I think I'm done with Airbnb

[SpookyFrank]

This suggests that the sheets weren't clean either.

Seemed like someone had been in to change sheets at least. Reckon we'd have walked out if it were otherwise.

 

[Ground Elder]

I've only ever used AirBnB once which was in St Ives earlier this year. It was a converted loft that had been turned into a bedroom with an en-suite, a balcony and a lockable door with key. The host lived downstairs and we only ever saw him a couple of times.

One in five properties in St Ives are now Air B&Bs. This figure is only for properties listed as the “entire place” for rent and doesn't include properties where the owner is just renting out a room. It's now impossible to rent a residential property in town. St Ives locals are living in caravans and holiday parks, while the tourists stay in the houses

 

[Cloo]

My experiences have still been OK, but it's getting more expensive. I think it'll still always be cheaper on average than a hotel if we have the kids with us, though - and I grew up self catering which I always prefer for family holidays. I have heard a lot more complaints from America about niggly rules and unreasonable cleaning expectations at airbnbs though

 

[SpookyFrank]

One in five properties in St Ives are now Air B&Bs. This figure is only for properties listed as the “entire place” for rent and doesn't include properties where the owner is just renting out a room. It's now impossible to rent a residential property in town. St Ives locals are living in caravans and holiday parks, while the tourists stay in the houses

Saw a teaching job come up in Looe last year. Was about to apply for it but then I checked rightmove. Zero homes for rent in the whole town. And you're not buying any houses there on a teacher's pay.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

and unreasonable cleaning expectations at airbnbs though

Please don't say the expectations are on the guests? Like tidying up after yourself in some burger bars etc.

 

[Elpenor]

Only used them twice, in both cases it was a four week rental during the 2021 lockdown as I needed somewhere to live. In both cases it was a studio flat with kitchen and washing machine.

Wouldn’t want to have a room in someone’s house: it may be the original ethos but it’s 100% not for me, prefer the anonymity of a hotel plus the predictable standards.

 

[Cloo]

Please don't say the expectations are on the guests? Like tidying up after yourself in some burger bars etc.

You're generally paying a cleaning fee, but I think most people, including us, will tidy up and give at least a superficial clean - apparently some US airbnbs are insistine on pristine cleanliness before the cleaner gets there.

We used a room in a house the other day as it was just one night after a mate's party in some suburbs and didn't want to spend the money on central Brighton. It was OK, but yes, I prefer whole units.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

You're generally paying a cleaning fee, but I think most people, including us, will tidy up and give at least a superficial clean - apparently some US airbnbs are insistine on pristine cleanliness before the cleaner gets there.

We used a room in a house the other day as it was just one night after a mate's party in some suburbs and didn't want to spend the money on central Brighton. It was OK, but yes, I prefer whole units.

Well I wouldn't leave a hotel room as a complete shit tip but part of the deal for me is that they sort the changing the bedding and cleaning of the room for the next guests.

 

[Dr. Furface]

I've stayed in quite a few over the last 5 or 6 years. I really don't enjoy staying in hotels and prefer a place on my own - non of that room service malarkey for me, I actually like going and getting my own stuff in supermarkets! Only the first time did I stay in a room in someone's home, in Seville, which was ok - and was certainly cheap - but I didn't fancy it again. Some places have been better than others obvs, but I've never had a bad experience, and most have been really good.

I try to not stay in ones that look like they're run by letting companies - and if you read the reviews you can usually tell - though I did once in Madrid, but that was over 5 yrs ago and since then I've always stayed in ones I've been as sure as I could be that they've been run by individual owners. And I always try to stay in places that have lots of great reviews (even the slightest negative comment is a red flag) for the place and the owners, even if the place might not be in the ideal location.

I'm tidy and never leave a place in a mess, but if I saw in the listing there was an expectation that I had to clean the place before leaving then I just wouldn't stay there. That's what you pay a cleaning fee for.

 

[kebabking]

I've never shared, only ever used whole units.

We use them for family trips - two nights or more - and so far we've been fairly happy with our experiences. Hotels are fine for arriving and departing 12 hours later, but if you're going to York for a few days with young kids you want a kitchen, a a washing machine, and somewhere to chill out after the kids have gone to bed. YHA's are a preference option, but often they hit a similar price to an Airbnb...

As ever, a good thing in moderation - the problem SpookyFrank describes is the consequence of no moderation, and now regulation.

