There’s An Oscar Mayer Wienermobile on Airbnb
Book a stay in the iconic hot dog-themed vehicle and experience a night you’ll relish forever.
By Jessie Schiewe
Most people generally wonder the same thing about Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles: Can you sleep in them?
“It’s definitely the number one question we get asked,” said Dominic Ricci, a former Wienermobile driver.
Read more:
“Driving Around the U.S. Inside the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile”
Known as a Hotdogger, Ricci was one of 12 recent college graduates chosen by Oscar Mayer in 2007 to drive its famous vehicles around the country for one year. It’s a program the 136-year-old company has been doing since 1988, assigning two Hotdoggers per Wienermobile and giving them a geographic region to cover. Each week, Hotdoggers visit a new town or city, posting up at events or popular spots like grocery store parking lots to hand out merchandise and show off the Wienermobile.
When people gaze inside of the 27-foot vehicle and realize there is no bed (or bathroom or kitchen) and that you can’t actually sleep inside of it, they’re usually pretty shocked.
“There’s not a ton of room in it, to be honest,” Ricci told OK Whatever.
In fact, aside from the two front seats, there are only six other seats, a TV set, and a small closet inside of most Wienermobiles — with one exception.
Starting this week, Oscar Mayer is renting out a night’s stay in a remodeled Wienermobile through Airbnb. Located in Chicago, Illinois, it’s listed as a “camper/RV” and costs $136 per night, with online reservations being accepted starting July 24.
Even though the Airbnb listing was posted by a newly joined member named “AlexanDog + Jake N’ Bacon” — their bio says they’ve been driving around the country in the vehicle for the past couple of months — the Airbnb Wienermobile is very much an Oscar Mayer-sanctioned endeavor. The company tweeted about it last week and made a not-so-subtle effort to plug the brand through the vehicle’s interior design.
Pretty much the only things in the Wienermobile Airbnb that are not red or yellow — Oscar Mayer’s signature colors — are the blue sofa-bed and the white shag rag it’s on top of. Everything else, from the upholstered armchairs and accent pillows to the flooring and the walls, is acutely on-brand.
For such a small space, they sure fit a lot into the revamped space, gutting out everything but the steering wheel. On the front end, butted up against the dashboard is the sofa-bed and in the back are the two recliners with a small table and lamp between them, and a mini fridge in the corner. For bathroom use, the listing notes that guests will have to use “adjacent outdoor spaces.” There is also no wifi or television.
When it gets too claustrophobic inside of the Wienermobile Airbnb, guests can spend time on the kitschy front yard which consists of a strip of astroturf, two Adirondack chairs, pots filled with fake plants, and a string of lights.
Guests will also get a few extra goodies. In a nod to its location, the mini fridge will be stocked with all the ingredients needed to create a Chicago-style hot dog: yellow mustard, white onions, relish, pickles, tomatoes, peppers, celery salt, and, of course, Oscar Mayer hot dogs. Guests will also get to take home an Oscar Mayer roller grill — essentially a barbecue made specifically for hot dogs — and other “hot dog-inspired accessories.”
Those who book a night’s stay in the Wienermobile Airbnb will also have to abide by a few rules. Only two people can sleep in it, and there can only be six people inside at one time. Pets aren’t allowed, nor are kids under the age of 12. You also can’t be messy. “No mustard, and definitely no ketchup on the furniture (but plenty on your dogs, as you please),” reads one of the rules.
Even though it doesn’t say it in the listing, you probably shouldn’t be booking it if you’re a vegetarian or vegan either, unless you’re cool with spending time inside of a giant simulated piece of meat and sleeping mere feet from a fridge stuffed with more meat.
Lastly no, you can’t drive the Wienermobile Airbnb — which is probably for the best. As Ricci recalled from his days as a Hotdogger, it’s really hard to drive. Not only is the vehicle twice the length of a regular car, but it also lacks a rear view mirror.
In fact, before he was even allowed to get behind the wheel of one, Ricci and his fellow Hotdoggers had to spend a few weeks training with a local police force. Maybe down the line Oscar Mayer will add the option of driving it onto the Airbnb listing, but for now guests will just have to relish the opportunity as it is.
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