We all have things we avoid. The previous poster enjoys “a bit of conversation” and loves talking to some of the hosts. I’m totally OK with getting a key out of a lockbox and would actually be fine with never seeing a host at all. This is part of why it’s important to read reviews, not just look at the total score. I purposefully look for phrases like “hosts were there to help with x and to do y and to talk about z”… not a good listing for me. I want privacy on my vacations. Nothing wrong with a nice host, but not what I’m looking for.
I had good experiences with those in SE Asia. One offered to bump me to a nicer condo than I paid for just because they were both empty. I took the upgrade, it was nice.
I usually do too - prefer lockbox, self check in and out.
One time though, at an ABB when visiting my D in her college town freshman year, we had a delightful retired professor host couple who truly enjoyed having guests, and hosted a wine/cheese hour each evening before dinner. D and I came to that, loved it, and they wound up giving D their contact info if she ever needed anything (we lived far from her college). Above and beyond obviously what any hotel would do.
@milee30 My profile is tactfully clear about my preferences – I’m not looking for company, just a place to launch from at the start of the day and land at the end of it. Still, our host in one town was way more interactive than I am; in his review he said something like “HouseChatte and Mr. HouseChatte didn’t chat much, but that’s OK.” At least he didn’t add a sigh. 
This is such a timely topic for me as my (adult) D and I head to London in 2 weeks, with an AirBnB set up (whole place) in Camden. Just last night I got a text from my (Super)host(ess) letting me know the lockbox code for the key and that she and her partner would be texting close, in case we needed them. She also sent me a link to a pdf document with all sorts of useful information about the flat and the neighborhood (24 hour grocery, best Japanese food, bus route number, etc.). As I had just made my final payment, it made me feel secure and only because I’d been reading this thread did I have trepidation. Not any more.
I think, like anything else, everyone has their own comfort level, and we must be diligent…about most everything.
We have stayed in a number of airbnb properties in the US and one in Europe (also a few VRBOs). On the whole I prefer it to hotels. I can’t stand eating 3 restaurant meals a day. I like being able to spread out in multiple rooms (we have almost always rented a whole unit). And some of our hosts have been spectacular. Our host in Frankfurt let us check in at 10:30 AM when we arrived exhausted from our flight. He left us a bottle of wine and a cellular wifi hotspot that we could bring with us when we went out exploring.
At least once, we rented from a company rather than an individual owner. The apartment was lovely, clean, and spacious and the management company was responsive.
I am feeling a bit chilled by what I have recently read about owners leaving hidden cameras in their units, but am not sure that would stop me from going with airbnb in the future. It might make me want to use my own router, though!
Same! I have an app on my phone that lets me see what other devices are on a wifi network that I am on.
Well, some folks can have a separate network for security camera purposes, just saying.
^^ True, but I hope most people are not that devious
The intent is usually not to spy on renters - it is done to prevent the bad guys from easily disabling the cameras and also to prevent the camera feed from wireless cameras from clogging your network.
Idle chatter aside, the contact I have had with hosts has been incredibly informative. I think of the place I stayed in HK, and the in depth conversations at the time of the previous protests with the Airbnb host. My family lived there, I lived there, but I learned more about the changing world of life in HK from that host than I could have elsewhere, or did when I lived there decades ago
Many of my airbnb stays have been when in my mom’s area for a hospitalization or health crisis. A few words of normal conversation at the end of the day can mean a lot when things are topsy turvy. Vacation itself, with family or a friend, less important to have a bit of contact with a local. Solo, it can be appreciated. But still, I have always found that there is something to learn from everyone, and that is part of how I approach travel as well as most interactions.
If your AirBnB host says their place is not suitable, AirBnB should relocate you. That has always been the case, I think the scammers are getting the guests to agree to accept the change and using that agreement to prevent the refund. But the guests are never seeing the photos etc.
AirBnB and the party house is a joke, I short term rent a house and am on many host forums/pages. I often read of hosts who want to remove guests who are breaking the rules, parties, etc. and AirBnB is not very helpful. If they do allow the guest to be kicked out, they do nothing to help get them out, and they then refund the guest all the unpaid days, even if the guest blocked the host’s home for weeks or months. If a guest breaks a major house rule causing him to be removed, he ought to forfeit the rent.
AirBnB is also making it more difficult for hosts to vet prospective guests, they don’t show the photo (to prevent discrimination) and don’t provide a last name until the booking is accepted.
Do NOT rent on Craigslist, there are many scammers who copy legit AirBnB listings and post them on CL when they don’t own the property.
OMG. Have I posted this “hotel” listing? This is Expedia, not Craigslist! Listed under “hotels” (sleeps 4?) ?
Bummer. A Tacoma would be a tad too tight for us. Looking for a Tundra or F150…
^^^The only reviewer gave it a 2.0/5 and didn’t say anything.
It takes all kinds, I suppose.
@BunsenBurner - don’t laugh, a large group of us are heading to Kaua’i in February for a milestone birthday party. One in the group is looking for a more unique experience (most of us are in a large home together) and has reached out to the Tundra owner - although he would prefer a houseboat (I rented one in Oahu and everyone was green with envy). There really is a buyer for everything.
@JustaMom Anyone who lives in Hawaii would laugh at that listing. You can’t sleep in one of those in a campground or by the side of the road or in a parking lot. You need your own property to park it. They are scams.