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Airbnb and Vrbo are going downhill like a hippo on a water slide

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Airbnb and Vrbo are going downhill like a hippo on a water slide

#21

Post by RankingMember »

busterarm wrote: post #8
techpineapple wrote: post #2

> Now? I can’t remember when we were actually in somebody’s home. It’s always somebody’s side hustle. They own 10 of them and live six hours away and they don’t give a dead rodent about you. The decor is always Early Target. You got a complaint? Send an email and we’ll get back to you. Maybe by Thanksgiving. > And while they’re penny-pinching on what you get, they’re dollar-grubbing on what you have to pay. You need…

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 th…

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).

Re: Airbnb and Vrbo are going downhill like a hippo on a water slide

#22

Post by jt2190 »

From the opinion piece:

> I can’t remember when we were actually in somebody’s home. It’s always somebody’s side hustle. They own 10 of them and live six hours away and they don’t give a dead rodent about you. The decor is always Early Target. You got a complaint? Send an email and we’ll get back to you. Maybe by Thanksgiving.

Perhaps “staying in someone’s home” doesn’t scale? For example, there’s a point at which buying extra insurance feels necessary, maybe not for an occasional visit from a family friend, or even a friend of a friend, but there is a point.

Re: Airbnb and Vrbo are going downhill like a hippo on a water slide

#23

Post by ergonaught »

krunck wrote: post #9

The problem is owners rent out their space and try to do all the work from afar. Cleaners are rented and just do what their told. No one really inspects the place between guests. No one maintains anything. It's just maximal profit extraction which turns everything into crap. I would never rent out my home or extra dwelling without greeting the guests in person, being available for assistance, and maybe even showing u…

A huge advantage for these services is that I don’t ever have to meet you in person.

Availability for assistance is great, but otherwise I have zero desire to encounter you, as a “consumer”.

Re: Airbnb and Vrbo are going downhill like a hippo on a water slide

#24

Post by darth_avocado »

Where Airbnb and Vrbo still works:

1. Large groups and families 2. Places where having a kitchen would be a great thing (either due to cost or because there’s not as many restaurants around) 3. If you wanted to stay in a specific location

Why they don’t work for all other cases:

1. They are more expensive than hotels, but without the conveniences of a hotel 2. Cleaning fee scam 3. Enshitification of offerings by larger landlords. Cheap interiors and missing conveniences. If I rent an Airbnb and they do not have plates and cutlery, I’d rather stay in a hotel.

Re: Airbnb and Vrbo are going downhill like a hippo on a water slide

#25

Post by hkchad »

Rarely is it worth it for me to deal w/ AirBnb type places anymore. After all the fees and extra work trying to understand each of their 'rules' I find getting a hotel is just easier. Unless I'm trying to stay at a particular destination for several days in a row and need a 'home base' hotels are just more convenient as long as all I need is a place to crash at night. They make the beds and cook me breakfast and I don't even have to start the washing machine when I leave...

Re: Airbnb and Vrbo are going downhill like a hippo on a water slide

#26

Post by socalgal2 »

ergonaught wrote: post #23
krunck wrote: post #9

The problem is owners rent out their space and try to do all the work from afar. Cleaners are rented and just do what their told. No one really inspects the place between guests. No one maintains anything. It's just maximal profit extraction which turns everything into crap. I would never rent out my home or extra dwelling without greeting the guests in person, being available for assistance, and maybe even showing u…

A huge advantage for these services is that I don’t ever have to meet you in person. Availability for assistance is great, but otherwise I have zero desire to encounter you, as a “consumer”.

which is why your investment is not going to pay out. Or at least that's what the article is suggesting. You (and the rest) offered a crap experience. Customers wised up. They're no longer renting.

Re: Airbnb and Vrbo are going downhill like a hippo on a water slide

#27

Post by tough »

socalgal2 wrote: post #26
ergonaught wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A huge advantage for these services is that I don’t ever have to meet you in person. Availability for assistance is great, but otherwise I have zero desire to encounter you, as a “consumer”.

which is why your investment is not going to pay out. Or at least that's what the article is suggesting. You (and the rest) offered a crap experience. Customers wised up. They're no longer renting.

the main reason of etre of airbnb is to let him and others skip the law and not get a proper license to run a faux-hotel at their second homes.

then people can't afford nor rent nor buying homes in their homeplaces, due to these twats buying it all up to -profit-

Re: Airbnb and Vrbo are going downhill like a hippo on a water slide

#29

Post by cs702 »

Judging by my own experience, this is spot-on:

> When [home rental marketplaces] started, it was kind of wonderful to be able to book somebody’s house or apartment. They cared about it. They left you gifts and flowers and long notes about the best little restaurants in the neighborhood.

> Now? I can’t remember when we were actually in somebody’s home. It’s always somebody’s side hustle. They own 10 of them and live six hours away and they don’t give a dead rodent about you. The decor is always Early Target. You got a complaint? Send an email and we’ll get back to you. Maybe by Thanksgiving.

The median room in these marketplaces is converging to the equivalent of a motel room, but without any services or amenities.

You're unlikely to get scammed, but if you want something nice, you must pay up... or stay in a hotel.

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