Pete Best Transforms Early Beatles Venue into an Airbnb

Call this “Let It AirBnb”: Original drummer Pete Best and his younger brother Roag have transformed one of the earliest venues where the Beatles performed into a unique short-term rental property.

The Casbah Coffee Club, an early hotspot for the Beatles, hosted the band nearly 40 times. Before becoming the Casbah, John Lennon’s previous band, the Quarrymen, had a seven-night gig there. Located at 8 Haymans Green in Liverpool, the venue opened in 1956 in the basement of the Best family home and was managed by Pete’s mother, Mona.

Mona Best initially attempted to book the Les Stewart Quartet, which featured a young George Harrison. However, the group disbanded just before opening night. “George basically turned ’round and said: ‘I happen to know a couple of guys who aren’t doing anything,'” Pete Best recalls in an interview with The Guardian. “They turned out to be John Lennon and Paul McCartney.”

There are now five Airbnb units above the club, named after the original members of the Beatles – Lennon, Best, McCartney, Harrison, and founding bassist Stuart Sutcliffe. Roag Best, who was later revealed to be the son of Beatles road manager Neil Aspinall, has spent over three years renovating the property alongside his brother Pete.

Rooms are priced at approximately $200 a night and are decorated with exclusive Beatles memorabilia, including band photos, classic posters, and old instruments. The accommodations have already attracted visitors from the U.K., Scotland, Canada, and the U.S.

Interestingly, there’s no suite dedicated to Ringo Starr, who replaced Pete Best as the Beatles were finalizing their debut single “Love Me Do.” “Everything we do is about being authentic, and the Beatles that performed and partied here were John, Paul, George, Pete, and Stuart,” Roag Best told The Guardian. “Ringo was never a member when he was here.”

Pete Best has said he remains uncertain why producer George Martin made the lineup change but holds no grudges. “I still don’t know the reason today, but it doesn’t worry me one iota,” Best explained. “As far as I’m concerned, it happened 60-odd years ago, and I’ve lived my life. I’ve had a great life. It did cause me initial heartache and resentment, but that’s show business.”

You Think You Know the Beatles?