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Agreed. The Airbnb of today is a far cry from its early days. Back then, the annoyances of an Airbnb were tolerable because rates were competitive with hotels,
by ryukoposting 3y ago
Agreed. The Airbnb of today is a far cry from its early days. Back then, the annoyances of an Airbnb were tolerable because rates were competitive with hotels, and you got more space and a proper kitchen.
Nowadays, it really only makes sense if you're renting as a group. Small, affordable Airbnbs just don't exist anymore. Airbnb knows this - just look at their new ad campaign. Not sure if that was inevitable as the company scaled, or if they've just found that they can milk more money out of larger rentals.
All of this being said, Airbnb-esque services exist that offer small apartments at competitive rates. I stayed in one in Detroit for a few days, and it was pretty nice. I think it was called Mint Something. No cameras, either.
- ghaff 3y agoI have stayed in AirBnBs once or twice as an individual and was happy with both the accommodations and the pricing relative to other options. That said, a lot of "the hotel experience just doesn't work" is mostly about groups or large families. As an individual or a couple I'll generally take the relative predictability of a hotel or a traditional B&B.
- ryukoposting 3y agoI've stayed with Airbnb once as a large group, but as a terminal cheapskate I always check to see if they have a good deal available. I almost stayed at one in Memphis, then checked the Google street view and realized it was a shack, and a recent review mentioned that there wasn't a functioning toilet on the property. I've stayed with a couple small competitors to Airbnb, though. Mint House was a good one, with solid rates and a nice living space. I'll be trying Vrbo for my bachelor party next month.