I heard of AirBnB from a Bloomberg article http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-19/u-s-homeowners-use-airbnb-com-s-room-renting-site-to-dodge-foreclosure.html

I was skeptical at first. I made many inquiries to hosts but Viviane was the only host who contacted me. She responded to every inquiry quickly. I needed to know if she used a modem and router to provide high speed internet. Many people provide usb modems that are very slow.

I heard many horror stories from people who rented apartments in Rio like they charge you one price but demand another upon your arrival, they overcharge you all together, the apartments were nasty, and so on.

The apartment was very clean. I had everything I needed. The location was very good. The art inside the apartment was nice.

Viviane was very professional and responsible. She even provided me with transit information upon my arrival to make my journey to the apartment easier. I lost my key and she responded to the emergency quickly.

Viviane took the time to meet with me and introduce me to different restaurants and other places of interest in the neighborhood. She answered every question that I had and provided good insight into life in Rio.

Overall she is an amazing host with an amazing story. I would recommend her to my friends and will rent from her again.