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I just stayed in 3 different AirBNB's in Europe earlier this month for a total of 10 nights. 2 were amazing, and 1 was decent (but in an insanely cool area in Madrid so I was willing to overlook niceties in this one).
All were cheaper than hotels in the areas, certainly.
I used it for my most recent trip to Ireland. On our previous trip we stayed part of the time in hotels, but this time around we solely used Airbnbs. Even the crappy ones were a vast improvement over a hotel room, and the prices couldn't be beat. One place we stayed in was a small apartment village ON TOP OF a skyscraper in Galway. It was crazy cool.
And the farmhouse we stayed in on our way to one vacation spot was incredibly cozy. We only stayed one night and wanted to spend our whole trip there.
Overall, it was much cheaper and much more convenient. I'm not sure the same is true when staying in the US as the hotel chains here tend to be pretty on point and pretty cheap, but we really did love using AirBnB
I guess it's a personal preference. I don't want to stay in anyone's home while they are there---not even my relatives! We always use VRBO and they are vacation homes, not someone's primary home. So it seems like a cross between hotel and home. I find them quite reasonable and generally the owners are very nice and accommodating. Generally cheaper than a hotel and the kitchen is a beneficial feature. But if it's just a couple of days, I get a hotel. Not worth the hassle.
We found an oceanfront 2-bdrm. apt. in Valencia, Spain on VRBO for just $38 a night for next winter. Reverse snow-birding: it's too hot here. I only stay where there are several 5-star reviews.
ETA: The Airbnb model is being kicked out of many cities who don't want the transient aspect in their neighborhoods or apt/condo complexes.
I guess it's a personal preference. I don't want to stay in anyone's home while they are there---not even my relatives! We always use VRBO and they are vacation homes, not someone's primary home. So it seems like a cross between hotel and home. I find them quite reasonable and generally the owners are very nice and accommodating. Generally cheaper than a hotel and the kitchen is a beneficial feature. But if it's just a couple of days, I get a hotel. Not worth the hassle.
We found an oceanfront 2-bdrm. apt. in Valencia, Spain on VRBO for just $38 a night for next winter. Reverse snow-birding: it's too hot here. I only stay where there are several 5-star reviews.
ETA: The Airbnb model is being kicked out of many cities who don't want the transient aspect in their neighborhoods or apt/condo complexes.
I've done a shared apartment, and have also done 2 different "attached" apartments, but the vast majority of them have been "entire place" stays where you have the run of the place.
Can't just compare AirBnB or any share rack rates to hotels. It is the whole experience of living in an home/apartment versus staying in a hotel including being able to prepare one's own meals instead of eating out/having take away.
For past few decades thanks to a number of good friends who live in Europe have been able to "house sit" or otherwise stay in private homes/apartments. Have to admit by now am spoiled.
Yes, some go on holiday to get away from having to make beds, prepare meals, and so forth; especially if part of a family or whatever. But none of that bothers me; seems a small price to pay for actually living as say a Parisian. It also saves quite a bit on food/meals.
Hotels do offer minibars or whatever, but at extraordinarily high markups. Many now will charge even if you just open the thing to see what is there; obviously having caught onto the trick of people taking things out of minibar; then shopping locally to replace so can claim they never touched contents.
Can't just compare AirBnB or any share rack rates to hotels.
Legitimate point. Airbnb literally offers the entire spectrum...from full-service apartments to tents in a backyard to docked sailboats to a couch in the living room. Heck, they even have actual hotel rooms listed under the "hotel" category. So for better or worse, there is a wide-ranging variety for every level of consumer while also making it a helluva challenge in attempting any sort of standardization of their offerings (they are trying very hard with business-ready listings and a premium-level listing category as well).
Anyway, my point is that hotels are definitely more standardized than listings on airbnb, so unless you are specifically comparing airbnb's hotel listings to other hotels, it is likely apples-oranges. Some consumers seek airbnbs that are as much like a hotel as possible while others really really want to experience living like a local. I know some travelers who dislike airbnbs that are professionally staged...they want a place that is actually someone's home in a residential neighborhood. Which is another thing that was alluded to by S&S, a lot of times airbnbs are the only short term rental available in particular neighborhoods not zoned for hotels. Thus your only option if you specifically want that location is to rent with airbnb or one of the other p2p listing services. Of course, that is also yielding some legislative battles with municipalities concerned with this circumventing of their zoning laws.
As for the OP's discussion, I'll reiterate what I said earlier which is that Airbnb grew incredibly rapidly and organically by basically allowing anyone to attempt to make some side income out of their current living situation. Vrbo and the rest were all essentially professional landlords/companies while airbnb exploded by marketing to regular folks who might dabble with a listing during a high peak season or specific events (actually that's how they started...with the intention of being surplus housing for major conferences). And yes, this slight difference led them to ubiquitous and eponymous status.
I'm just wondering what it is given the presence of sites like VRBO and HomeAway (which existed well before) yet somehow AirBnB comes off like the best invention sliced bread, not to mention usage of company name as slang for vacation rentals now? Just one of those things that make you go "hmmmm" I suppose. I get that AirBnB has the option for staying with a host while they're living there (VRBO and HomeAway don't), but it seems the vast majority utilize it for traditional home rentals.
Never had an Airbnb experience that was better than a hotel could provide. A homeowner cannot provide the 24/7 room service and a full restaurant menu available at 4 AM.
I do not like AirBnB because it can and does destroy the quality of life for those who chose not to participate.
I have two different friends in Manhattan that have neighbors illegally doing AirBnB and the amount of trash, noise, lack of respect for the building that they put up with is horrific. Can you imagine if you had new neighbors moving in and out every other day?
Also, it is on our local news weekly about tourists getting scammed by AirBnB 'owners' who illegally put rentals on AirBnB and it turns out the buildings do not allow it.
I think AirBnB is fine if you want to rent out your entire house, just not a condo.
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I get that AirBnB has the option for staying with a host while they're living there (VRBO and HomeAway don't), but it seems the vast majority utilize it for traditional home rentals.
