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This is why I have always just gotten a hotel. Everyone I know who AirBNBs has horror stories. I've never had a hotel horror story. I've had minor disappoint

This is why I have always just gotten a hotel. Everyone I know who AirBNBs has horror stories. I've never had a hotel horror story. I've had minor disappointments but always the hotel went out of their accommodate me or my credit card company would have if they failed to meet their obligations. Even for the niche reasons some people AirBNB for (large groups, extended stays), I've always found niche hotels offering the same. Even before AirBNB existed I could do things like book out an apartment-style hotel in Reykjavik to house 40 people for a week. That place is still operating now even.

attendant3446 1y ago
I mostly agree. But I have a couple of horror stories about staying in hotels too. The main thing about hotels is that you rarely book them for a week or a month. So if it's bad, it's usually easy to leave. Also, it's a business, so sometimes they care about their reputation. Airbnb used to be good, but it's been awful for a while now. I'm not saying it's all bad, but it's mostly bad. If property rating is plummeting, they can simply reset and relist the property - Airbnb doesn't punish such behaviour. Unfortunately, if you need to stay somewhere long term, there are no global alternatives to Airbnb.
- busterarm 1y ago
  I view a horror story as a situation where I have no recourse. Like a prepaid non-refundable booking. In most hotel booking situations the most that you can lose is a day. If it's truly the hotel's fault they will either comp this or you can easily claw it back via chargeback. I pretty commonly book week stays in hotels and the only real friction I've found there is that I can't book some places online and have to call to make the reservation. I know how difficult that is for recent generations. The thing about the long-term bookings that people don't understand is that there's risk on the property side. No-shows for bookings are unfortunately more common than you think and having a room locked out and not making money for multiple days is a major problem. Calling helps and sometimes I do it anyway because they'll give me a better rate than online...
homefree 1y ago
I also prefer hotels, but Airbnbs are a better niche for groups. If you have a large family or a group of ten friends, you can get a much better option for much less money via Airbnb than if you try to do the same thing at a hotel. That said, I find the hotel experience generally better and I hate the Airbnb list of rules and chores.
Mistletoe 1y ago
Hotel every time for me. Let a professional clean it, I’m not traveling to do someone’s chores for them.
- _DeadFred_ 1y ago
  Pro Airbnb people always say it's better than a hotel if they have kids. My kids got sick like 1 out of 5 trips. And if I needed clean sheets/towels to accommodate that, I just called down. And I didn't have to worry about it impacting some voluntary social credit score.
RankingMember 1y ago
For me, the value proposition is that, in an airbnb, you're embedded in the population and get more of the experience of a local. For example, when I was in New Orleans, we had little bands marching around right outside our window, something you wouldn't have gotten in a hotel. It just felt more organic than coming out of a gleaming tower to steep yourself in the area before retreating back to a generic hotel room. (I like hotels too, though- sometimes I want that reliable generic baseline experience).
- busterarm 1y ago
  I stayed at a hotel on Toulouse and Dauphine in the Quarter and had marching bands "outside my window" at least 3x a day. (Secondlines.com even has routes and schedules so you can plan your stay around this if you're so keen...) Granted a local wouldn't be caught dead in that area, but staying in hotels has never stopped me from getting "the local experience". Maybe if you're traveling to a destination where there's only resorts.

attendant3446 1y ago

I mostly agree. But I have a couple of horror stories about staying in hotels too. The main thing about hotels is that you rarely book them for a week or a month. So if it's bad, it's usually easy to leave. Also, it's a business, so sometimes they care about their reputation. Airbnb used to be good, but it's been awful for a while now. I'm not saying it's all bad, but it's mostly bad. If property rating is plummeting, they can simply reset and relist the property - Airbnb doesn't punish such behaviour. Unfortunately, if you need to stay somewhere long term, there are no global alternatives to Airbnb.

busterarm 1y ago
I view a horror story as a situation where I have no recourse. Like a prepaid non-refundable booking. In most hotel booking situations the most that you can lose is a day. If it's truly the hotel's fault they will either comp this or you can easily claw it back via chargeback. I pretty commonly book week stays in hotels and the only real friction I've found there is that I can't book some places online and have to call to make the reservation. I know how difficult that is for recent generations. The thing about the long-term bookings that people don't understand is that there's risk on the property side. No-shows for bookings are unfortunately more common than you think and having a room locked out and not making money for multiple days is a major problem. Calling helps and sometimes I do it anyway because they'll give me a better rate than online...

homefree 1y ago

I also prefer hotels, but Airbnbs are a better niche for groups. If you have a large family or a group of ten friends, you can get a much better option for much less money via Airbnb than if you try to do the same thing at a hotel. That said, I find the hotel experience generally better and I hate the Airbnb list of rules and chores.

Mistletoe 1y ago

Hotel every time for me. Let a professional clean it, I’m not traveling to do someone’s chores for them.

_DeadFred_ 1y ago
Pro Airbnb people always say it's better than a hotel if they have kids. My kids got sick like 1 out of 5 trips. And if I needed clean sheets/towels to accommodate that, I just called down. And I didn't have to worry about it impacting some voluntary social credit score.

RankingMember 1y ago

For me, the value proposition is that, in an airbnb, you're embedded in the population and get more of the experience of a local. For example, when I was in New Orleans, we had little bands marching around right outside our window, something you wouldn't have gotten in a hotel. It just felt more organic than coming out of a gleaming tower to steep yourself in the area before retreating back to a generic hotel room. (I like hotels too, though- sometimes I want that reliable generic baseline experience).

busterarm 1y ago
I stayed at a hotel on Toulouse and Dauphine in the Quarter and had marching bands "outside my window" at least 3x a day. (Secondlines.com even has routes and schedules so you can plan your stay around this if you're so keen...) Granted a local wouldn't be caught dead in that area, but staying in hotels has never stopped me from getting "the local experience". Maybe if you're traveling to a destination where there's only resorts.