MsJessup

Hello all!

I have to do a write up on Airbnb and could really use your help. For those of you who use the site, can you share your reason for traveling: business, leisure etc.? And if you're a business traveler what's your profession? Anything would be great, thank you a million times over.

All the best,
Maisha Jessup

lsugolfer

Use it in small college towns for football game weekends. 2-star hotels want $299/nt or I can get a 3-BR/2-ba house for $700 for the weekend.

No brainer.

MsJessup

Thank you so much for the info, I appreciate it!

yknot

NYC - Upper West side this past October. One bedroom walk up a few blocks from Lincoln Center. Everything went well and the cost was significantly better than even a lesser hotel in the same area. My level of trust for these kinds of sites vary. I have used several of them and I rate them:

1. Home Away
2. VRBO/VsacationRentals (both now affiliates of Home Away
3. FlipKey
4. Trip Advisor
5. AirBnB (though with another good experience it may move ahead of TripAdvisor. I'm going to try it with a stay in Iceland this summer)

mlh1

We used it for a bachelorette party in Chicago, we were able to get a penthouse condo that slept 10 for less than sleeping 2-4 per hotel room. Worked great for us, was nice to have a kitchen, living room, washer and dryer for the weekend and have everyone in one place.

alecbarron

I've used it a few times, and mostly been pleased.

First time I used it was when moving to a new city. I stayed in 2 different AirBnBs over 2 months while waiting to move in to a long term place.

I also used it in San Diego for Comic Con. We dropped the ball booking a hotel in advance so they filled up. It turned out to be a blessing because hotel rates were insane whereas we were able to find a nice AirBnB apartment to stay in that was much cheaper than hotels.

travelmad478

I'm a host, and also used AirBnB as a guest once when I could not find a reasonably priced hotel room for love or money in Ithaca, NY. I ended up with a pretty nice cabin that suited me and my two friends very nicely. I would definitely do it again.

As a host, I've had generally very good experiences, with everyone respecting the house and the rooms. The only challenge is hosting people who are poor at communicating their arrival time.

Binagirl

I have used VRBO or Homeaway numerous times. Generally these services make sense when staying in a destination at least a full week. I have used them for a month long stay in a Paris apartment, a week in Amsterdam, a week in Mexico City, a week in Florence, etc.
My experiences have all been very good - good hosts, nice apartments.

LH4116

I used it for the first time in Hong Kong a few weeks ago. Hotel prices were exuberant on my dates and I was able to find a room in a guesthouse. Newly renovated, nice and clean. Only needed a place to spend the night and for the price I paid it was perfect.

miamigrad

I've used Airbnb multiple times now and love it! I find that for what I would normally pay on a hotel room, I'm able to get an apartment/condo with much more room at the same or lower cost. This affords me the opportunity to stretch out, see the neighborhood, and cook if I want to.

I've used Airbnb in the following cities so far:
- San Francisco
- Long Beach
- Miami
- London
- Paris
- Dublin

MSPeconomist

This seems to be a project for money, but who are you working for? Are you a journalist (which publication?), consultant advising their competitors, etc.?

deniah

Most of.The time and in most locations it's worthless. But especially traveling with medium sized groups it's a nice way to get a spacious private place. For example in Basque country Spain boring mid range hotels are 200EUR for single rooms or more for "suites". But we can get a great 3 bedroom central apartment fully furnished for the same for less.

So I would say it makes sense for leisure group travel

Toula

My spouse and I are perpetual travellers and have been living in hotels/rental properties for the past 21 months. We have used a mix of VRBO/AirBnB/Flipkey to rent properties in Paris, Barcelona, Seville, Ubud, Bangkok, Honolulu, San Diego.

It can be hit and miss. I wish more people would be truthful about the properties they rent. In particular I would like to see more people focus on the quality of the mattress and bed linens, is there noise in the apt? We have just finished a 7 day stay at a 5 star rated property in Barcelona and it was one of the worst places I have ever stayed at. It was pretty on the outside but the most uncomfortable mattresses ever and every night we were disturbed by noisy neighbours upstairs.

dulciusexasperis

MsJessop, why don't you go interview the people who lived next door to the condo rented by a bachelorette group of 10 that mlh1was part of. I'm sure they will have a very different opinion to share with you.

People forget that many of these are in residential properties. When you live in a condo where people are arriving and departing and yes, partying all the time, Airbnb takes on a whole different aspect.

The original idea was fine. Provide a place to sleep when there is an event (ie. concert) in town and beds are hard to find. Or while you are away for a week, why not rent out your place to someone looking for a good deal vs. a hotel.

But that original idea is long gone. Now sites like Airbnb, Homeway, et al. are as likely to be advertising a purpose bought property that is rented out for as much of the year as possible. The unscrupulous 'make a buck' regardless of anyone else crowd have arrived. Here's an example of just how bad it can be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=8cr1p33apCw

There are FOUR parties in these transactions. Airbnb, the owner, the renter and the NEIGHBOURS who are expected to put up with it. How would you feel about strangers being handed keys that let them access your building, every week?

[Unduly personalized text edited by Moderator per FT Rules.]

flyerhog

AirBnB can be very useful during special events. For me, I was looking for a place to stay in Rio during Carnaval. Hotel room rates cost up to 2500 USD for 7 days, or a stay in a shared hostel room cost 700 usd for the 7 days. However, I find someone on AirBnB that was willing to provide me with a room for only 1000 USD for an entire month.

I read some article on the internet that using AirBnB benefits the local economy because the money stay in local hands, whereas the hotel chains' profits go through some creative accouting practices in Bermuda. Plus having a host that show you around and help you it's just a personal touch you can't find elsewhere