Meet Ken
Outgoing, Creative, Cultured
I've had a very successful Broadway and show biz career. Some guests have loved that. My place is especially good for anyone interested in the arts, especially the performing arts.
When I host guests...
I mostly keep to myself and just rent out the spare room.
Family Hobbies
Football, Chess, Theatre
Hosting guests since
2015
Response Rate
66%
Response Time
Within a day
About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
Hello. I'm offering my son's old bedroom on Homestay. I'm 76, but I have a 21 year old son. And he's gone off to college. The place feels empty without him. I used to be with Airbnb, and I've had many guests. It's been fun to have the guests here. But Airbnb is ok if you're dealing with the right person. If you're not dealing with the right person, Airbnb can be hard to deal with. So I decided I'd list on Homestay. Now, here's the interesting thing - and it's why I state Broadway?. I'm an actor. I've done 9 Broadway shows. Won the Drama Desk Award and a Theatre World award for my performance as Tobias in the original company of SWEENEY TODD on Broadway with Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou. So I can often arrange house seats for guests if they want me to do so. Now, house seats are expensive! They are seats reserved for folk connected with a show and they're usually not released to the public until 48-72 hours before a show. Other Broadway shows I've done - URINETOWN, SIDESHOW, GRAND HOTEL, et al. I'm a character in Red Dead Redemption 2. I've done film, TV. But I got my Equity card 57 years ago. So I'm not going to go into everything here. My place is especially good for anyone interested in the arts. I've made my living as an actor for the last 57 years. In fact, only 3 years ago I was nominated as Best Solo Performance by The Off-Broadway Alliance for my performance in THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (I memorized Saint John's Gospel. Type in Ken Jennings preforms (the minister misspelled the word) The Gospel of John on youtube, and it will come up, but that's the performance I did for my church. I was nominated for the performance I did at the Sheen Center, the arts center of the NY archdiocese, and they gave me set, lights, sound effects. but both performances are just me saying John's Gospel from memory).
Now Brendan's old bedroom still has many of his old toys. But some guests have loved that. I have guests who've played with his video games, his Bop It, etc. My place in on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, convenient to everything in NYC, and one of the safest areas to stay in NYC.
I've listed the room as a double, because there are 2 single beds in the room. But I often had 3 guests when I was with Airbnb (even 4 once, but the room was too crowded). I gave the guests a sleeping bag for the third guest. The price remains the same for 3 guests, $90/night. I charge by the room, not the number of guests.
My Pets
Tortoise
House Facilities
- Garden
- Patio
- Barbecue
- TV
- Internet Access
- Smoke alarm
- Air Conditioning
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
I live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. One of the best places to live in NYC. It's convenient to everything and it's one of the safest places to live in the city
Local Area Facilities
- Park
- Shopping Centre
- Bus Stop
- Train station
- Hospital
Meals
Hosts can offer a complimentary light breakfast at their discretion. All other meals, including a full breakfast, might incur an additional cost, if offered. Meals and any additional payment should be arranged directly with your host.
Included in the stay
- Complimentary Light Breakfast
- Use of Kitchen
House Rules
I don't really have many rules. I usually let guests have the bathroom to themselves at night. If I have to pee, I can use the bushes in the garden. If I have to go the other way, then I'll use the bathroom even at night. But I was an Airbnb host for years and that happened only 3 or 4 times. Guests can use the kitchen if I'm not using it, but can't use it if I'm still asleep. Otherwise they can use the kitchen. There's no hours of when guests have to come in or go out. I like having guests here now that my son is away at college. So guests can come or go as they please. I don't smoke. But I'm 76 now, so I remember when folk used to light up in restaurants after a meal. So smoking doesn't bother me one way or the other.
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is allowed indoors and outdoors.
How do I book?
Contact the host to check their availability and ask them any questions you have about staying with them. Once the host confirms they’re available for your dates, you can complete your booking.
When do I pay?
Once a host confirms they're available, you can go ahead and pay the 15% booking fee (maximum of 250 $£€ for longer term bookings) and a 25% deposit using a choice of payments: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, Laser, JCB & PayPal. The deposit is collected in advance on behalf of the host to protect against no show or late cancellations (within 7 days of arrival). You then pay your host the balance due on arrival. The 25% deposit payment is made to the host 2 business days after your scheduled arrival date. This deposit payment will only be refunded if you cancel the booking at least 7 full days prior to arrival.
When can I share my contact details?
Host and Guest email address, phone number and home address will be exchanged in a confirmation email sent to both immediately after a booking is completed. It's against our policy for Guests and Hosts to exchange direct contact details via our messaging system.