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Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

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Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#301

Post by atomical »

Jd wrote: post #294
hombre_fatal wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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!"

I tried leaving a negative review once. It was a disaster. I stopped using Airbnb. I started using HotelTonight. Soon it looks like I might have to consider something else.

I left a review that pointed out the host had lied in their listing. They had been warned twice before by Airbnb and had their superhost status removed. The hosts review of me said that I was okay but a little picky.

The customer service agent refused to remove the review.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#302

Post by atomical »

dymk wrote: post #291
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…

> 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. But hotels do the exact same thing. I don't see how that's super incredible?

The experience from hotel to hotel is pretty variable I've found.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#303

Post by ghaff »

oh_sigh wrote: post #295
ghaff wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same question applies. By point of comparison im rarely paying much under $300/night and often more in Manhattan.

Yeah, it was around 250. But I assumed that with hotel tonight you were getting a good deal for using otherwise unused inventory, not getting essentially market rate for a hotel

I can often get a room for $250 at one of my preferred, maybe slightly off the beaten track, clean/quiet hotels especially on the weekend. Of course prices can rise dramatically from there.

I find it a lot easier to find $250 “bargains” in Manhattan these days than in SF. Recent event I ended up couch surfing with friends rather than pay $650/night there.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#304

Post by atomical »

kenneth wrote: post #245
tedmiston wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious, how do you handle mail and packages?

So, I still have an unused apartment where I go collect my mail every month. Once I move out at the end of this month, I plan on sending most mail to a virtual mailbox. I may have more important things sent to friends in San Francisco. The other big annoyance about living as a full-time nomad is laundry. So far I've managed with a mix of laundromats, laundry shops, and the occasional hotel laundry when it's reasonabl…

I'm a nomad and I converted a lot of my wardrobe to wool with brands like Wool and Prince and Unbound. I can wear a shirt for a long time before it needs dry cleaning.

I find dry cleaning to be cheap compared to the time I would spend doing laundry activities.

Ironing an expensive dress shirt with a rusty iron at an Airbnb is not something I want to entertain.

I haven't found a good solution for workout clothes though so I usually stay in an Airbnb with at least a washer.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#305

Post by ghaff »

owenversteeg wrote: post #251
throwaway-1283 wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that on a nightly basis a 4* hotel in the most expensive part of NYC is comparable to the 80th percentile for 1-bedrooms in SF or NYC actually shows that it is very reasonably priced because what you're really paying for is the flexibility and convenience of a short-term stay + the cleaning/security/concierge/other amenities. By the same logic, if you eat at a restaurant and it costs only 50% more than what…

Right, I agree with you that in the case of NYC you're getting a great deal, but in other places you do pay a heavy premium for a hotel. For example, I checked a few places where I know you can get a 1br for $500ish a month, and hotels there are mostly more than $100/night, which is ridiculous. Furthermore, I wouldn't say that the concierge or security are worth mentioning. I know personally I feel about as secure in…

Yotels tend to be in pretty high-priced areas. I like how they optimize for space. There’s one I especially favor in Manhattan. It’s not cheap in absolute terms. But it’s well located for many purposes. Has a nice common area. Uses the room space well. And is clean and quiet. And a relative bargain for a Manhattan.

But sure it’s in $250 or so a night range.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#306

Post by vadym909 »

dfsegoat wrote: post #211
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.

So is VRBO [1] a tech company? I use it all the time for group rentals in the way you describe. 1 - https://www.vrbo.com/

They could be - if they spend a bit on improving the UI (look and feel) and a enable payment processing and they'd instantly be comparable to Airbnb. I use them 50%, 40% hotels and 10% Airbnb on my vacations.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#307

Post by chii »

shereadsthenews wrote: post #277
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…

It really seems to depend on the city. For about $100/night in Zurich I stayed once in a huge top floor flat and once in a bedroom with private bath in a giant palace with plenty of room to entertain dozens, which I did. My company's negotiated hotel rate was $425/night and I pocketed the balance. In NYC all of the Airbnb inventory is bedbug-ridden hovels. Perhaps this simply reflects the housing stock of the region.

people who can afford a nice place in NYC probably dont want to rent out their place to strangers.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#308

Post by vadym909 »

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?

I have the opposite opinion. I just use priceline to get get a good deal on a hotel. Its always cheaper than airbnb. Plus its a pain to browse through hundreds of listing to try and figure out the catch in an Airbnb listing because of the non standard places.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#309

Post by VectorLock »

throwaway-1283 wrote: post #147
crushcrashcrush wrote: post #97

Fantastic product, super concerned about AirBnB acquisition - not because of what they'll do to the product, but I guarantee their partnerships with hotels and hotel groups will evaporate when contracts expire. A hotel working with Airbnb is like BlockBuster working with Netflix to share customer data. The hotels groups aren't as fucking stupid as Blockbuster was, though.

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…

>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.

Every time I try to use Airbnb I have to 'request' from the host and I swear 4 out of 5 times they cancel the requested rental because they're staying in the place or some other BS. I know when I get a hotel room its instantly reserved and there is no question about its availability.

Re: Airbnb to Acquire HotelTonight

#310

Post by Something1234 »

strychn9ne9 wrote: post #153
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 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.

I really don't get the appeal of valet parking. It's expensive and I don't like other people driving my car. It's nice when a hotel offers a garage (super nice when it's snowing)
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