Francois, her partner Laurence and their friendly cat Zina are like a poster family for Airbnb hosts. They offer their basic but nice apartment -- literally steps away from Gare d l'Est and the hip Canal St. Martin neighborhood -- at a fraction of the cost for an equivalent hotel in the neighborhood. And then there are the little things you'd never get in a hotel: I arrived to find my bedroom emblazoned with a personal welcome sign atop my state seal! When they had to go out of town and asked me to feed the cat, I was rewarded the next day with a beer and a piece of cake. And when it looked like I might get stuck in Paris due to Trump's absurd "flights from Europe banned" announcement, they quickly offered to help with alternative arrangements (I managed to get aboard one of the last flights out). Hopefully, I'll be back in Paris soon, and I know where I'll be staying!