22 ms·

A fun anecdote about AirBnB in China: 2 years ago I travelled to Beijing and Shanghai and intended to stay in an AirBnB. AirBnB had tons and tons of listings i

• SilasX 6y ago
  I had that exact experience in the famously non-corrupt Netherlands (2017). It’s not a China thing.
  • seanmcdirmid 6y ago
    Does the Netherlands have a rule that you register with the local public security bureau for wherever you are staying? I really don't see AirBnB working in China because of that.
    • cheriot 6y ago
      Small, family run hostels in China manage to figure it out. AirBnBs in middle income countries operate much more like hotels than the empty apartments they're known for in the US and Europe.
      • seanmcdirmid 6y ago
        They do, the owner or someone with “works here” goes down to the station to register them; if they are a hotel they’ll be able to fax/scan it to the PSB. It isn’t self service.
    • triceratops 6y ago
      > Does the Netherlands have a rule that you register with the local public security bureau for wherever you are staying? Yes, I believe they do (Vreemdelingendienst).
      • midasz 6y ago
        Not for a holiday though, only when you're planning on living here - which does makes sense.
        • triceratops 6y ago
          I couldn't find an official source in English, so I'm just going off what I found here: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-western-europe/topics/dutch-aliens-police https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-western... For tourists, it's something that's rarely enforced. And if you stay at a hotel they'll handle it for you (or presumably, maintain records in case the police have questions).
          • owenversteeg 6y ago
            I'm Dutch. Before 2014, there was a rule (in theory) that foreigners staying at a non-hotel for more than 3 days had to register. In practice, it was not used. In 2014, this rule was completely eliminated. (There's a registration requirement if you stay more than 90 days as a foreigner, but since visas and visa free access to NL is for maximum 90 days anyway, this rule applies to basically nobody.) Here's an official source, in Dutch - Google Translate will get the general point across: https://www.politie.nl/themas/kort-verblijf-vreemdelingen-2014.html https://www.politie.nl/themas/kort-verblijf-vreemdelingen-20...
            • triceratops 6y ago
              Oh gotcha, thanks. My info is outdated.
          • eythian 6y ago
            It doesn't, generally, exist. Here's something I found in Dutch: https://www.politie.nl/themas/kort-verblijf-vreemdelingen-2014.html https://www.politie.nl/themas/kort-verblijf-vreemdelingen-20... Machine translated, then lightly edited by me: > Short stay in the Netherlands > In anticipation of the amendment of the Vreemdelingenbesluit (Foreigners' Order), you no longer need to report to the vreemdelingenpolitie (foreigners' police) as a foreign national coming to the Netherlands for a maximum period of 90 days. There is one exception to this new rule. The Dutch representation abroad or the Koninklijke Marechaussee (Royal Military Police) may, in special cases, require you to report to the vreemdelingenpolitie in person within three days.
    • hehetrthrthrjn 6y ago
      No, only if you're planning on living in the Netherlands for 3 months or more.
      • garmaine 6y ago
        As an American it is so weird that a country would require you to register with the police at all, no matter your length of stay.
        • vincnetas 6y ago
          I see registering your place of living is quite importand when dealing with local taxes. Ie when staying in one place for longer than some period of time, alos same information is used for social purposes, for example to assign your kids a place in kindergarten or school. It just so happens that this responsibility is assigned to police. By the way passport issuing is also i think is under police in LT. And yeah tourists who stay for long periods are handled with same subroutine (if i can say so). Stay at one place for prolonget period of time, please register.
        • shafyy 6y ago
          As an European, it seems weird that in the US you don't need to register your address at all, leading to this last-cenutry 10-year Census process.
