Forget staying up late or eating all the candy you want. FAO Schwarz and Airbnb are teaming up to make the ultimate kid’s dream a reality. This month one lucky family from New York will get the chance to rent the iconic toy store in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Plaza for a night. And they’ll get to do it at the most wonderful time of the year, just days before Christmas. But the best part might be that it will only cost $25.
FAO Schwarz/Airbnb
FAO Schwarz in the Big Apple is turning itself into one of the greatest Airbnbs ever (which we first heard about at Architectural Digest). The store is offering itself up as a magical hotel, for a “one-time, one-night stay.” Four guests will get the hotel experience of their life, when they head to the company’s flagship location for their overnight stay on December 21.
An FAO Schwarz toy soldier will greet the when they arrive. (The listing says “check in” is between four and six pm). Before they’re given free reign to explore the 20,000-square-foot store, the soldier will provide them “a private and socially-distanced tour” of the two-story building. The night will also include access to the store’s “countless games, puzzles and toys.”
And dinner and breakfast will each be served in a dining room arranged inside a candy room.
FAO Schwarz/Airbnb
The “living room” features an electric fireplace and an incredible view of the 75-foot tree in Rockefeller Plaza. The room will also be filled with “plush, life-sized stuffed animals” that “welcome your cuddles on velvet sofas and faux fur rugs.”
And for Big fans, yes, it also has a Giant Dance On Piano. How could it not!
When it’s time to tuck in—-though why anyone would sleep during this is beyond me—-the bedroom will have a “larger-than-life sleigh bed” for adults. It’s next to an enormous teddy bear. And the kids’ bunk beds will have a slide, so they definitely shouldn’t sleep. There will also be a private bath available.
FAO Schwarz/Airbnb
The stay, which will follow all COVID guidelines, will also include:
- A music lesson on the store’s iconic Giant Dance On Piano
- An opportunity to build a plush toy and a remote-controlled car of your own design – and then race it down the aisles of FAO Schwarz
- An immersive science experiment guided by one of my favorite colleagues and our very own Professor Atlas
- A special shopping credit to use within the store’s walls and pick out some of your very own toys to bring home.
FAO Schwarz/Airbnb
This is not technically a contest. Booking opens at 12 p.m. EST on December 15. Some family will still be the lucky ones who earn the right to pay $25 to stay. However, “those who request to book and fellow guests must prove New York City residency by showing a valid government ID and currently live in the same household.”
Which gives us just a couple of days to move to New York City and establish residence. That might sound absurd. But we doubt we’ll ever get a better chance to live the ultimate kid’s dream. Especially at our age.
