”Ever wondered how a simple couch can lead to lifelong friendships? Toma Molerov's first experience hosting on StayingBee took him from a stranger to best friends in just hours! Discover how shared values and spontaneous adventures transformed his guest experience in Vienna. Ready to dive into the magic of community hosting? Keep reading!”
When Toma Molerov first heard about StayingBee at an AIESEC conference in Budapest, he was intrigued. As a self-described global citizen who's lived everywhere from Bulgaria to Germany to Malaysia, he knows what it's like to build a home and find comfort in unfamiliar places. Getting the chance to offer that to fellow community members and travelers convinced him to join.
Toma's first listing was simple: just a couch in his Vienna apartment. Thinking no one would even book it, what happened next surpassed his wildest expectations.
His first guest was from Mexico and stayed for one night on his couch. Despite knowing nothing about each other beyond sharing a background in AIESEC, they became fast friends. They shared dinner, swapped stories, and watched Alice in Borderland together after discovering they were both fans.
Within 2 hours of meeting each other, we became best friends. It was surreal.
Surprised by how immediate their connection was, Toma invited his guest to join him on his morning run. They jogged through the chilly streets of Vienna at 6 AM—a highlight of the stay for Toma.
As his guest prepared to leave, Toma offered him a ticket to the TEDx AI conference which he was thrilled to accept. As a thank you, he took notes and summarized the talks for Toma so he could get something out of it too.
So how do two near-strangers connect this quickly? Toma credits what he calls a "baseline of value alignment." Having both been part of AIESEC, they shared similar values—particularly around travel and how to treat others. That immediate common ground built trust and eliminated the usual first-meeting awkwardness.
It was the quickest I've ever made a friend.
Asked if he'd host again, Toma gave an emphatic "yes". "I wonder who I'll meet next!" he said.
With so many accommodation platforms out there, what makes StayingBee different? For Toma, there's no comparison. It's affordable and more transparent than other platforms, but more importantly, “it's a chance to enter into someone else's life,” he explains. An opportunity to push yourself outside your comfort zone, be part of someone's everyday reality, and step outside what's normal for you.
He acknowledges that this isn't for everyone. But for people who are open-minded, seeking adventure, and want to meet new people, it's easy to feel at home on StayingBee.
Toma has since moved apartments, but he's excited to get back to hosting. For anyone looking for a place to stay in Vienna, Toma's apartment—what he calls a 'magical wonderland'—has a rare-bathtub and spa-like bathroom. He's also eager to share some of the city's hidden gems like the Danube Canal's boat-turned-sauna, buildings designed by artist Hundertwasser, and the lively bar scene at the Gürtel.
For anyone hesitant about hosting, Toma has some helpful tips. Try it for one night, and consider making it free or low-cost to take some of the first-time hosting pressure off yourself. Don't overthink your place too much or how appealing it is to potential guests.
I listed my couch thinking no one would book—and look at the kind of experience I had. It was amazing.
Give it a shot and see if it's for you.
StayingBee is now the first place Toma checks when making travel plans, and he urges more people to join so the platform can be available in every city.
Learn more about becoming a StayingBee host and opening your home to your community.
About Toma
Originally from Bulgaria, Toma has spent the last eight years building his life in Vienna, where he works as a business trainer and coach and shares his home with his wife and two cats.