 

[Skim]

A few days ago, I was trying to book accommodation in Paris for December, so thought Airbnb would be a good option as I needed two bedrooms. Tried to reserve a flat that was free for the dates I wanted, but then the owner messaged me to say it wouldn’t be possible for these dates, maybe I could try again at a later date? Cancelled the pending booking and reserved another flat, which was accepted straight away and Airbnb took the deposit. Then the owner messaged me to say the dates weren’t free, so I had to cancel the booking again Still waiting for a refund from Airbnb.

In the end, I managed to find two rooms in an Ibis hotel for the same price I would have paid for Airbnb. Wish I’d done this to begin with!

 

[planetgeli]

I've used them twice, both this year, and they've been excellent. The concept is shit and is taking over places, and their booking rules aren't straightforward (what they claim is available might not be once you actually ask to book it) but other than that my two experiences (yes, one in Montenegro) have been smooth and great value for money with attentive but not intrusive hosts.

 

[Supine]

I try to use booking dot com as it keeps all my bookings in one place. I work away from home 20+ days per month so it gets complicated!

Sometimes they are also airbnb places. I much prefer them to hotels because there is no daily cleaner invasion and apartments are so much nicer than hotel rooms for living in. The best ones are a local owner earning a few quid on the side and not a management company.

 

[Dr. Furface]

A few days ago, I was trying to book accommodation in Paris for December, so thought Airbnb would be a good option as I needed two bedrooms. Tried to reserve a flat that was free for the dates I wanted, but then the owner messaged me to say it wouldn’t be possible for these dates, maybe I could try again at a later date? Cancelled the pending booking and reserved another flat, which was accepted straight away and Airbnb took the deposit. Then the owner messaged me to say the dates weren’t free, so I had to cancel the booking again Still waiting for a refund from Airbnb.

In the end, I managed to find two rooms in an Ibis hotel for the same price I would have paid for Airbnb. Wish I’d done this to begin with!

That's never happened to me so I reckon you've either been really unlucky or that's a Paris thing - I've never tried to book an Airbnb there, but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I much prefer them to hotels because there is no daily cleaner invasion

i have a night or two away from work every couple of months now, and most of the places i've stayed at this year say they don't do rooms during the day if you're staying more than one night (allegedly because covid) and if you want clean towels or anything to ask them

 

[Supine]

i have a night or two away from work every couple of months now, and most of the places i've stayed at this year say they don't do rooms during the day if you're staying more than one night (allegedly because covid) and if you want clean towels or anything to ask them

Yeah, i had that a few times during lockdowns. But that was because they furloughed the staff. Doing it now is just companies saving money

 

[baldrick]

I only ever use it to book a whole place like any self-catering booking platform. I've not used it loads but only had good experiences. Most of them advertise on multiple websites though so it's not just AirBnB that's ruining towns, it's holiday lets in general.

I think 90% of self-catering places now require you to do stuff like strip beds, wash any dirty crockery, clean surfaces and empty bins. It's one of those things that lots of places introduced during Covid and kept it because it saves them money/time

 

[MBV]

This was the shower on the one occasion I rented an ensuite room. Relaxing it was not:

 

[Sue]

My downstairs neighbours used to do it sometimes when they were away. Absolutely did my head in.

Like getting back late one night to discover some random bloke lurking about and wanting me to let him in the main door as he couldn't find the key that had apparently been left under a mat somewhere. To people banging on my door wanting to know how the boiler worked. To the people who'd driven from France only to discover the promised parking wasn't available. (I ended up giving them a parking voucher as I felt sorry for them. No replacement parking voucher from my neighbours -- and they were aware I'd given them one. Not even a thank you.) They stopped doing it after a bit -- I'm guessing their reviews were less than stellar.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Haven’t travelled abroad since 2019, if I’m working in Milan I book an airbnb near a metro and a supermarket. So I can meal prep. I don’t eat wheat, have to take a packed lunch with me. Milans trade shows/fairgrounds aren’t great for gluten free, but the supermarkets are. The airbnbs I’ve stayed in have been adequate for what I need. Most have been tiny studio flats, one was a loft with many, many stairs. I always take earplugs and an eyemask though, bedsits in apartment blocks can be noisy at night, you can hear every other neighbour and they sometimes have thin, crappy curtains and don’t always have shutters. I recall one, tiny one where the Ikea poster above my bed, fell down and landed on me in the night, frightened me to death! Last time I came to London I booked a premier inn room, cheaper and far, far nicer. The bed in particular. But you can’t meal prep. No way. And you know what you’re gonna get if you stay in a bed factory like Premier Inn, no surprises like you get in airbnbs. Just wish there was a fridge.

