If the high cost of a hotel rooms has kept you from booking a holiday or business trip, then gayhomestays.com  might be your answer. It's a recession-born web-based business that matches travellers in need of affordable accommodation with homeowners who have spare rooms to rent.   In addition their site also lists gay guesthouses, B&B's and tourists apartments.

"Gay Homestays offers people a way to save money when they travel, and also gives people a chance to earn money at a time when many are worried about how to pay their mortgage and how to pay for holidays," says it’s owner, Dave Chambers. “We have properties in over 20 european cities and by next summer plan to expand into America, Australia and Canada.”

As a ‘Host’ you quote a price, which you determine and wait for someone to book your room. To become a host you must register your details with Gay Homestays to be set up with a profile page where you will be able to manage your bookings and room availability.

“Most of our hosts are young professionals in their late twenties and thirties' says Mr Chambers “…our travellers are mainly tourists but we are seeing an increase in business travel, probably because businesses are cutting back on expenses.” Through their website you can get a room in Barcelona for as little as 30 Euros a night; even a budget hotel will cost from around 100 Euros"

Travellers can search for accommodation, location, date, comfort level and price.  To book a room a 15 per cent credit card deposit payment is made followed by a cash payment on arrival.  Mr Chambers, an ex-Social Worker from the UK explains that. "The upfront credit card payment means that the guest identity and home address is verified and offers an important level of security.”

“Gay Homestays offers a social networking experience whilst travelling and is similar to that of couchsurfing.com" says Chambers ,"...but in addition we offer our hosts a financial incentive to accommodate traveller. In return guests are happy because they have the opportunity of learning something about the culture and get great tips about the local nightlife, best restaurants and the most interesting museums.“

With the economic outlook for the next 12 months looking relentlessly gloomy, more and more people are looking for ways to earn some extra money and Gay Homestays offers them the perfect opportunity to accrue some extra cash. Steve Evans, an ex-pat teacher living in Barcelona has found having short-stay guests a good way to plug any income gap and says "… it's fun. You meet people you from all over the world that you wouldn't otherwise have any contact with whilst making some money.”

Chambers moved to Barcelona 4 years ago and set up a small B&B. His idea to create Gay Homestays was borne out of discussions with his guest who had become disillusioned by over priced and impersonal hotels. ‘My vision is to develop a global private accommodation service providing safe and affordable accommodation to gay men and women from all over the world and to inspire amazing holiday experiences based on cross-cultural sharing and encounters’.

For more information about Gay Homestays visist www.gayhomestays.com

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