I’ve got some trips to Chicago and New York coming up in the next several months. I would typically stay at hotels in both cities; those can be pretty pricey. I’m wondering if anyone has any experience, positive or negative, with using AirBnb, particularly in those cities. Each trip would be 3-4 days.
Thanks.
My dd did Airbnb in NY and Europe and had great success. Be sure to read the reviews and leave your own honest ones.
I have used Airbnb as a guest and have also been a host.
As a guest, I have rented entire apartments in NYC, Argentina, and Norway, and a room in an apartment in NYC. I have had positive experiences every time (about 8 times so far). I research many options and compare and also read reviews.
I have hosted guests by renting out a room in my own home. In fact, I currently have guests staying with me from Hong Kong. Every guest has been very respectful. My listing has many photos, detailed description, reviews, and is priced fairly in keeping with others in my vicinity and of similar quality.
It is cheaper than a hotel and is a different experience. I think in many cases, you get more than you would get in a hotel (for instance, the use of a kitchen and more than the use of one room).
I used it once for a stay in Copenhagen with excellent success. The key is to spend sufficient time researching the available rentals, looking at the reviews critically, and then emailing back and forth several times with the host to get a sense of who he/she is.
One of the rentals I considered required the renter to clean the apartment before leaving. That concerned me because my experience with those types of rentals is that they are never deep cleaned. But all of the reviews were good. Then I noticed that their cleanliness star was docked one star. When comparing star ratings of other rentals, they had either 5 stars or very close to 5 stars, so then I knew that it would not be clean enough for me.
Also, if there is no photo of the bathroom, don’t consider it.
Good so far. Kid #2 stayed a whole month at a Airbnb.
I’ve used it at 2 places in Seattle and in Denver. I always use the “whole apartment/house” option and have had wonderful experiences. My D has used it all over Asia with great luck. I don’t think I’ll ever use a hotel again. Airbnb has been way less expensive and you can find really unique places in great neighborhoods.
Several years ago we considered staying in a short term rental in NYC but were told by friends who lived in the city that it was not legal and we ran the risk of winding up on the street if a neighbor complained. Have things changed?
Excellent experiences renting entire apartments in Paris and Prague. The Prague apartment was luxurious, modern, in the nicest part of town and at least half the price of a moderate hotel. When D travels around Europe to auditions or performances she rents rooms in houses and generally does not spend more that 50 EU per night. She has had nothing but great experiences, I agree that you should pay close attention to the reviews.
Thanks everyone. I’ve read that New York has been less than receptive to Airbnb, but there are plenty of NYC listings.
http://thebrooklynink.com/2014/12/19/54343-is-airbnb-good-or-bad-for-brooklyn/
Airbnb started as a really good idea, but in hot real estate markets it has largely been taken over by a few people who hold many listings and do not reside on the premises of any of them. Many local governments will complain about lost tax revenue and lower safety standards but NY is one place that will likely do something about it.
Eventually… For now, if a neighbor complains, it is likely to be the listing person who gets in trouble, not the visitor.
I had a pretty decent stay (8 days) in a 2 bedroom apartment in Upper East Side in June this year. I posted a favorable review. To my surprise, there was a series of very bad reviews, also in June, mixed with one or two other good ones.
A good friend just had a very bad experience with Airbnb but the company promised to refund any fees. Still, the situation left her stranded at night in a strange city.
My experience with Airbnb has only been at the search part. I’ve really tried to give them the opportunity to prove themselves better again and again, but when I do searches for the places we’ve stayed in rentals, VRBO has always had many more options than Airbnb. This may be regional and maybe we’ve only used VRBO in areas where they are the dominant player, but I’ve never even found anything I wanted to try on Airbnb. Been extremely satisfied with everything we’ve rented on VRBO.
I found the comments there are pretty accurate, so far until I read on CC and somebody post something to the contrary.
I used airbnb to extend a business trip in Miami a few months ago by one day and posted about i there on CC in th parent’s forum. I went for the cheapest option and got about what I expected but I have thick skin if I had been easily bothered it would have been a nightmare. I was less than honest in my review b/c I didn’t want to deal with any hassles since the renter knew my FB and everything else.
I will use airbnb again but only when I travel alone. If it is a family trip I might try VRBO or go traditional with a hotel. I like the idea of cutting lodging costs in half and it will prompt me to travel more. I slept on an air mattress, not a bed, and the shower was literally deadly not to mention the hooligans making noise at all hours of the night yet I didn’t even blink really. It takes a lot to rile me up so, again, more discriminating travelers would have had a fit.
My advice is (1) don’t trust all the reviews especially if they are just parroting what the person in front of them said although yes patterns should manifest themselves one way or the other (good or bad and (2) don’t opt for the cheapest option unless you like roughing it. Next time I will save 30% not 50% compared to what a hotel would have cost but end up in a nicer place and with people I might enjoy talking too.
If you want to avoid some fees, use VRBO. Some of the same properties will be listed there as well…w/o the travelers fees.
Even though I do have listings on AirBnB, I only know that the Travelers Fees can have a range in percent.
Are you shown a breakdown of those fees vs the rate? Or are you just shown one total charge?