6 ms·

Then you've no loss. You can still stay in houses with people living in the home. Just not the fake ones where someone pretends to live on site and all the st

by bnjms 7y ago

Then you've no loss. You can still stay in houses with people living in the home. Just not the fake ones where someone pretends to live on site and all the stuff is an Ikea show room.

thallium205 7y ago
Why would I want to stay with some rando on vacation?
- nlh 7y ago
  Because it's often an excellent experience and makes the vacation better. I rented out a bedroom in my 2BR apartment in NYC for several years and it was truly a wonderful experience. I had a one-week minimum and therefore hosted almost entirely tourists visiting NYC from overseas (as opposed to random people in NYC who needed a place to crash for a night). With very very few exceptions, I met warm friendly people. They liked have a local in the same place to talk about plans and get suggestions, I liked some new faces to have coffee with in the morning. Everyone won.
- artursapek 7y ago
  I stayed in a room in Berlin once. It was nice to get to know a local a bit and get tips on what to go see. If you want a sterile experience, book a hotel.
  - cycrutchfield 7y ago
    Hotels are often located in touristy areas and lack nice amenities like kitchens. Is it that hard to understand that there exists demand for whole-home vacation rentals?
    - artursapek 7y ago
      I wasn't arguing that that demand doesn't exist; I've rented out whole houses on airbnb myself.
- asah 7y ago
  Homestays are generally great: 1. interesting, respectful people / less "sterile" environments. 2. actually helpful in navigating the area. 3. broadens everybody's views (read: politics) to meet other people in person, see how they live and understand their viewpoints. 4. appliances/etc tend to work better, because they need them themselves. I've had nothing but good and great experiences with homestays. I've also hosted which has been ok-good: 100% respectful and kind, but not always that interesting. (I've been hosting/traveling for 15 years i.e. long before AirBnB)
  - lordgrenville 7y ago
    Exactly this. I'd add that homestays allow me to pay for just what I need - a comfortable/safe/private room to stay in. A lot of the extras you're paying for at a hotel are totally unnecessary for me: -someone making the bed + tidying the room -fancy buffet -facilities like gym/spa/TV -general feeling of 'luxury' Obviously there are some people who do care about these things, but as I don't I'd rather not pay for them.
  - therealx 7y ago
    Amen, the communal aspect is well worth it. Especially due to BnB's (not AirBnBs) are a bit more expensive, so the community is self selecting. You have to want to be there.
- arrrg 7y ago
  Some do, some don’t. I despise having to communicate with people.
ryanSrich 7y ago
I used AirBnB when it first launched and was absolutely floored that people would actually want to spend the night(s) in a random strangers house with them present. This was after me experiencing it first hand. It was quite terrible. Fast forward to AirBnB becoming what it is today where the majority of users select “entire house” and it makes more sense. The problem now is that they are essentially the same price as a cheap hotel, which for my money is the far superior option (the hotel), so we’re back to AirBnB making no sense to me again. Perhaps I’m an outlier and the whole couch surfing market is that big, but it seems like AirBnB is balancing being a hotel (entire house) without really being a hotel. That’s a tricky spot to be in when regulators come knocking.
- zamfi 7y ago
  For some people, the fact that it’s like a hotel (entire place to yourself) but a) in a residential neighborhood, and b) with a kitchen and other amenities of home that are usually missing or very expensive in a hotel (laundry, parking, etc.) If an actual hotel is the superior option to you, then, sure.
  - em-bee 7y ago
    exactly this. i'll take an airbnb serviced apartment over a hotel any time.
- Krasnol 7y ago
  The real joke here is: those AirBnB apartments often belong to Hotels ;)
- esotericn 7y ago
  My best stays have all been shared with the host. It's a way to experience another culture. I've also rented my own flat on Airbnb. "Couch surfing" is a weird way to put it, and so too is "random stranger". They're not random, you chose them, and you're generally in a bedroom. Maybe this is a cultural thing? Middle class families having lodgers is super normal in the UK, I figured it was the same everywhere. If I wanted a hotel, I'd book a hotel.
- 7y ago

by bnjms 7y ago

Then you've no loss. You can still stay in houses with people living in the home. Just not the fake ones where someone pretends to live on site and all the stuff is an Ikea show room.