          • mcntsh 6y ago
            As an American who now lives in Germany, it does make me think how the U.S works at all without this "registration". There are times where you fill out government forms with your address, but there's no way to know for sure where someone is living at any given moment. As far as the "government" is concerned (which government? state, local, federal? AFAIK it's all pretty decentralised) I'm still living at the place I registered to vote from years ago. I suppose it's cultural differences. There's a staunchly individualistic attitude in the US and the idea of a central government tracking its citizens is very unpopular. I get it, too. If you take a look at the "Anmeldung" process in Germany, where the government has a list of everyone and their race/religion/nationality, along with exactly where they live/which building/which floor/which side of the building, you can see how such a system could be dangerous if Germany were to ever shift from the liberal democracy it is today.
    • Reason077 6y ago
      In the Netherlands, and elsewhere in Europe, it’s not because of any requirement that tourists must register with authorities, but rather that some towns and cities have rules that restrict (or even ban) short-term AirBnB style rentals. Here in London there is a 90-day rule (a property can’t exceed 90 days total short-term rentals per year), and it’s 60 days in Amsterdam. This is enforced on the AirBnB platform, but landlords will try to get around it by listing on multiple platforms or by having multiple listings for a property.
    • the-dude 6y ago
      Dutch here. I don't for wherever. However, hotels are required to register their occupants to the city (council). This reasoning given is 'security', that is, the city should know in case of an emergency ( say, a nuclear attack ) who to rescue. Ahum. Of course, there is the nightly tourist taxes, that might have something to do with it too.
    • powerapple 6y ago
      In UK as a foreigner you have to register within 7 days every time you move.
• vailripper 6y ago
  Had the same experience staying at a AirBnB in Vancouver. In that case it was a unit where (unbeknownst to me) the condo board had banned AirBnB, so we were instructed after booking to say we were 'visiting friends'.
  • khuey 6y ago
    In China you are legally required to go register your location with the police though. It's a bit different than lying to the building doorman or whatever.
    • Reason077 6y ago
      I don’t see why that’s a hard problem. If hotels can register their guests automatically with the police as required, then why not AirBnB?
      • TheSmiddy 6y ago
        I just finished staying in an airbnb for a month in China and didn't have to go to the cop shop. I've now just rented an apartment and did the registration no issues, they didn't highlight any gaps on my travel record so I assume it was all above board.
        • j8hn 6y ago
          According to the law, you have to register with the local authorities. Technically a law was broken, unlikely it will be used against you unless they make it a prerogative.
          • TheSmiddy 6y ago
            Yes, I believe I was registered. Airbnb takes a copy of my (and any fellow friends staying with me) passport and does a few extra checks compared to stays I've had in Australia. Having said that I was staying in a pseudo-serviced apartment so it may have just been a normal hotel that was advertising on Airbnb.
• zkid18 6y ago
  I researched a bit how Airbnb scaled in China two years ago, not sure how the things are going now. Obviously there are tons of competitors in that area in China. They have far more employees and use typical Chinese aggressive marketing. The most notable one, Tijia cooperates with the main travel providers - CTrip, Expedia, Qunar. For me as a foreigner Airbnb works well, although in some rural areas it's better to go with Tijia. Airbnb entered the Chinese market in 2015 – the same year in which Tujia became a unicorn. The global giant has been slow to expand in China, with 80,000 listings compared to Tujia’s 400,000. Indeed in 2017, Airbnb Inc's founders were moments away from merging their China business with Tujia. Chesky decided to block the deal out of concern that it would harm the Airbnb brand. Afaik, Airbnb focuses on the quality of its listings. The company has visited thousands of houses and removed those that do not meet quality standards. The company launched Airbnb Plus, a premium service. The company works with opinion leaders and adapts its products to the market. Thus, apartments can be ordered through mini-programs in WeChat, and checkout using WeChat Pay and Alipay. Link to article in Bangkok Post: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1475857/airbnb-refuse-china-buyout-offer https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1475857... (2017)
• Reason077 6y ago
  Curious, what makes these things so hard for westerners? The Didi app (for example) is translated into English, isn’t it? Is it just a matter of incompatible payment systems?
