I've travelled extensively for the last 2.5 years using a combination of Airbnb, hotels (booked via Agoda & Rakuten Travel) & apartments arranged via local clas

I've travelled extensively for the last 2.5 years using a combination of Airbnb, hotels (booked via Agoda & Rakuten Travel) & apartments arranged via local classifieds (Craigslist, Gumtree etc.). At the beginning airbnb was my main choice, because of the experience it delivered. Not because it was cheaper. I used to stay in houseshares and the vast majority of the time the host was amazing, sociable and generous. But I think as airbnb has gone more into the mainstream and hosts get more experienced, the host cannot maintain that level of service. Now the best hosts are professional, but without the friendliness of the early days. What works best on price depends on many factors: the time of year, the country, the length of stay, big events or festivals, number of guests. I now make my choice based on the price and quality. I've recently found last-minute hotel bookings via Agoda have worked well. Hotels in cities work especially well in off-seasons. They have staff cost and vacant rooms, so have a strong incentive to get any revenue they can. Prices can sometimes be lower than anything that an airbnb host would be willing to accept[1]. Also hotels work well for 1 day stays. Many airbnb hosts want 2 day minimum stays. Also airbnb hosts often add a cleaning fee, which can significantly bump up price for very short stays. Conversely airbnb can work great when your visiting a city/area during an extremely busy period. Hotels are obviously aware these peaks and have adjusted prices accordingly. Experienced airbnb hosts have done the same. But novice airbnb hosts will often have much lower prices. [1] I used to be an airbnb host in a UK city. During the winter months it just wasn't worth competing with the budget hotels (EasyHotel, Premier Inn etc.)