Airbnb rental hack: have your property used as a filming location for a viral TV series for guaranteed bookings year-round. One owner in Ontario can say it works, after his cottage was featured on Heated Rivalry. It's now listed on Airbnb for a cool $248.10 per night and reserved into 2027. Although you may not be as lucky, the story is a reminder of just how powerful the right kind of exposure can be.
Explaining the Big Demand for Barlochan Cottage
Canadians – and most North Americans, to be fair – love hockey. So it's no surprise that the TV series Heated Rivalry has been so, well, hot, since debuting last year. The show is based on a bestselling book called “Game Changers” by Nova Scotia’s Rachel Reid. There are six episodes at one hour apiece, each one filled with romantic drama by the storytelling skills of award-winning writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney.
The plot goes like this: Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie play Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, two superstar pro hockey players whose careers are defined by an intense, highly public rivalry on the ice and a secret, years‑long romance off it.
The show spans multiple hockey seasons as Shane and Ilya go from fresh‑faced rookies to established stars. Their “enemies to lovers” relationship evolves in hotel rooms, locker rooms, and, eventually, more domestic, home‑like spaces such as Barlochan Cottage.
The place itself is nothing short of gorgeous. It would have surely gotten lots of bookings before Heated Rivalry first hit streaming platforms. But now, demand is beyond imagination. Countless news outlets are reporting on the Airbnb listing's viral launch on February 24th. Those articles are pretty much all anyone can now get from it, as every single night is now reserved into 2027.
About Barlochan Cottage: What You Get
Let's say you've somehow managed to secure a stay at About Barlochan Cottage. There's plenty to look forward to aside from its significance to Heated Rivalry.
The Whole Place to Yourself
First and foremost, there’s the perk of privacy. Guests enjoy exclusive use of the entire cottage, including multiple outdoor lounging areas, a sandy beach, and open-concept living spaces.
Lake View
Water isn’t just nice to look at – it’s also the basis of plenty of great outdoor activities. From swimming to canoeing and kayaking, leisure-seekers staying at this rental get almost 400 feet of private waterfront to use however they please.
Modern Cottage Comforts
Barlochan Cottage pairs rustic surroundings with a polished, contemporary interior. The kitchen has high ceilings and a large island, while the dining area can impress up to eight at once.
Opportunities for Rest and Play
The cottage includes a lower-level rec room with a large TV and theatre seating, plus an exercise room with machines, free weights, and a Murphy bed for overflow sleeping. Three comfortable bedrooms and three bathrooms are spread across the main and lower levels, giving couples, families, or small groups room to spread out without losing that intimate, tucked-away feel.
Outdoor Living, Muskoka-Style
Outside, guests can rotate between Muskoka chairs on the patio, the sandy beach, the fire pit, and the dock, following the sun as it moves across the sky. With three kayaks, two canoes, and plenty of shoreline to explore, it’s easy to spend entire days on or beside the water and then end the night under the stars by the fire. It’s the kind of setting that works whether you’re there for the show-famous romance, the scenery, or simply the rare chance to live out your own cottage-country story for a few unforgettable nights.
The ultimate irony for Barlochan Cottage would be if its recent reservations are by people who simply thought it looked nice. Fans of Heated Rivalry, though, are most likely to occupy the property for the foreseeable future.
For other Airbnb hosts watching this phenomenon unfold, the lesson isn't necessarily to court Hollywood producers (though it couldn't hurt). Barlochan Cottage's viral success is more a testament to the enduring power of place in storytelling and the human desire to step inside the worlds we love. How can you take advantage of that in your own way?
