diburning

Thanks for the data point! I made a reservation recently, and paid in full with the gift card because I didn't want to carry or keep track of the balance.

Remember to double dip with Delta!

wojciechm

Absolutely A class advice, thanks for sharing!!

ramosc

I have used AirBnb numerous times and have never had any serious issues. A couple places were a bit dirty, sure, but they were the exception. For the most part, if the place you book has lots of positive reviews, it's a pretty safe bet. The only thing to look out for is whether or not AirBnb is actually legal where you're trying to book, as this could lead to some less than pleasant experiences.

lupine

We had three AirBnB reservations canceled on us in 2022 because the properties had been sold. One was a week-long reservation for my whole family, and the other two were 1-month reservations on Longboat Key, an island off of Sarasota. While we got a refund in each of the cases, AirBnB does zippo to help find a new location. Substitute properties are very hard to come by for lengthy reservations or large homes. All three were booked months in advance, and all three were SuperHost properties. I've become very wary of AirBnB. The most recent property had been sold months before we booked it.

enelym1978

Lucky I guess.... I stay at AirBnB's around Europe 5-8 times a year and never had an issue. I always book those with plenty of reviews. Most places look kinda like the pictures, though, same as for hotels, you have to get your expectations a few notches down from the "very nice pictures" of the website. Especially when it comes to size, they always look bigger on pictures.
Never had issues with cleanliness or with the owners.
Worse case scenarios, there is some wear and tear on furniture or fixtures in the bathrooms but nothing serious.
What I try to avoid usually is rentals put by agencies. You can see quite easily whether the "owner" is a private person or an actual professional agency. Those are sometimes more difficult to deal with when there are issues or they respond at a slower pace.

pseudoswede

Looking to book a 3-night stay in Rome in June. Inventory is already super low (both hotels and rentals).

Many on Airbnb and VRBO remaining have 0 or 1 reviews.
About 15 listings on Airbnb in the most central part of Rome all are listed by the same person, who has a "9% response rate", and all reviews (numbering 0-5 per property) are from 2019. My guess is that the rates are also 2019 prices.
Two listings are about a half block from each other, have different rates (about 15%), and have the exact same pictures.
Like above--different rates, but similar pictures and different reviews (both mention the short shower), and one is hosted by a superhost.

Safe to say all of those are red flags, right?

It sucks that there are so many scammers out there, and Airbnb doesn't have the resources to do a better job except to give you a refund--which doesn't help when you're suddenly stuck in Rome with zero nearby availability.

EmailKid

Stayed in Brooklyn (NYC) in November at a superhost, and it was fine. The others sound somewhat iffy, but I do have some (more) confidence with a superhost.

emulator

Is it me or has AirBnB become as expensive as hotels after covid? Prices has gone minimum 100% up what they were just couple years ago. Its not inflation so have people become greedy or what? Talking about Europe here

fifty_two

Yes, even before covid it was in some cities , now its often more expensive up to the point its ridiculous . Only thing airbnb decided to do is to promote rooms so people can find less expensive options but still in many cases its still more expensive than hostels or hotels

Yes , its mostly about greediness , but not only europe , of course there are specific cases within some markets , like war in ukraine affecting europe and central asia but in general yes airbnb prices are going up everywhere at rates higher than local inflation and the platform has no incentives to stop it

So instead of rushing to airbnb as usual, maybe consider checking also booking or hotels chains and then decide