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Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

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Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#481

Post by bgnn »

fasthands9 wrote: post #124
dreamcompiler wrote: post #93

Airbnb made the same mistake Google did: They screwed up their core service. I used to be a steady ABB customer but now hotels are almost always cheaper, offer better service, and are more predictable. Not to mention that hotel websites are typically easier to navigate and contain a lot less React-sludge that makes every click take forever to respond.

I disagree. In the long run there was never a way for individual hosts to compete with hotels on price. Hotels have economy of scale so of course they are going to be better bang for the buck in places where both are options. I think airbnb is still the better option in many situations - such as when you are willing to pay a premium to be in nature or you going on vacation with 6+ people. I don't really see how bette…

Here in Europe there are a lot of local websites for this kind of group accomodations in nature etc. and often the hosts there are much much more approachable and friendly, plus it's often cheaper than Airbnb.

One big example is Gites de France [1] with 55k listings, which is a 70 year old guide. Most of these aren't anywhere else. It doesn't make sense to look elsewhere when travelling in France. Other countries often have something similar, maybe in a smaller scale. For example there are holiday homes websites in the Netherlands, with close to 1000 listings [2].

[1] https://www.gites-de-france.com/en [2] https://www.vakantieadressen.nl/

Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#482

Post by dreamcompiler »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #373
Gigachad wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shouldn’t it expected that a hotel would be able to provide a better service considering they are doing it in bulk and specialise in it. Vs a bunch of individual untrained hosts. Seems more like Airbnb ran out of money to burn and hotels lifted their game.

No, AirBnB just became much more expensive. And it's disguised as processing fees, cleaning fees, etc. So if I ever take the risk of getting an Airbnb instead of a hotel, then I know the next time I book I'll pay cash directly with the host because it will be that much cheaper. It's like uber: the bait and switch to a service that becomes less good and more expensive is costing them because the competition survived t…

> ...the next time I book I'll pay cash directly with the host because it will be that much cheaper.

This probably won't work for you. It specifically violates Airbnb's TOS to attempt this, and Airbnb scans all messages between you and the host to ensure that you are not attempting this.

As for arranging it with a F2F conversation with the host, it's been years since I've rented an Airbnb and met a host F2F. That doesn't happen much any more.

Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#483

Post by MyPasswordSucks »

rightbyte wrote: post #473
ghaff wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While probably an eternal truth, many/most people in the US can't afford to pay a lot of people for personal services.

Ye sorry should have added an "/s".

Don't tell us, tell the PA you hired to do your HN comments for today! :)

Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#484

Post by ghaff »

lifestyleguru wrote: post #336
rafram wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They were probably telling the truth. It’s pretty common to have to register hotel/hostel stays with the authorities, and it’s increasingly uncommon to own a flatbed scanner - so what did you expect them to do, pull out a DSLR?

Identify the guest and write down the details read from the document, that's what most in Europe outside of Spain are doing.

I stayed with a friend in a Balkan country a couple years back and she had to take my passport and that of a couple of relatives down to the police station.

Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#485

Post by darkwater »

n4r9 wrote: post #304
darkwater wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chains consistency kills half the fun of travelling the world.

Kids enforce a filter on what sort of fun you look for. Without kids, the bottom tenth percentile hotel experiences is often a few hours of bad sleep before escaping in the morning. With them, it's hours of tantrums, desperate searches for acceptable food or sleeping arrangements, and worrying for days afterwards about the effects of smoke, mold, dust etc on their health.

Going to a local place doesn't necessarily mean going in shitty places, even with family. I traveled in many countries, especially Europe and Asia, with my 2 daughters and while they do throw the usual tantrum for their ages, we always find something local they like to eat, and they don't really mind one room or another to sleep, as long as they are in the same room with at least one of us.

Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#486

Post by donjigweed »

ses1984 wrote: post #454
turtlebits wrote: post #441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An unclean room would be an instant nope for me. Ask for a refund or file a chargeback.

I’m here because my dad had an aneurysm on vacation and idgaf

Sorry to hear that. Sister had an aneurysm a couple years ago. They coiled it, lasted two weeks, then gone. Best wishes for your father and your family.

Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#487

Post by theshackleford »

throwaway2037 wrote: post #457
theshackleford wrote: post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And, it is probably just plan illegal in many jurisdictions. Yes because of course nobody would ever do anything illegal.

This is not a useful response. The intent of my comment was to say: If you are renting an AirBnB and you find "hidden" cameras, then you can first complain to AirBnB. If the local jurisdiction prohits cameras, then you can call the police to report it.

Neither is this.

If I’ve already been recorded and say, the footage distributed no amount of complaining nor dealing with the police is going to reverse it.

Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#488

Post by GuinansEyebrows »

bwfan123 wrote: post #437
aurareturn wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Potential hidden cameras is the #1 reason I prefer hotels over Airbnb. I've seen Airbnb slowly get banned in many places I've visited over the last 5-6 years. Hong Kong. Banned and heavily restricted. Singapore. Same. Saigon. Same. All of China. Same. Taipei. Same. I sold all my Airbnb stocks. I couldn't be wrong and maybe they'll find a way but it seems like the world wants less and less Airbnb and not more.

why are they banned ? is it violation of local regulations or is it pressure from the hotel lobby - specifically singapore which has capitalist aspirations.

in my experience, the local regulations are at least somewhat "informed" by the hotel lobby - that was the watercooler talk in/around Honolulu, at least. i still prefer hotels to AirBnBs in almost all cases but i see the benefit for large groups/families.

Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#489

Post by int_19h »

MyPasswordSucks wrote: post #462
devoutsalsa wrote: post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was a digital nomad for 4 years. The ability to do your own laundry is why I prefer an Airbnb over hotel, especially when you’re only living out of carryon luggage with a few days of clothing. Relying on hotel laundry is hard to time and is not cheap.

If you were an analog nomad for 4 days you would have encountered a laundromat.

How widespread those are depends very much on the country. There are some in which most people haven't seen a laundromat in their life outside of American movies.

Re: Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode

#490

Post by mmmBacon »

bcoates wrote: post #99
mmmBacon wrote: post #50

Basic problem with Airbnb is that you’re dealing with small proprietors and the quality and value can be pretty inconsistent. Airbnb has relied on reviews to enforce this but what I’ve found is that “hosts” usually wait to file a review of me as a guest until I file my review. So there’s a disincentive to leave a mixed review. Additionally there’s a creep factor in the number of cameras on the property. Hotels have l…

As someone who doesn't have whatever lead poisoning makes people post reviews on yelp the review system is worse than useless. I'm not gonna leave a mixed or negative review because snitches get stitches and I can't imagine anyone else reviewing has any less pathological incentives.

In the 2 mixed reviews the hosts substantially misrepresented the property and the legality of their listing impacting the quality of our stay and the value we were receiving.

As someone that has a backbone and isn’t afraid of the consequences of reporting when I get ripped off, I find mixed reviews to be valuable.

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