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> I'm not sure what would constitute a warm and personal experience. They want to have the place all to themselves, but are put off by ... what exactly? A lack

> I'm not sure what would constitute a warm and personal experience. They want to have the place all to themselves, but are put off by ... what exactly? A lack family photos? Or more "morbid" art that they also ended up hating? It's not about having the place all to themselves. Having stayed in a handful of Airbnbs, I've found the distribution pretty bimodal too. There's a cold uncomfortableness to the commercial room run purely for business. Pardon my mildly overdramatic digression, but they feel like prison cells. Especially in contrast to the familiarity and personal touch when staying with a host that actually lives there, wants to have a conversation, and cares about people. While they may appreciate the extra income, I really believe these hosts share their rooms for the greater community experience.

prostoalex 11y ago
> but they feel like prison cells Prison cells furnished by Ikea. To be fair, it's quite an amazing experience to change cities and countries while encountering near-identical furniture and bedding sets.
AJ007 11y ago
There are things that are built cheaply that look fine in photographs. Some things aren't cheap but it is still clear they weren't purchased by someone who intended to use them. Airbnb photographs don't reflect noise, the hardness of a mattress, and they often hide windows. Hotel reviewers are harsh, and these sorts of problems show up quick. I would venture to guess that the person to person nature of Airbnb, much like Linkedin, mean less honest reviews. Enough bad reviewers and hosts will exclude you.
pavel_lishin 11y ago
But they explicitly said they wanted a place to themselves. > Our intent, actually, was to stay at least 30 days at each place, so our hosts would be on the right side of the law. Rental of a private room in the city for less than 30 days is legal only when a permanent resident is present during the stay, and we wanted the places to ourselves. I read that as meaning that they chose to stay for over 30 days, because otherwise it would be illegal.

prostoalex 11y ago

> but they feel like prison cells Prison cells furnished by Ikea. To be fair, it's quite an amazing experience to change cities and countries while encountering near-identical furniture and bedding sets.

AJ007 11y ago

There are things that are built cheaply that look fine in photographs. Some things aren't cheap but it is still clear they weren't purchased by someone who intended to use them. Airbnb photographs don't reflect noise, the hardness of a mattress, and they often hide windows. Hotel reviewers are harsh, and these sorts of problems show up quick. I would venture to guess that the person to person nature of Airbnb, much like Linkedin, mean less honest reviews. Enough bad reviewers and hosts will exclude you.

pavel_lishin 11y ago

But they explicitly said they wanted a place to themselves. > Our intent, actually, was to stay at least 30 days at each place, so our hosts would be on the right side of the law. Rental of a private room in the city for less than 30 days is legal only when a permanent resident is present during the stay, and we wanted the places to ourselves. I read that as meaning that they chose to stay for over 30 days, because otherwise it would be illegal.