I’ve noticed some articles recently about a possible backlash against Airbnb, so this has prompted me to write this post. I’d like to make it really clear that we don’t receive, and haven’t asked to receive, any preferential treatment from Airbnb, this is simply a post about our experiences!
We’ve stayed in a total of 18 different Airbnb places, between November 2013 and March 2015. Some of our top reasons for using this service are:
Good value
We really have found excellent value for our money, especially when we’ve booked an entire apartment, and have the use of a kitchen, instead of going out to eat at restaurants all the time. How about US$138 per night, for an apartment 5 minutes’ walk from St Mark’s Square in Venice? Compare that to hotel rates!
Get started with Airbnb! Here’s a link to a free credit!
Variety
Room, apartment, boat – if you can imagine it, they probably have it! We stayed on boats twice in Florida. They were moored in marinas with terrific facilities, and both times it was a great experience.
We stayed in a homesteaders’ cabin in the middle of the Joshua Tree desert in southern California, and saw more stars than we could imagine!
~ And perhaps most importantly ~
Friendship
We stayed with an artist in Santa Fe, who took us out to a concert and hiking. We had a truly marvelous time staying with a local in New Orleans during Mardi Gras,
when the homeowner included us in party invitations and took us out to see parades and bands. In Austin we met friends of the homeowners, who became practically our personal local tour guides, and then imagine our delight when they invited us to stay with them in their second home in South Africa! We built our incredible three-month visit to South Africa around that generous invitation 🙂 The lovely lady homeowner in Louisiana introduced us to the local Cajun lifestyle and we had some unique experiences and wonderful food!
We even had our own apartment within the home of the former Ambassador of her country to England. Madame Ambassador introduced us to her delightful, fun-loving friends, took us to parties, and became a great friend. The header photo is the pool we had at that gorgeous place!
The cons:
We definitely have to spend longer researching places to stay through Airbnb. We scrutinize the photos, read the reviews carefully, and often contact the owner with questions before booking. These are people’s homes, and as such they will each be different, with different amenities, and yes, standards of cleanliness. For a one or two night stay, we usually book a hotel. That’s pretty much the only con I can think of! By luck, or research or good judgement, we’ve never had a bad experience, and are happy to say that we have stayed in contact with several owners.
EDIT: I’ve just read an article by a fellow traveller, Deborah L. Jacobs, about an Airbnb horror story. Those can happen, even if you do thorough research. Airbnb don’t appear to want to publicise their help desk phone number, so here it is, if you should be in the unfortunate position of needing it. Airbnb Customer Service: +1-855-424-7262. I’ve just programmed it into my phone! Thanks Deborah!
Further edit: December 2019: Following increasing bad publicity, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is planning to roll-out improvements and verifications, in advance of their planned IPO in 2020. See this article in Fortune.
I think if I were a woman travelling alone, I would do even more careful research before booking through Airbnb. Certainly it’s not for everyone. If you want a concierge, an on-site bar and restaurant, daily housekeeping, and consistent quality, book a hotel. If you want a real local experience, the chance to cook food that you bought in the local market (and save some money!), a friendly host to show you around, and a home to live in, try Airbnb.
Want to try? Get started with Airbnb! Here’s a link to a free credit!
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I totally agree – I love Airbnb. In the past three and a half years I’ve lost track of how many places I’ve stayed in from Paris, to London to New Orleans to Madeira…..well it goes on and on. I tend to stay in private rooms in peoples’ homes and I love it. Not only do I get to interact with locals and absorb the local neighbourhood vibe but it is much more economical to be able to go to the local market/grocery store and cook (or in most cases heat up!) my food. I don’t do airbnb all the time but for the majority of my travels I do. I couldn’t have done my last six month journey without airbnb – who wants to stay in guest houses/hotels for that long and eat restaurant food? Not me nor could my budget have allowed it! As I mostly travel solo I am careful to pick places with good reviews and extensive pictures…it is great for female solo travel as you usually develop a rapport with your host and it’s good to have someone watching your back. The backlash against airbnb has been upsetting for me as it has really enriched my travel experiences. I will continue to use it for as long as it’s around and I’m still hitting the road!
Hi Laurie, thanks for reading, and for your great comments! I think Airbnb is a terrific resource, especially when staying somewhere long-term.
Happy travels! Danila