7 ms·

Hotels are great. They create jobs, they don't distort property markets in the same way as AirBnB, and you get breakfast!

lambic 4y ago
Having stayed in some truly shitty hotels I would have to disagree with this sentiment.
- pessimizer 4y ago
  Stay in better ones?
nobodyandproud 4y ago
To add to that: Hotels are rightly regulated. The consumer is naturally disadvantaged: They can’t assess until they arrive, they must reserve in advance, and packing up and going elsewhere is often not an easy option. Though I’ll add that even regulated hotels can be a hit or miss experience.
- bombcar 4y ago
  Hotels are also hilariously taxed, because it's perfect taxation without representation - the people staying at the hotels aren't residents!
  - HWR_14 4y ago
    They are opting to go to the city. They are literally voting with their dollars to be taxed.
fruit2020 4y ago
They are sometimes too small if you go with young kids and want to spend a week or so.
- yamtaddle 4y ago
  Really, in general, any time you want a real "home base" you don't mind spending hours in if, say, some outdoor activity gets rained out, AirBnBs are far nicer than a hotel. Hanging out in a hotel room sucks, hanging out in an AirBnB can be like hanging out at home except... kinda better, in some cases and in some ways. Or for any getaway kind of situation where the point is mainly to be at the place that you are staying, not necessarily to get out a ton. Hotels are terrible for that, aside, perhaps, from ultra-expensive huge suites (I wouldn't know, I've never tried one, too pricey and I have a suspicion it'd still feel like being in a hotel room). They're also great in rural areas. Often you can get an AirBnB much closer to some 2nd- or 3rd-rate way-off-the-interstate attraction you're interested in, than a hotel. Otherwise your only options would be camping or an RV.
- datavirtue 4y ago
  There are tons of professionally managed rental companies that have been in operation for decades where you can rent houses. Same price as the "internet" grifters without any bullshit whatsoever.
VBprogrammer 4y ago
My sister uses AirBnB quite frequently because her and her partner are both Vegan. Having a kitchen is a big advantage over hotels.
- ghaff 4y ago
  There are suite hotels with kitchenettes if that's a priority.
  - dalyons 4y ago
    Unfortunately suite hotels are usually outrageously expensive
    - ghaff 4y ago
      Not really in my experience. For example, Marriott's suite brands are often cheaper than their more upscale standard hotel room brands.
  - VBprogrammer 4y ago
    This might be an option in a lot of downtown areas but not on the outskirts of London (the hotels are mostly airport / motel types) or in the middle of nowhere in Scotland where 4 of my sister's previous Airbnb rentals have been. Her last one was incredible. A lovely little 3 bed home with a hot tub in the garden room.
  - denton-scratch 4y ago
    I had to visit my employer in Ottawa (I live in the UK). They booked me into a suite hotel, because there was an international conference in town, and all the smaller rooms were booked. So I got a huge TV, a kitchenette, a double bedroom with another huge TV, a bathroom with his-and-hers basins, and a single bedroom. The next morning I discovered a second bathroom, like the first; and a utility room with a washer and a dryer. The problem was they didn't have a bar, so I couldn't get a bottle of wine. But not a big problem; the suite hotel shared a lift with the regular hotel next door. So I would ring the barman at the regular hotel, and he'd meet me on the second floor with my wine.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
MikePlacid 4y ago
> Hotels are great. You got to be kidding? Last time I’ve used AirBnb it was a 1 bedroom half of the house, shady, private area with a creek, private yes - but in a walking distance to the downtown. I had a full kitchen, an office place to put my computer and monitor in and a personal, fast Internet connection. I even had a shed to put my bicycle in without a need to drag it into the house. The host configured the lock to be the last digits of my phone number - extremely convenient without a need to carry a piece of paper even to enter. All that for a hundred dollars a day - same as nearby hotels where you get a crappy little room smelling of disinfectant, just a microwave and a small fridge, and my bike - last time I took my bike to a hotel it was stolen… > and you get breakfast! Ok, now I see that you’ve got me.
- throwaway2037 4y ago
  Where was this?
  - MikePlacid 4y ago
    Dropped pin Near 5145 Antone Rd, Mariposa, CA 95338 https://goo.gl/maps/oeVqaChM9cRnNXKd6 https://goo.gl/maps/oeVqaChM9cRnNXKd6
- itsoktocry 4y ago
  Some hotels are good/bad. Some Airbnbs are good/bad. Tremendous insight. Did you even read the article? The point is, staying at the Hyatt in a major city isn't a crapshoot.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    I'd add the nuance that you can end up with a pretty crappy experience at a 3+ star chain hotel for whatever reason. Usually though it's something that doesn't matter all that much at the end of the day like a room with minimal natural light. But generally speaking midrange business hotels are utterly unexciting--which is to say they're predictable which is what I'm looking for from my hotel in general when I travel. I'm probably not there for the hotel experience.
bambax 4y ago
Absolutely. The exception is when you're a large family, or even a not so large one. Most hotels have no good/affordable solution for parties larger than 2. But when traveling as a couple, or alone as this lady is, there's no reason not to choose a hotel. Much better experience overall, and nowadays usually cheaper as well.
- bmj 4y ago
  We tend to use Airbnbs when road tripping/caravaning with others. It is significantly less expensive than getting two hotel rooms. When its just my spouse and I, we almost always use hotels, because there is far less risk involved (though it is still possible to find hotels that not well-kept). That said, we've used about two dozen Airbnbs over the years, all in the U.S., and have never stayed in a place that was not exactly what we expected based on the listing.
- r00fus 4y ago
  For over 4 ppl it's insane trying to find a good hotel rental - they're called suites, and they're uncommon and thus often booked or extremely expensive. I just find a good 4 person room and we make do - or I Airbnb/VRBO.
gnicholas 4y ago
> and you get breakfast! Really? I don't know that this was ever guaranteed, and post-COVID it's definitely not. The ones I've seen are paltry compared to 10 years ago.

