Hey @Greg Strunak, like others have said, this has been going on for a while now but it isn't just the hotel lobby.

Maybe I could convert my garage to a movie theater or something?

Or step outside to the lobby and network - you never know when an opportunity will present itself.As for most of the other REIA groups around the country, I cannot attest to how they operate (except for Dayton OH, Seattle WA, and Columbus OH).

I even worked at a movie theater for one day.

Picture this: 3 pools and hot tubs, a dynamic game room, a versatile venue, pickle-ball courts, outdoor theater, mini-golf, and more.

The worst part is somehow these big names companies are above the regulation (Well, I guess the regulation was there at the beginning because these companies lobbied the hack out the government) and they can run STR where other hosts can't run. 

Guessing the have a strong lobby...in more ways than one.

Some amenities are crucial and obvious (pots and pans, plates, linens, good Wi-Fi), some are unnecessary and obviously so (personal movie theater with arcade game room), but the trickier amenities lie in the 2 middle zones.What are some necessary amenities that you might overlook? 

That being said, I think it's just a common sense to avoid pitfalls to the extend possible and not give anyone, especially unscrupulous, unethical buyers and some overzealous gov attorneys a pretext to fine me into bankruptcy and portray to public as a "bad guy" (so they can avoid going after real bad, big guys that lobby and hire them for their own nefarious purposes).

Btw, wrap it all into an overstuffed single premium whole life policy and through the insurance industry’s lobbying of congress your income will incur taxes deferred to far in the future, and if you’re lucky enough to die before 71 you may never have to pay taxes on the income.