Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Airbnb Tutorial: What is it, and What are the Pros & Cons?

pros and cons of airbnb


A few weeks ago, I posted some European travel tips to save money. From that post, I received a few questions from readers asking, what is Airbnb? Today, I'll take a few moments to explain what exactly Airbnb is, and just exactly how using it can benefit your travels!

Airbnb is a community marketplace, where people can list, discover, and book various accommodations throughout the world. Hosts on Airbnb list their properties, be it a single room, apartment, villa, any type of property on the website. The hosts get to select their price, guidelines, and what type of guests they would like to accommodate. Guests of Airbnb search the marketplace by the dates of their travel for available accommodations and what they would like. When guests have selected accommodations, they send a booking request to the host, who can either confirm or deny the reservation. Airbnb charges a 3% fee to the hosts, while travelers pay a 6-12% fee.

So, all of this sounds great. What are the pros and cons of Airbnb?

Pros

  • Airbnb is pretty flexible. When searching for accommodations, you can search for a whole unit, a private room, or a shared room. In addition to this, you can specify how many bedrooms, bathrooms, and beds you want; as well as various keywords- for example, if you want to be near the beach. Essentially, it is just as flexible as searching for and booking a hotel, but you have more options by lieu of choosing whether to rent a shared room, private room, or whole place. 
  • It can save you money. Staying at an Airbnb can be a great option, especially if you are traveling to more expensive cities or traveling in a group. When I went to Bergen with my family (4 people, including myself) we used an Airbnb, which allowed us to stay in nicer accommodations for a much cheaper price than several hotel rooms would have been.
  • Accommodations can be perfect. Often, accommodations will meet their exact descriptions, and have everything available to you that you need. 
  • Hosts can be amazingly helpful. Hosts of Airbnb accommodations can go above and beyond the call of duty, lending recommendations and helpful tips. On my first Airbnb experience in Bergen, our host gave us personalized recommendations for restaurants, city guidelines, maps, and even told us of different activities we should do on our trip. The hosts are often local people, so they have a wealth of knowledge they are usually willing to share!
  • Traveler reviews can help. Personally, I wouldn't stay in an Airbnb that didn't have previous traveler reviews. Once travelers are done staying at an Airbnb host's place, they can leave reviews. Often, I have found, these reviews are much more in depth and more accurate than hotel reviews, because Airbnb users are looking for the same experience. These traveler reviews will tell it exactly like it is!
  • Kitchen access. With Airbnb, most hosts will allow you to have access to a kitchen, even if you are just renting a private or shared room. When traveling to more expensive countries, or for longer periods of time, kitchen access can truly be a lifesaver by allowing you to cook some of your own meals, or even just store snacks and drinks in the fridge. 

Cons

  • Accommodations can not meet the description. A host can post misleading information on their accommodations, which can definitely place travelers in a bind. To mitigate this potential problem, I would recommend only staying at an Airbnb location that has positive previous traveler reviews. 
  • Hosts can be terrible. Just like there can be terrific hosts, there can also be terrible hosts. Perhaps they aren't helpful, or if you are booking a shared or private room they may intrude on your vacation. Some hosts know what they are doing and how to provide a great service, while others simply don't.
  • Added fees can really add up. When staying at Airbnb locations, guests will pay a 6-12% service fee. There may also be cleaning fees, fees for extra guests, etc… make sure you are checking out all of the fees before booking a reservation. 
  • Amenities may be missing. Staying in hotels often has it's benefits, such as concierge service and maid service. With Airbnb, this is not always going to be the case. Do your homework, and make sure that your basic needs will be covered. 
So, there you have it! Of course, one of the items I must highlight with Airbnb is that very likely, each experience will be different. Similar to hotels, two different people could go to the same exact accommodations and have drastically different experiences. Because of this, I would recommend (again!) to always do your homework, check out the accommodation reviews, and make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Have you ever used Airbnb before, and what did you think about it? Would you use it again?

12 comments:

  1. I love Airbnbs! I stayed in one last weekend in Prague. It was so great and exactly like the pictures. I have heard of friends who have stayed in them and they have been nothing like what was advertised though. I guess it's hit and miss!

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    1. I'm with you on that, Sammy! They are a great way to get around. I haven't used them as much as I like, but think I will try to continue. I have also heard of people who have had bad experiences, which is part of why I would only stay in places that have positive previous reviews!

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  2. Where staying in our first AirBnb over Easter and I am really hoping for a good experience!

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    1. I'll hope for a great experience for you as well! Airbnb can be such a good option. It still surprises me how many people don't know what airbnb is!

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  3. This is perfect... we are debating on whether to use Airbnb for the first time in Munich or just get a hotel!

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    1. You'll have to let me know what you pick! I've highly enjoyed my airbnb experiences. It all depends on what you want!

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  4. We've used Airbnb about 6 or 7 times now, and the only time we were slightly disappointed was when previous reviews warned us in advance, but we chose to ignore them. Now we know, listen to the reviews!

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    1. I've done that before as well and ignored reviews. Sometimes things turn out fine, but it is a good idea to pay some amount of attention to the reviews!

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  5. I've been looking into AirBnB and a few other similar sites for this summer's trip here stateside ... those fees do add up, especially in popular areas where I thought I might save by going an alternative route!

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    1. Yes, the fees can definitely add up! Sometimes it is hard to see since there is the listed price, and then the extra person fee, the laundry fee, the cleaning fee, etc etc. So you definitely have to do your research!

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  6. I have never used airbnb, but I'm definitely keeping it in mind for the future. Thanks for the tips!

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    1. I've only used it a few times, but it has definitely worked for me! I think it is especially great in more expensive places like Norway. The kitchen access was huge for us!

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