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She suggested that viewers should look at the spots with a critical eye and question the story behind the story.

“They don’t say: Is this person renting out a small room? Is that person renting out a secondary suite on their third floor when that used to be a rental? Is that person … renting out an investment condo on Airbnb? There’s no details,” she said.

“I think that these ad campaigns are designed to pull heartstrings … and not actually get at the facts and actual issues.”

Both Hall and Duran said they weren’t paid to appear in the ads, but volunteered for the campaign after attending a meeting of hosts and Airbnb representatives.

“I really feel that a lot of the talk about Airbnb is misrepresented,” Hall said in an interview. “I really liked the idea that people could share the various reasons that Airbnb works, not just for the individuals, but also for the city.”

She uses the platform to rent out the second bedroom in her East Vancouver apartment during the summer. She used to have roommates, but they only ever stayed for a short time.

“I really love staying with other people when I’m travelling, so I just thought Airbnb sounded like a really great option during the high season, and I’ve been meeting people from all over the world, which has been fun,” she said.

Duran, on the other hand, mainly lists the ground-floor suite in his Kitsilano home, although he also has a second listing for a bachelor unit that he rents for a minimum of one month at a time.

“The reason why I really started exploring this is, I did my first feature film five years ago and I was hoping at the time that the film would be sold, but it wasn’t,” he said.

He added that he likes how Airbnb’s insurance policy covers unexpected costs like the plumbing bill he had to pay after a group of young guests flushed a bottle down the toilet. He’s also made at least one lasting connection; he’s collaborating on a short film with a former guest.

blindsay@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/bethanylindsay