, while browsing for that perfect place that will charm the missus, let the kids run around, and have a view to kill for, you discover a dream villa in Bali that satisfies everybody, and even has the rustic Balinese feel that you adore. The page shows that the price-per-night is an unbelievable $200. You make a quick call to your wife to get her ok, and proceed to book 5 nights with the smug satisfaction of a savvy consumer getting a deal.

March 6, 2012

Interview

Pop king and queen: Porcelain Raft and Little Boots

We’re big music fans at 9flats, and love that we can offer musicians a more comfy, homely life on the road. Most recently, we provided beautiful vintage and art nouveau Berlin flats for electro-pop stars Porcelain Raft and Little Boots, both performing at Intro magazine’s 20th birthday party. We caught up with them both to […]

March 5, 2012

9flats news

Your best birthday wishes

Happy birthday to us! We’re so thankful to all of you for supporting us and for helping us help you reach more and more places in the world every day. Here are 9 of our most favourite birthday wishes you sent us.

February 21, 2012

9flats on tour

We czeched out Prague

At 9flats, we’re just about to turn one-year-old. We thought this was a good excuse to celebrate: and what better way than with a weekend escape to the jewel of Central Europe? So, last Friday afternoon, in a minibus full of dreams, eager to discover this beautiful city, we headed off to Prague. When we […]

February 21, 2012

9flats host tips

Don’t want your hotelier to be your hippie guru?

You may have heard a lot about the hip concept of collaborative consumption – often it is marketed as a sort of new age, free love community marketplace when that plainly isn’t the case. Mashable’s Erica Swallow has the right idea in her article. Not that 9flats doesn’t like to get a bit idealistic sometimes too, […]

February 17, 2012

travel tips

9trips visits Hamburg

Hamburg is famous for its harbour, abundant fresh fish and seedy Reeperbahan. A little-known secret is that this north German city has a fantastic art scene. On the latest 9trips stop, our travel reporters Caroline and Louise discovered small designer boutiques, the best cheesecake in Hamburg…

January 23, 2012

Behind the scenes with 9flats

Making of our TV ad

What do 9flats, Angelina Jolie and a Golden Retriever have in common?
They all play a leading role in our new TV ad! Claudia, our host, leading actress and German voice of Angelina Jolie, invited the 9flats team over to shoot the TV commercial in her gorgeous apartment in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Check out our Making Of Video, meet Claudia’s cute Golden Retriever dog and take a peek behind the scenes – the crew had lots of fun!