3 ms·
I travel frequently and have tried replacing the usual hotel chain with an airbnb. I totally agree, the hassle of dealing with hosts and being left disappointed
by tinbad 11y ago
I travel frequently and have tried replacing the usual hotel chain with an airbnb. I totally agree, the hassle of dealing with hosts and being left disappointed a few times, it's not worth it (for me).
Where I found airbnb more useful (and cheaper) is when my family is in town and we're traveling somewhere and we usually book a whole apartment/house with multiple bedrooms. That is usually cheaper than booking 2 or 3 hotel rooms. However, in that space there are lots of alternatives (Homeaway, VRBO, local bed & breakfasts with their owns websites).
My impression is that airbnb, in the end, is just like those other sites. More recently, I've found that more often than not, the place you book (especially in popular areas) is owned or sublet by someone who's making a business out of short term renting and with that, the whole local/experience/sharing charm is gone.
- nnd 11y agoShort term vacation rentals are definitely is where the money are at. Also, for my experience, the niche if affordable mid/long-term rentals (1-2 months) appears to be underserved. Sure I can negotiate a monthly rate with a hotel, but unless they are experiencing a lack of demand, it's not worth it for them - they can make more money on short stays. The cheapest alternative for finding a sublet appears to be local sources (websites, asking around locals), but that could be too much hassle, especially if you don't have time for it. Airbnb listings sometimes provide a monthly rate, but again in my experience it's not very competitive. Being not very price sensitive, I'd still go with a previous option - it has it perks of local immersion.
- secabeen 11y agoHomeaway and VRBO are the same site now. Also, when AirBNB launched, their web interface was vastly better than VRBOs. VRBO is a lot better now, but it's still clearly an older site with some improvements.