 

[cybershot]

Can only speak from a UK perspective but never had any issues.
Prices between hotels and places are becoming quite similar though.

it generally boils down to amount of space vs breakfast included or not tbh!

 

[story]

I’ve stayed in them on my own account a couple of times, once in Brooklyn which was great although no cheaper than a mid range hotel, and once when attending a wedding up North somewhere , which was a bit shit tbh and apparently manned by the feckless stoned teenager son.

But when travelling with a band AirBnB is the best way to do it. You can cram the entire band into a single unit and not have them disappear cos you thought they were in their room or end up draped over the hotel bar and mithering the desk for late night favours, and you can do a really efficient idiot check sweep of the entire place while they’re waiting in the van the next morning and then hurl their kit at them as you set off, no need to double back at the third roundabout when one of them remembers they put their guitar in the closet so the drummer wouldn’t use it to woo his pick-up chick ffs.

 

[not-bono-ever]

A friend holidayed in Montenegro recently and found the whole place was wall to wall Air BnBs.

We rented a whole 10 bed farm in Lustica/ Montenegro for a group of us about 5 years ago- its was superb and 2x swimming pools. 1500 quid for a week. fucking hell. I can imagine Kotor or places are a bit different

As I/we travel as a family still, if its not a city destination, we always airbnb and do our research beforehand - as we go to off the track places as a whole and have transport, we usually have a great time and the local owners are often living in a house next door. Finding a basket of home grown vegetables, fruit and nuts on the doorstep each morning is wonderful. This is out of the way tho' and not typical of the city based factories we have seen. Hotels for cities, Airbnb for local interaction

 

[Ted Striker]

Never interested me. In a foreign country I like the benefits hotels offer, such as compliance with more stringent fire regulations, and receptionists.

This. I've never found them particularly cheap, either. There can be often local property rental sites that are more economical too.

My main gripe is the hassle when arriving (or even the fear of this scenario: turning up after flying...,maybe dicking about with a rental, driving, parking...joining instructions 'call xxx when you get here'...xxx doesn't pick up, or phone doesn't work because some shitty setting or forren network shittery...xxx does eventually pick up, doesn't speak much english, tells you he's a keyholder mate of the owner, will be there in about 45 minutes...wheel all your luggage to a cafe (if one is open/near)...xxx turns up after an hour...has to spend 60 minutes apologising for shit that doesn't work, extra charges for using/breaking stiff, and making you feel like a student.

All to sleep on someone's worse-that-rental-standard bed?

 

[editor]

Thanks to my amazing pals it looks like I might move to a hotel next week. I just find it so weird to be in a place with three people who don't interact at all and where there's seemingly no prospect of getting a change of sheets unless I kick up a fuss.

 

[editor]

This. I've never found them particularly cheap, either. There can be often local property rental sites that are more economical too.

My main gripe is the hassle when arriving (or even the fear of this scenario: turning up after flying...,maybe dicking about with a rental, driving, parking...joining instructions 'call xxx when you get here'...xxx doesn't pick up, or phone doesn't work because some shitty setting or forren network shittery...xxx does eventually pick up, doesn't speak much english, tells you he's a keyholder mate of the owner, will be there in about 45 minutes...wheel all your luggage to a cafe (if one is open/near)...xxx turns up after an hour...has to spend 60 minutes apologising for shit that doesn't work, extra charges for using/breaking stiff, and making you feel like a student.

All to sleep on someone's worse-that-rental-standard bed?

This place is all key entry so I didn't meet anyone at all for the first two days.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Never used it and never will, it’s a disgusting company.

 

[muscovyduck]

I used it a couple times back when you could get a lot more for your money than with a hotel (and I was skint).

Always found them a bit claustrophobic. Very aware I was in someone else's house, though I've always been someone who struggles with that feeling. And the anxiety of not knowing what you're turning up to it awful.

 

[Elpenor]

And the anxiety of not knowing what you're turning up to it awful.

Exactly this. If I’m on holiday somewhere I am looking to eliminate stress not add to it.

 

[Red Cat]

I've used them for 1 or 2 night stop offs when we go camping in France, so we'll stay somewhere for a couple of nights and explore and enjoy the benefit of a bed in an apartment (always stand alone). They've always been great, but I spend a lot of time looking, I know what I like and roughly my budget. I have noticed there's more and more business run flats which I'm not interested in, I want something with character.

I haven't stayed anywhere in the UK.