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Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

press.airbnb.com

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Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#281

Post by secabeen »

rob_austin wrote: post #207
strychn9ne9 wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Airbnb shines with large groups. Me and 10 friends can split a house in the mountains or in some European city for a fraction of getting multiple rooms in a Hotel - with much less hassle. However, if I'm traveling by myself or with my partner, hotels still seem the way to go. Valet parking in a city centre with room service can make a stay much comfortable.

Agreed. I have been using Airbnb since 2010. I've had more bad experiences when using Airbnb compared to hotels. Earlier it used to be cheaper to stay in Airbnb, but not anymore. Their fees are outrageous and the quality of the accommodation has been wildly inconsistent. I find it more stressful to stay at an airbnb.. lots of weird rules and policies to keep track of. Airbnb customer service is horrible when things g…

Why should an AirBNB be cheaper? In many ways, you're getting more. More square footage, more amenities, more options. Sure, I can stick a family of 4 in a hotel room with 2 queens, but we will be way more comfortable in an AirBNB with a kitchen, living room, etc.

I totally understand why a business traveler would want consistency and simplicity. When traveling with family, I'm happy to pay more for the AirBNB experience, even if one of the adults has to sleep on a sofa bed in the living room, while the other is in a king bed with the kids. (Assuming a 1 bdrm rental. 2 bdrms is even better.)

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#282

Post by amha »

dragonwriter wrote: post #237
stef25 wrote: post #229

What's amazing at Airbnb is their ability to make places look so much nicer in the pictures than what they look like in reality. After staying in a crack house in Barcelona, a dirty dark hole in Manhattan, a "private" villa in France where the owner was screwing an endless stream of boyfriends behind the flimsy kitchen door at 10AM, a thermite infested apartment in Sicily with horrid beds, I still feel like a total a…

> a thermite infested apartment in Sicily Thermite can't really infest things. You probably mean “Thermian”. (Ok, more likely: “termite”.)

A thermite infested apartment would be pretty awesome, though.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#283

Post by gumby »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #159
throwaway-1283 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Completely disagree with this analogy. Hotels have their place, and in so many ways they can be superior to a home rental. I am the furthest thing from a luddite, but I personally prefer (as I know many others) hotels to Airbnb. There's a consistency to the hotel product that you can't get with Airbnb that I place a premium on, especially for short or last minute stays. I'm also not really sure why Airbnb is consider…

I honestly question who hotels are for. I'm in the top 2% in income, and I actually prefer staying in a hotel, but they'r e just insanely expensive. Do you mostly stay in hotels for business reasons? Or are you just rolling in money?

The market should converge, and in fact we see this (and it's well attested in this comment section).

I like airbnb for a couple of use cases:

- parts of cities without many hotels (usually means without much tourist attraction). You can stay near friends without imposing on them.

- transient events. E.g. PAX sucks up all the hotel rooms in Seattle and there are nice AirBnbs that show up along the "traditional" model (they aren't professionals but folks wanting to make a few extra bucks opportunistically). They tend to love a business booking as they know I'm not likely to smoke crack in the living room

Apart from those cases, these days a hotel is likely a better bet even if the cost is comparable.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#284

Post by secabeen »

jasonjei wrote: post #246
ghaff wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t care about any of those 3 things. IMO it’s more about predictable experience, 24 hour desk, ability to leave luggage at the hotel, etc.

Totally agree about leaving luggage with the porter between early check in and checkout. On top of the predictable check-in, check-out, security, and elite membership benefits like 4pm late checkout, free waters/lounge access, keycard recovery.

Whereas I want none of those things. I want a living room I can hang out in while the kids are asleep, a kitchen where we can make breakfast so we aren't spending $15/head on food the kids don't like, a fridge and a microwave to store/reheat leftovers, and a nearby park or backyard to play in.

I agree that predictable check-in is nice, and I will seek out AirBNBs with code-based checkins.