lambic 4y ago

Having stayed in some truly shitty hotels I would have to disagree with this sentiment.

pessimizer 4y ago
Stay in better ones?

nobodyandproud 4y ago

To add to that: Hotels are rightly regulated. The consumer is naturally disadvantaged: They can’t assess until they arrive, they must reserve in advance, and packing up and going elsewhere is often not an easy option. Though I’ll add that even regulated hotels can be a hit or miss experience.

bombcar 4y ago
Hotels are also hilariously taxed, because it's perfect taxation without representation - the people staying at the hotels aren't residents!
- HWR_14 4y ago
  They are opting to go to the city. They are literally voting with their dollars to be taxed.

fruit2020 4y ago

They are sometimes too small if you go with young kids and want to spend a week or so.

yamtaddle 4y ago
Really, in general, any time you want a real "home base" you don't mind spending hours in if, say, some outdoor activity gets rained out, AirBnBs are far nicer than a hotel. Hanging out in a hotel room sucks, hanging out in an AirBnB can be like hanging out at home except... kinda better, in some cases and in some ways. Or for any getaway kind of situation where the point is mainly to be at the place that you are staying, not necessarily to get out a ton. Hotels are terrible for that, aside, perhaps, from ultra-expensive huge suites (I wouldn't know, I've never tried one, too pricey and I have a suspicion it'd still feel like being in a hotel room). They're also great in rural areas. Often you can get an AirBnB much closer to some 2nd- or 3rd-rate way-off-the-interstate attraction you're interested in, than a hotel. Otherwise your only options would be camping or an RV.
datavirtue 4y ago
There are tons of professionally managed rental companies that have been in operation for decades where you can rent houses. Same price as the "internet" grifters without any bullshit whatsoever.

