Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm a 50ish single guy and have tried AirBnb twice. The first one was a good experience in an old home with an outside bathing shower, which was so different. The host was a kindly, elderly gay gentleman who made me feel at home. The second one was nice too. I just thought the place was a little dirty with pet stuff and work stuff everywhere. I don't like the feeling that my actions are being observed I feel more "anonymous" at a hotel where the decor, environment and services are more predictable. Although, I will say that the prices seem to fluctuate less on Air Bnb than the hotels because of supply and demand.
Each Air BnB is an individual owner, so they are all going to be different. Prices are all over the clock. Some are cheap, some cost substantially more than a motel room. Some are a bedroom in someone's house, some are a free standing cottage.
But, by all means, if you prefer a motel, get a motel. I can't disagree since I am not all that keen to interact and socialize with a family of strangers. If I am traveling and tired, I just want to go to bed without any polite social chitchat.
I've stayed at AirBnb a few times and all experiences ranged from good to great but I have only stayed at places that had a significant amount of review. The only one that was good and not great for me was one in Italy. I got lost and called her through my phone (expensive call as I hadn't bought the sim card yet!). That was useless because her English was poor. I found the place but had to wait outside until she arrived (I was there a bit early so it wasn't her fault, but obviously if this was at a hotel, I could have just had my luggage held). The shower was also a true European shower where the whole bathroom is essentially the shower so everything gets wet. The electrical heater also nearly caught on fire due to overheating (I don't think that was my fault). I have though on all my rental through Airbnb been able to get people to lower the prices-not significantly but I would take any savings to no savings.
That being said, I actually do prefer hotels. I like being anonymous where there's no small talk and where if there is a problem, I could just go downstairs or make a quick call and if need be,change rooms. I would never stay at a bed and breakfast either despite people loving them. I don't like small and intimate when traveling! I know to a lot of people they love that because they get to interact with people from all over and it's sort of an easier setting than just meeting people through other means. I've stayed at small hostels before that were sort of like that. I felt like things were sort of forced and that it was harder to get out of things when you met people because well, they would be there.
I really only use Airbnb over hotels if it saves me $ (and is in an ideal location) on the room itself, and if I plan on doing some cooking (on trips maybe less than 4 nights, I would rather not be bothered cooking at all). I also would never use Airbnb (at least for the first night) if the check in time wouldn't work for me. I don't want to be stuck waiting with luggage before the person gets there (the locked box thing is always the easiest rather than meeting someone there).
I'm planning on going back to NYC for a few nights in the fall. In the areas I want to stay in (more residential than tourist) Airbnb beat all the decent hotels in the area even with using things like Priceline and Hotwire, but there is 1 problem... the flights that I always take (red eyes) have you arriving between 5AM-9AM.
We've used Airbnb a few times but we always select the "entire house" option. That can range from a studio apartment to a multi-bedroom house. We like the extra space that you get with your own rental and in our case, we never have to hang out or even talk to people we don't know. :-)
To the above poster...Airbnb is illegal in NYC unless you are staying for 30+ days or unless you are just renting a room with the owner present. There have been ongoing legal battles between the city. Always good to be cautious and check out the laws - I believe it is illegal in other cities as well (think San Francisco is one).
We've used Airbnb a few times but we always select the "entire house" option. That can range from a studio apartment to a multi-bedroom house. We like the extra space that you get with your own rental and in our case, we never have to hang out or even talk to people we don't know. :-)
To the above poster...Airbnb is illegal in NYC unless you are staying for 30+ days or unless you are just renting a room with the owner present. There have been ongoing legal battles between the city. Always good to be cautious and check out the laws - I believe it is illegal in other cities as well (think San Francisco is one).
It depends on location, in my experience the best place for airbnb is Europe since you can almost always find something where you have the whole place to yourself that is comparable in price to hotel, but is either a studio with kitchenette or one bedroom apartment. Tougher in Asia where labor costs aren't as significant so the services provided by a hotel don't weigh so much.
It is more of a pain in the ass since hotel you show up whenever and you're good, but airbnb usually requires coordination with host to hand over keys. That can be tough if coming on a bus over a border that can make arrival time vary a lot. Wife and I usually set a time for a couple hours after bus should arrive then if earlier find a cafe to sit and unwind with a beer or coffee.
Some places have electronic checkin which makes it easy as a hotel. Can either be a programmable door lock where they email you the code, or a wall safe near door with keys in it that they email you the combo. Sometimes hosts are great in they have an info folder inside with map, locations of restaurants, sites, etc. and most you offer to help you with anything via whatsapp or texting.
There are A LOT of conditions with that (most still are illegal) and in many cases you are depending on the owner to have complied with what is legally required in his building. I know people who were kicked out of their rental mid-vacation because of complaints from residents - they didn't get a refund either. I don't blame the residents - who wants strangers in and out of their supposedly secure building? There ARE inexpensive places to stay in NY that are legal and hassle free. Why would anybody risk it?
There are A LOT of conditions with that (most still are illegal) and in many cases you are depending on the owner to have complied with what is legally required in his building. I know people who were kicked out of their rental mid-vacation because of complaints from residents - they didn't get a refund either. I don't blame the residents - who wants strangers in and out of their supposedly secure building? There ARE inexpensive places to stay in NY that are legal and hassle free. Why would anybody risk it?
I would risk it. I don't really care that a rental could be illegal.
I stay in AirBnB's not infrequently; some are awesome, others not so much. I prefer to stay in them when it is a shorter time frame, especially if they are cheaper.
If I am somewhere for more than 2-3 days, I prefer a hotel. I don't like the hassle of having to clean up at the end of a trip (I'm on vacation!) and enjoy having my needs catered too in that way.
Must have more than one restroom when I am travelling with family
Must have lots of good reviews and car parking.
I didn't find the prices significantly cheaper than a hotel - 1+ restroom is what beats the hotel.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
