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Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

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Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#321

Post by lotsofpulp »

claudiulodro wrote: post #289
s1artibartfast wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Airbnb has a PE of 22 and is a money printing machine. Airbnb makes 10x the profit of Hyatt, which has a PE of 75. Use case of hotels might be bigger, but it is a highly contended market. Airbnb has a huge chunk of a smaller market. Also, the margins are much better on hosting a website than building hotels and paying thousands of service employees.

On the flip side, Hyatt has billions of dollars of equity in real estate (which appreciates in value while not technically generating a profit), while AirBnB has an online marketplace. Presumably that's part of the PE difference.

Most branded hotels are not owned by the hotel brand. The hotel brand sells the brand name and (presumed) quality control, but different businesses usually own the real estate, such as REITs or other types of hotel owners.

Extended Stay America is an exception to this, they own all of their real estate.

Also, unrealized gains in real estate would be priced similarly by investors for both Hyatt and Airbnb, so that would not make a difference to P/E.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#322

Post by carlosjobim »

lupusreal wrote: post #69
throwaway290 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if a guest uses every dish in the kitchen without doing a wash up, they cleaning crew could be there for hours If it is $200 then that should cover 10 man hours of cleaning in a developed country. I had similar issues as a guest on Airbnb, paid a cleaning fee $100+ and then had complaints that I left food in the fridge (like normal a pack of milk or something not growing new lifeforms) and couch pillow on the floor…

Have you tried to hire a cleaning person recently? $200 will get a small apartment cleaned, maybe. For a thorough cleaning of a modest house prepare to pay 2-3x that at least.

If that's too expensive then the host should do the cleaning themselves. Or do like hotels and real B&Bs do and hire people as cleaners and pay them a salary.

The entitlement is through the roof, when people pretend to run a business refusing to do any work themselves and refusing to hire people. As long as there are clients willing to use AirBnB and pay cleaning fees, sure. But it is a scam and not much more, as another poster pointed out.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#323

Post by matsemann »

moralestapia wrote: post #288
klinquist wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a host. I charge a $200 cleaning fee and my cleaners charge me $250, so I lose money on cleaning. I ask guests to: * Strip the beds (otherwise, I find that people re-make beds and it's hard to tell if they have been slept in), * Load and start the dishwasher (the dishwasher takes 4 hrs, and the cleaners travel to my remote house, and I want to make sure they can finish in about that time) * Take the trash down to…

Tbh, those are problems that you have to solve, somehow.

And they've done it.

As long as these expectations are spelled out before booking, it's not a scam and completely fine. If a renter doesn't like it, just don't book.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#324

Post by s1artibartfast »

interestica wrote: post #254
s1artibartfast wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get an itemized bill from the grocery store, but that doesn't make it a scam.

What if they charged you a fee because they now have to restock the bananas that you removed from their display?

it would be annoying and stupid, but if it was a regular and expected part of the bill every time I went shopping, I dont think it would be a "scam".

I think scam implies that something is deceptive, but not everything that annoys me is a scam. If users are completely aware of something and expect it, it is hard to claim they are being duped, in my opinion.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#325

Post by ipaddr »

EasyMark wrote: post #248
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cleaning fees aren't a "scam" - most property owners really do need to pay someone to clean the property at the end of a stay. But, as another commenter said, they can be used as a way to encourage longer stays, as with most places you only pay a single cleaning fee regardless of the length of your stay. But, again, it's just a fact that these rentals are usually just cleaned between guests (as opposed to a hotel whe…

I've rented out a couple rooms in my house in the past for airbnb during special events in Austin to make some hobby money, shared my kitchen, they have a private bathroom. It doesn't cost $200 to clean. I can clean up after them typically in less than an hour.

It cost you nothing but time and some supplies. If you asked a random person to clean it, they would refuse. So you have to pay them. Minimums for cleaning would be 3 hours. At 50 an hour plus taxes and travel $200 doesn't sound unreasonable.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#326

Post by ipaddr »

lazyasciiart wrote: post #253
throwway120385 wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you rent an apartment in my neck of the woods, then this is exactly what the law is. If your landlord charges a cleaning fee you can feel free to let them clean it up at the end of the rental period.

The only reason anyone does the cleaning is because the host can then leave a poor review. Does the law cover this angle?

The law allows you to make multiple accounts. Creating additional cards could help here.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#327

Post by lotsofpulp »

klinquist wrote: post #318
lotsofpulp wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>(otherwise, I find that people re-make beds and it's hard to tell if they have been slept in), That is why any half decent hotel has protocol to always change all the linens anytime someone rents a room.

I have 6 beds. Change 6 beds when one is used? Talk about energy use and wear/tear on the linens themselves. Hotels have cleaning "scale" on their side. I'm also operating a large home with a full kitchen, balcony, garage, etc. 8 people can comfortably stay. It ends up being a LOT cheaper AND more comfortable than a hotel for 6-8 people.

>Change 6 beds when one is used? Talk about energy use and wear/tear on the linens themselves.

Depends how much you want to risk a guest sleeping in dirty linens. Maybe you have very trustworthy people you can rely on to accurately gauge if a bed has been used or not, maybe your guests do not mind the risk either in exchange for cost/environmental savings.

I prefer the most foolproof option when it comes to sleeping in between linens or using towels on my body.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#328

Post by ipaddr »

culopatin wrote: post #258
dymk wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This doesn't actually happen even discounting the hyperbole. Airbnb sides with guests for little things. And hosts are much more affected by a bad review than a guest is.

Of course not a napkin, but it’s happened to me that they pushed made up charges on to me. So you can’t tell me it doesn’t happen. A friend of mine came to visit me and stayed at a place for one night. They hit him with smokers damage. Not only he doesn’t smoke but also he was there only to sleep. How Do you even fight that?

Charge back.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#329

Post by ipaddr »

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK wrote: post #272
tensor wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've also noticed that now some hosts are able to use external services and require a security deposit not managed through airbnb. Supposedly these are only via "airbnb approved platforms," but I still don't like it as there is no real oversight. For example, I found one that wanted almost $1000 as a deposit, and had a whole bunch of rules by which they would charge you extra. Not cleaning dishes, or not well enough…

That's even worse with Booking (half of their listings are now Airbnb-like rentals). After I paid the full non-refundable amount, I was requested to send an extra deposit, pass video-based verification, holding a passport next to my face, explain the purpose of my travel etc.

Issue a Chargeback.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#330

Post by shagie »

smelendez wrote: post #61
ransom1538 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"In my experience Airbnb isn’t even cheaper, just has more “interesting” housing available." I still, can not wrap my head around this. The idea behind airbnb was to rent out unused parts of your house. You STILL can not do this. Motel 6 is cheaper all day everyday. I will keep giving my $80 to Motel 6, but, I KNOW there is someone out there that has a room and needs $80. The original problem still exists. I can't pa…

My suspicion is those cheap single rooms were never worth it for the hosts once you consider the long tail of things that can go wrong. One bad guest who upsets the other residents and leaves the property in bad condition will sap your earnings and throw off your life. Airbnb might eventually reimburse you for damage, but there’s still your time and aggravation. Also any household maintenance issue, like an internet…

> My suspicion is those cheap single rooms were never worth it for the hosts once you consider the long tail of things that can go wrong.

They stay too long, and now they're a tenant rather than a guest - and you can't evict them.

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/airbnb-tenant-squatter...

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/805

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