VBprogrammer 4y ago

My sister uses AirBnB quite frequently because her and her partner are both Vegan. Having a kitchen is a big advantage over hotels.

ghaff 4y ago
There are suite hotels with kitchenettes if that's a priority.
- dalyons 4y ago
  Unfortunately suite hotels are usually outrageously expensive
  - ghaff 4y ago
    Not really in my experience. For example, Marriott's suite brands are often cheaper than their more upscale standard hotel room brands.
- VBprogrammer 4y ago
  This might be an option in a lot of downtown areas but not on the outskirts of London (the hotels are mostly airport / motel types) or in the middle of nowhere in Scotland where 4 of my sister's previous Airbnb rentals have been. Her last one was incredible. A lovely little 3 bed home with a hot tub in the garden room.
- denton-scratch 4y ago
  I had to visit my employer in Ottawa (I live in the UK). They booked me into a suite hotel, because there was an international conference in town, and all the smaller rooms were booked. So I got a huge TV, a kitchenette, a double bedroom with another huge TV, a bathroom with his-and-hers basins, and a single bedroom. The next morning I discovered a second bathroom, like the first; and a utility room with a washer and a dryer. The problem was they didn't have a bar, so I couldn't get a bottle of wine. But not a big problem; the suite hotel shared a lift with the regular hotel next door. So I would ring the barman at the regular hotel, and he'd meet me on the second floor with my wine.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

MikePlacid 4y ago

> Hotels are great. You got to be kidding? Last time I’ve used AirBnb it was a 1 bedroom half of the house, shady, private area with a creek, private yes - but in a walking distance to the downtown. I had a full kitchen, an office place to put my computer and monitor in and a personal, fast Internet connection. I even had a shed to put my bicycle in without a need to drag it into the house. The host configured the lock to be the last digits of my phone number - extremely convenient without a need to carry a piece of paper even to enter. All that for a hundred dollars a day - same as nearby hotels where you get a crappy little room smelling of disinfectant, just a microwave and a small fridge, and my bike - last time I took my bike to a hotel it was stolen… > and you get breakfast! Ok, now I see that you’ve got me.

throwaway2037 4y ago
Where was this?
- MikePlacid 4y ago
  Dropped pin Near 5145 Antone Rd, Mariposa, CA 95338 https://goo.gl/maps/oeVqaChM9cRnNXKd6 https://goo.gl/maps/oeVqaChM9cRnNXKd6
itsoktocry 4y ago
Some hotels are good/bad. Some Airbnbs are good/bad. Tremendous insight. Did you even read the article? The point is, staying at the Hyatt in a major city isn't a crapshoot.
- ghaff 4y ago
  I'd add the nuance that you can end up with a pretty crappy experience at a 3+ star chain hotel for whatever reason. Usually though it's something that doesn't matter all that much at the end of the day like a room with minimal natural light. But generally speaking midrange business hotels are utterly unexciting--which is to say they're predictable which is what I'm looking for from my hotel in general when I travel. I'm probably not there for the hotel experience.

bambax 4y ago

Absolutely. The exception is when you're a large family, or even a not so large one. Most hotels have no good/affordable solution for parties larger than 2. But when traveling as a couple, or alone as this lady is, there's no reason not to choose a hotel. Much better experience overall, and nowadays usually cheaper as well.

bmj 4y ago
We tend to use Airbnbs when road tripping/caravaning with others. It is significantly less expensive than getting two hotel rooms. When its just my spouse and I, we almost always use hotels, because there is far less risk involved (though it is still possible to find hotels that not well-kept). That said, we've used about two dozen Airbnbs over the years, all in the U.S., and have never stayed in a place that was not exactly what we expected based on the listing.
r00fus 4y ago
For over 4 ppl it's insane trying to find a good hotel rental - they're called suites, and they're uncommon and thus often booked or extremely expensive. I just find a good 4 person room and we make do - or I Airbnb/VRBO.

gnicholas 4y ago

> and you get breakfast! Really? I don't know that this was ever guaranteed, and post-COVID it's definitely not. The ones I've seen are paltry compared to 10 years ago.