Your friend texts: "Hey, I am thinking of visiting Rotterdam!" Your heart sinks. Not because you do not want to see them, but because you know what comes next: €180/night hotels, questionable Airbnbs, or three days of someone sleeping on your couch while you pretend to work around their morning yoga routine.

Isa and I have lived this exact nightmare. Multiple times. We would get excited about friends visiting, then spend hours scrolling through overpriced accommodations, trying to find something that would not require them to take out a second mortgage.

Last summer, my friend from Berlin stayed in some €160/night "boutique hotel" that turned out to be a glorified hostel room. Meanwhile, my neighbor three doors down had an empty guest room the entire week. That is when it hit us: this is absolutely ridiculous.

Rotterdam cityscape with the iconic Erasmus Bridge and cruise terminal — Rotterdam: Where your friends want to visit, but probably can't afford to stay.

The "Aha" Moment (Or: When We Stopped Being Idiots)

Picture this: It's a Tuesday evening in Blijdorp. I'm complaining to my neighbor Anna about hotel prices while she mentions her friend cancelled last minute and now she has an unused spare room. Meanwhile, my friend from Amsterdam is literally paying €140 to stay in some corporate chain hotel near the station.

Anna looks at me like I am an idiot. "Why did you not just ask?" she says. And honestly, she was right. Why did I not just ask?

So we started a WhatsApp group. Nothing fancy. Just "Hey, does anyone have space for my friend this weekend?" It worked so well that other people wanted in. Now we have 12 hosts, and somehow this accidental thing is actually working?

Why The Current Options Are Actually Painful

Let me paint you the real picture of having friends visit Rotterdam in 2025:

The Hotel Reality Check

€180/night for a shoebox room at the Holiday Inn Express. Your friend spends €540 for three nights and still has to listen to the couple next door arguing about IKEA furniture at 2 AM.

Plus, they're staying in some soulless business district when they actually wanted to see the real Rotterdam.

The Airbnb Nightmare

€120/night for a "cozy studio" that's actually someone's converted storage closet. The photos showed a spacious living area; reality shows a mattress on the floor next to a hot plate.

And somehow there's always a hidden €50 cleaning fee that wasn't mentioned anywhere.

The Couch Surfing Compromise

Your friend crashes on your couch for three days. You both pretend it's fine, but by day two you're both exhausted from the lack of privacy and you're secretly counting the hours until they leave.

The "Wait, Why Didn't We Think of This?" Solution

Here's the thing: Rotterdam is full of people with empty guest rooms. Students travelling home for the weekend. Expats visiting family. Locals going on holiday. All these perfectly good rooms, sitting empty while your friends pay premium prices for mediocre accommodation.

We started with a simple idea: what if neighbors just... shared these spaces with each other?

How It Actually Works

Coffee first: We meet for coffee before anyone stays anywhere
Neighbours only: You need to actually live in the neighbourhood
Reasonable prices: €25-40/night, enough to cover costs without being ridiculous
Real homes: Actual bedrooms in actual apartments where real people live

Real Examples From Last Month

Sarah's Story

Sarah from Amsterdam wanted to visit for the North Sea Jazz festival. Instead of €200/night hotels, she stayed with Lisa in Blijdorp for €35/night. Lisa was visiting family anyway, so her room was just sitting empty. They met for coffee first, hit it off, and now Sarah has a local friend in Rotterdam.

The Berlin Connection

My friend Tom from Berlin stayed with my neighbor Mark for four days. Mark was in Greece, so the timing worked perfectly. Tom paid €30/night, got insider tips about the best coffee spots, and Mark made a new friend who works in tech (useful for when he needs help with his e-com store).

This Isn't About Money (Okay, It's a Little About Money)

Yes, your friends save money. Yes, you can offset your rent when you travel. But honestly, the best part is watching your different friend groups become actual friends.

Last week, my friend who stayed with Anna three months ago texted me: "Hey, I am coming back to Rotterdam - can I just message Anna directly this time?" That is when I knew this was actually working.

We've accidentally created this weird, beautiful thing where your friends from different cities meet your neighbors, and suddenly everyone has connections everywhere. My Amsterdam friend knows my Rotterdam neighbor, who has a cousin in Berlin who... you get the idea.

Want In? Here's How This Actually Works

We're not some fancy app or startup with millions in funding. We're literally just neighbors who got tired of the current options and decided to do something about it.

For Hosts (People With Empty Rooms)

• You need to actually live in Blijdorp or Rotterdam West
• Coffee meeting first - we want to meet you in person
• Set your own price (most people do €25-40/night)
• Only when you're actually away - no pressure
• Your friends, your rules, your comfort level

For Guests (People Visiting Friends)

• Your friend needs to actually live in the neighbourhood
• Coffee meeting with the hosts first (so we are all on the same page)
• Reasonable prices, no sketchy situations
• Real homes, real neighbours, real connections

The Honest Truth About This Whole Thing

Look, this isn't going to solve all of Rotterdam's housing problems. We're 12 hosts in two neighborhoods, not some magic solution to the accommodation crisis.

But for the 47 people who've used this so far? It's been pretty great. Friends are actually visiting again because they can afford to. Neighbors are meeting neighbors. People are traveling more because they can offset their rent.

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest ones. We just got tired of complaining about hotel prices and decided to do something about it.

Want to Try This?

If you're in Blijdorp or Rotterdam West and this sounds better than watching your friends pay €180/night for soulless hotel rooms, let's grab coffee.

Join Our Community

47 people testing this in Rotterdam. Coffee meetings first, trusted neighbors only.

P.S. - If this sounds too good to be true, you're right to be skeptical. That's exactly why we do coffee meetings first. Come interrogate us in person.