  • notananthem 6y ago
    I've used Didi extensively as an American in China, among other apps, both in local dialects and in English. I don't speak any dialects but rely on coworkers and in region partners to be all "just push this button and enter what mall/hotel/restaurant you're going to." Works with my personal/corporate cards.
  • dheera 6y ago
    Yes, payment systems. Until recently WeChat Pay and AliPay could only be used with Chinese bank accounts in China, and to get a Chinese bank account you need to get a Chinese mobile number first. If you are a frequent traveller and read Chinese, it isn't especially hard to get a mobile number and bank account other than preparing to waste half a day standing in lines. After that, life is heaven for you because you now have access to all the convenience of the myriad e-commerce websites and apps. Any other visitors would have tough time getting train tickets, booking accommodations, renting bicycles, hell, even buying from vending machines or automated convenience stores, because people really don't use cash anymore, but the system is really only designed for domestic users without much thought for short-term visitors and tourists.
• busterarm 6y ago
  This seems incredibly dangerous as visitors on a tourist visa are required to register themselves with the local police within 24 hours of arriving at their destination. Trying to stay under the radar seems like it courts risk of deportation, as I've known _lots_ of folks who got a visit from police at their place of stay who were not aware of this. Virtually all of them settled things fine but it was more headache than had they just done what they're supposed to. I believe in a hotel stay, your hotel registers you online so that you don't have to deal with this.
  • Reason077 6y ago
    > ”your hotel registers you online so that you don't have to deal with this” If a hotel can do it, surely there’s no reason why Airbnb can’t figure it out?
    • busterarm 6y ago
      How are they going to do that at the place where you're not legally allowed to be staying? This was reckless and stupid of them and demonstrates what AirBnB often does -- that they put their business above the safety of their guests and hosts.
      • Reason077 6y ago
        What do you mean? Airbnb is perfectly legal in China, subject to the guest registration requirements mentioned here.
        • busterarm 6y ago
          It was not when they first started operating there which is the context with which the conversation was being had.
    • Guest19023892 6y ago
      I rented a number of Airbnb apartments in different countries, many of which required guests to be registered with the police. Typically the owner would meet me when checking-in, and they'd take a copy of my passport or drivers license, and occasionally I'd have to fill out a form with a few basic pieces of information (name, date of birth, etc) for them to submit. It was usually 2 minutes of work. The downside was it was all incredibly insecure. They'd be snapping passport photos on their personal phone, and one apartment had a book in the living room with passport numbers and personal information of every previous guest. So, technically it works now in different countries, but Airbnb really needs to assist these owners and get some proper procedures in place.
• virgilp 6y ago
  > it’s such a good booking platform Is it? I always hated it. I'd be very curious to learn what makes it feel like a good booking platform. It doesn't even show you where the room is located! (only approximate location). Seems way worse than e.g. booking.com, the only reason really to use them might be lower prices... if they still have an advantage here, which I'm genuinely not sure anymore (a while ago I decided I don't want to deal with their crap regardless of how much money I might save). [edit] "Is it?" was not a rhetorical question. I'm not upset or anything if you downvote, but can you also add what do you feel makes it a good platform? Or what did I say that was wrong?
  • xncl 6y ago
    Yes I made the switch back to "normal" hotels last year and everything was so much easier we arrived much earlier than expected and they had a better room available at that time so they gave us that one. Then took our bags while they cleaned the room went to the hotel's cafe for a coffee. Easy peasy.
• airjack 6y ago
  To be fair, so many things are "illegal" in China and it mostly serves to give authorities something to get you with if they actually want to get you. See also, VPN use.
• odiroot 6y ago
  I stayed in AirBnB in Sichuan in 2017, all completely official. I just had to go to local PSB (police) office to register for staying as a foreigner. The biggest problem was of course the language as the police haven't spoken a word of English. They also didn't know Poland (issuer of my passport) is a real country.