thallium205 7y ago

Why would I want to stay with some rando on vacation?

nlh 7y ago
Because it's often an excellent experience and makes the vacation better. I rented out a bedroom in my 2BR apartment in NYC for several years and it was truly a wonderful experience. I had a one-week minimum and therefore hosted almost entirely tourists visiting NYC from overseas (as opposed to random people in NYC who needed a place to crash for a night). With very very few exceptions, I met warm friendly people. They liked have a local in the same place to talk about plans and get suggestions, I liked some new faces to have coffee with in the morning. Everyone won.
artursapek 7y ago
I stayed in a room in Berlin once. It was nice to get to know a local a bit and get tips on what to go see. If you want a sterile experience, book a hotel.
- cycrutchfield 7y ago
  Hotels are often located in touristy areas and lack nice amenities like kitchens. Is it that hard to understand that there exists demand for whole-home vacation rentals?
  - artursapek 7y ago
    I wasn't arguing that that demand doesn't exist; I've rented out whole houses on airbnb myself.
asah 7y ago
Homestays are generally great: 1. interesting, respectful people / less "sterile" environments. 2. actually helpful in navigating the area. 3. broadens everybody's views (read: politics) to meet other people in person, see how they live and understand their viewpoints. 4. appliances/etc tend to work better, because they need them themselves. I've had nothing but good and great experiences with homestays. I've also hosted which has been ok-good: 100% respectful and kind, but not always that interesting. (I've been hosting/traveling for 15 years i.e. long before AirBnB)
- lordgrenville 7y ago
  Exactly this. I'd add that homestays allow me to pay for just what I need - a comfortable/safe/private room to stay in. A lot of the extras you're paying for at a hotel are totally unnecessary for me: -someone making the bed + tidying the room -fancy buffet -facilities like gym/spa/TV -general feeling of 'luxury' Obviously there are some people who do care about these things, but as I don't I'd rather not pay for them.
- therealx 7y ago
  Amen, the communal aspect is well worth it. Especially due to BnB's (not AirBnBs) are a bit more expensive, so the community is self selecting. You have to want to be there.
arrrg 7y ago
Some do, some don’t. I despise having to communicate with people.

ryanSrich 7y ago

I used AirBnB when it first launched and was absolutely floored that people would actually want to spend the night(s) in a random strangers house with them present. This was after me experiencing it first hand. It was quite terrible. Fast forward to AirBnB becoming what it is today where the majority of users select “entire house” and it makes more sense. The problem now is that they are essentially the same price as a cheap hotel, which for my money is the far superior option (the hotel), so we’re back to AirBnB making no sense to me again. Perhaps I’m an outlier and the whole couch surfing market is that big, but it seems like AirBnB is balancing being a hotel (entire house) without really being a hotel. That’s a tricky spot to be in when regulators come knocking.

zamfi 7y ago
For some people, the fact that it’s like a hotel (entire place to yourself) but a) in a residential neighborhood, and b) with a kitchen and other amenities of home that are usually missing or very expensive in a hotel (laundry, parking, etc.) If an actual hotel is the superior option to you, then, sure.
- em-bee 7y ago
  exactly this. i'll take an airbnb serviced apartment over a hotel any time.
Krasnol 7y ago
The real joke here is: those AirBnB apartments often belong to Hotels ;)
esotericn 7y ago
My best stays have all been shared with the host. It's a way to experience another culture. I've also rented my own flat on Airbnb. "Couch surfing" is a weird way to put it, and so too is "random stranger". They're not random, you chose them, and you're generally in a bedroom. Maybe this is a cultural thing? Middle class families having lodgers is super normal in the UK, I figured it was the same everywhere. If I wanted a hotel, I'd book a hotel.
7y ago