4 ms·

When I look at Airbnbs in SF, NY etc they are regularly more expensive than hotels with none of the benefits of a hotel. Why should a city prioritize the needs

When I look at Airbnbs in SF, NY etc they are regularly more expensive than hotels with none of the benefits of a hotel. Why should a city prioritize the needs of landlords and visitors over most of their constituents? Would love to see the number of mayors who love Airbnb. I can’t imagine there are many, if any.

nostrademons 8y ago
I don't use AirBnB for staying in SF or NYC (although I highly doubt that's the case for SF - a hotel runs you $200+/night here, but you can get quite decent AirBnBs for $70-80/night). I've used them for staying in Kirkland, WA; Amherst, MA; Santa Cruz, CA; Redding, CA; Gualala, CA; Carmel, CA; Morro Bay, CA; Kihei, Hawaii; Croatia; Sarajevo; and several other places. They're an absolute lifesaver there: in some of those locations, there are literally 1-2 hotels in the whole town, they are frequently fully booked, and they cost 2-3x an AirBnB. And I'd also doubt very many mayors like AirBnB all that much. My point is that interests diverge - there are some people who derive a lot of benefit from AirBnB, and there are other people who have good reason to hate it.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  I’m surprised Kirkland even has Airbnb’s. They seem to be almost illegal in next door Bellevue, but then again Bellevue has plenty of hotels.
  - nostrademons 8y ago
    They do, although selection was limited. A quick search just now turned up about 30 results.
    - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
      East siders (police and residents) are wicked famous for not putting up with what they call quality life abuses. They are the exact opposite of Seattle in this regard.
duado 8y ago
They can’t be more expensive than hotels, worse than hotels, and still get booked without offering something of value, unless they’re just a bait and switch operation.
- chillydawg 8y ago
  I suspect there are a group of Airbnb users who never look at hotels at all because "they're more expensive" and so higher price worse units can and probably do get sold.
- randomacct3847 8y ago
  Of course they can be. The fees on Airbnb add up e.g. service fee + cleaning fee + hotel occupancy taxes etc. You pay the same taxes as a regular hotel + at least two more fees (at least in places where Airbnb has agreed to collect hotel taxes on stays).
coredog64 8y ago
I used to work for a hotel company. When I moved to NYC, I had the option of getting the employee rate for my rooms while I was getting settled. For the same price, I got an Airbnb that was walking distance from the office. The host had soft partitioned her apartment and was renting out the bedroom. Because it was “owner occupied” I don’t believe it is illegal. By being present, she could ensure I kept to the social norms of the building. Airbnb in NYC isn’t just tourists having raves in quiet apartments. There are socially acceptable use cases that don’t result in housing shortages or significant downsides to current residents. I wish more people could accept nuance in the debate.

nostrademons 8y ago

I don't use AirBnB for staying in SF or NYC (although I highly doubt that's the case for SF - a hotel runs you $200+/night here, but you can get quite decent AirBnBs for $70-80/night). I've used them for staying in Kirkland, WA; Amherst, MA; Santa Cruz, CA; Redding, CA; Gualala, CA; Carmel, CA; Morro Bay, CA; Kihei, Hawaii; Croatia; Sarajevo; and several other places. They're an absolute lifesaver there: in some of those locations, there are literally 1-2 hotels in the whole town, they are frequently fully booked, and they cost 2-3x an AirBnB. And I'd also doubt very many mayors like AirBnB all that much. My point is that interests diverge - there are some people who derive a lot of benefit from AirBnB, and there are other people who have good reason to hate it.

seanmcdirmid 8y ago
I’m surprised Kirkland even has Airbnb’s. They seem to be almost illegal in next door Bellevue, but then again Bellevue has plenty of hotels.
- nostrademons 8y ago
  They do, although selection was limited. A quick search just now turned up about 30 results.
  - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
    East siders (police and residents) are wicked famous for not putting up with what they call quality life abuses. They are the exact opposite of Seattle in this regard.

duado 8y ago

They can’t be more expensive than hotels, worse than hotels, and still get booked without offering something of value, unless they’re just a bait and switch operation.

chillydawg 8y ago
I suspect there are a group of Airbnb users who never look at hotels at all because "they're more expensive" and so higher price worse units can and probably do get sold.
randomacct3847 8y ago
Of course they can be. The fees on Airbnb add up e.g. service fee + cleaning fee + hotel occupancy taxes etc. You pay the same taxes as a regular hotel + at least two more fees (at least in places where Airbnb has agreed to collect hotel taxes on stays).

coredog64 8y ago

I used to work for a hotel company. When I moved to NYC, I had the option of getting the employee rate for my rooms while I was getting settled. For the same price, I got an Airbnb that was walking distance from the office. The host had soft partitioned her apartment and was renting out the bedroom. Because it was “owner occupied” I don’t believe it is illegal. By being present, she could ensure I kept to the social norms of the building. Airbnb in NYC isn’t just tourists having raves in quiet apartments. There are socially acceptable use cases that don’t result in housing shortages or significant downsides to current residents. I wish more people could accept nuance in the debate.