YMMV.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#285

Post by hombre_fatal »

stef25 wrote: post #229

What's amazing at Airbnb is their ability to make places look so much nicer in the pictures than what they look like in reality. After staying in a crack house in Barcelona, a dirty dark hole in Manhattan, a "private" villa in France where the owner was screwing an endless stream of boyfriends behind the flimsy kitchen door at 10AM, a thermite infested apartment in Sicily with horrid beds, I still feel like a total a…

I can't stand the review inflation. You're totally disincentivized from leaving an honest review because of the counter review or because you somehow feel like the dick, and I'm sure AirBnB loves it.

A place that turns out to be right on the noisy highway won't have a single review that points this out. Only "great for early risers!"

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#286

Post by ghaff »

secabeen wrote: post #284
jasonjei wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally agree about leaving luggage with the porter between early check in and checkout. On top of the predictable check-in, check-out, security, and elite membership benefits like 4pm late checkout, free waters/lounge access, keycard recovery.

Whereas I want none of those things. I want a living room I can hang out in while the kids are asleep, a kitchen where we can make breakfast so we aren't spending $15/head on food the kids don't like, a fridge and a microwave to store/reheat leftovers, and a nearby park or backyard to play in. I agree that predictable check-in is nice, and I will seek out AirBNBs with code-based checkins. YMMV.

Sure mileages vary. Long term stay places like Residence Inn can provide many of those amenities though

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#287

Post by secabeen »

ghaff wrote: post #286
secabeen wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whereas I want none of those things. I want a living room I can hang out in while the kids are asleep, a kitchen where we can make breakfast so we aren't spending $15/head on food the kids don't like, a fridge and a microwave to store/reheat leftovers, and a nearby park or backyard to play in. I agree that predictable check-in is nice, and I will seek out AirBNBs with code-based checkins. YMMV.

Sure mileages vary. Long term stay places like Residence Inn can provide many of those amenities though

Yeah, those are options. They usually aren't very well located, though.

The hotel business is largely focused on the business traveler as their primary market. They only really build for pleasure-travel in non-business markets (see all the Condos available on Maui, or the Hyatt House hotels in Anaheim and Orlando, which have bunk-bed rooms for kids, etc.) AirBNB fell into serving this market, and it's served them pretty well, especially since they were priced below hotels to begin with, and pleasure travelers are much more price-sensitive than business travelers.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#288

Post by dc_gregory »

wbronitsky wrote: post #202
gmanley wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Either people agree with you or they're Nazis? Maybe you should rethink why you are getting downvotes. It may be more due to people thinking that companies acting as gate keepers or moral compasses can very much be a slippery slope and you simply saying it's not does not change that people think that.

Downvotes simply silence a post. If someone doesn't agree, they can rebut, but that is not what a downvote is.

In this case, its a slap on the wrist for a comment that doesn't positively contribute.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#289

Post by alexmlamb2 »

kenneth wrote: post #250
BigJono wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What cities do you prefer and how much does it cost you, out of curiosity? I'm on what's considered a fairly good wage for my area (Melbourne), but if I were to do this it'd cost me close to 70% of my take home salary. Whereas I could rent a beautiful apartment right near the city for about 30%

I make a SF-level income, and swapping SF rent for living in hotels full time doesn't break the bank if you enjoy spending time around the world, in many places which are significantly cheaper than SF. I could save a ton of money by renting at local prices instead of staying in hotels while I travel, but I like the lifestyle so I'm not bothered by the cost differential. Basically I compare my lifestyle of luxury hote…

Do you just work remotely then? That's pretty cool if you can work somewhere else and draw an SF-level income.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#290

Post by fma »

HeavenFox wrote: post #31

Those who have used HotelTonight, can you comment on your experience? For me, there have been several rare occasions when I needed a room at last minute, but HotelTonight was never actually cheaper than any other aggregators or booking directly with the hotel. All being equal I vastly prefer booking direct so I get my points and elite benefits. I guess they have a fancy interface, and that's... it? Maybe it's market…

I used to live a few hours from Atlanta and would decide to visit at the last minute. I've heard about HT in its infancy and thought it was a great idea that made sense... But all these years they've never been cheaper. I gave up on them.
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