AIBU to dislike staying in Airbnbs?

[Whatsnewwithyou]

AIBU to dislike staying in Airbnbs? We've done it a few times and while DH likes them, I prefer hotels. I find Airbnbs to generally not be very clean (although I'm sure there are exceptions). Not that our own home is spotless but all those little hairs from strangers in most Airbnbs all over the bathrooms, couches, etc really disgust me.

DH likes being able to have our own food and more space. I like having breakfast in little cafes, lunch from a bakery, etc.

I don't find Airbnbs to generally be much cheaper than hotels particularly in places like London.

So AIBU to say to DH "no more" or should I keep trying? If you prefer Airbnbs to hotels please can you tell me why?

I do like holiday cottages if we're going to stay somewhere for a week due to food preparation and privacy but they usually seem more professionally managed and usually much cleaner than Airbnbs!

We generally go away midweek when hotels are cheaper, and Air BnBs aren't because every one I have considered is just a per night rate. Hence, free brekkie! Hotel dining rooms on a Monday morning in term time are bliss.

TBH the root problem seems to be the difference in expectations between you and DH, not Airbnb.

Breakfasts aren't always included in the room rate. It varies, and is often priced in separately. Eg about £9 pp in Premier Inn type places, or up to £15-20 in higher end hotels.

As to whether it's worth it, it depends on whether you are a 'breakfast' person or not. Some people might be happy with coffee or fruit first thing and get a proper brunch/lunch when out for the day, while others enjoy a good fill up at the buffet breakfast before heading out.

I don't think you can generalise about 'Airbnbs' being one thing; there's a huge range, from people's own homes that they're letting out for a bit to the kind where the owner has about 15 properties or owns a whole apartment building or whatever.

I don't mind Airbnbs being less clean than a hotel might be (and I've also stayed in hotels and other B&Bs that weren't particularly clean!)

I do tend to go for cheaper Airbnbs, the kind that are someone's own home, and so wouldn't expect them to be sparkling, but just decently clean.

DP and I tend to prefer them to hotels. I find hotels to be either extortionately priced or, the cheaper ones, generally to be dumps; neither of us likes the feeling of being constrained to one room; and we like having the option to make things like coffee and toast at least, even if we don't want to cook properly all the time.

I’ve popped my Airbnb cherry and I was pretty impressed tbh. It’s hard for us to get a hotel room as a family as my teens can’t share a bed and all of us in a room together just does not work. In this case Airbnb or any self-catering place - through booking.com or whatever, works better.
Go for Superhosts only, put in ‘pets not allowed’ - we had odd stray animal hairs in one although the place was otherwise spotless.
I would also check exact location, read reviews carefully etc.
If it was just dh and me we’d do hotels, but the holiday would be different anyway.

I've never stayed in an airbnb but I'm having no luck finding a cheap hotel in london near an event I'm going to. I would usually find a premier inn or travelodge but they're all booked up. Having a look at Airbnb and for just an overnighter the prices seem so much more reasonable. I wouldn't even mind if its just a room and not the whole place to ourselves. I guess I'll worry about the cleaniness when I get there but I can't imagine any would be that bad if they have good reviews. No worse than any hotel you could stay at.

I prefer hotels for over night or a very short stay but for longer stays I prefer Airbnbs or simlar. Hotels are convenient but it can get a bit frustrating if you are staying fir a week and you have nowhere to sit (apart from what is essentially your bedroom) and now way if making your own food etc.

I know what you mean - however this is my airbnb and I am paranoid about hairs in or on any part of the house!

www.algarve-sales-and-rentals.com/property-to-rent/casa-capitao--t3--porches-holiday-rental_113758

YANBU it's all personal taste. I never feel relaxed in someone else's home (too worried I'll make a stain somehow) and like you I love the giant breakfast and having someone tidy up!

I love Air B and B. You must read the reviews. I only stay in ones where the guests mention that it's clean and spotless. Owners generally mention how far the local facilities are in the description and if it's not clear it's so easy to message. I have also heard very grim stories about hotels, about beds not being changed and other grim details in even 5 star hotels. (There is a whole thread about it somewhere, it was enough to make me never want to stay in a hotel again!) Like everything else, it's all about taste and research.

I find staying in rooms in someone’s homes a bit awkward but orherwise I love them.

It’s funny, I’m a bit of a germphobe, and that’s why I prefer Airbnb. Chances are the place is used by the owners for the majority of the time, so mainly it’s their dander & grot. Unless it’s one of those ‘party houses’ that are turned over to new bid groups of strangers every couple of days.

Hotel rooms you KNOW see a passing parade of people of hundreds or thousands a year, many doing particularly yukky stuff they wouldn’t do at home.

My money’s on the normal family home for less germs.

I've never stayed in an Airbnb because I think I would feel uncomfortable staying in someone else's home and having to talk to them every day and tell them how nice their house is. I don't even like B&Bs. I like the anonymity of a hotel, just like I like the anonymity of living in a city.

I love staying in hotels. I love the cleanliness, the minimalism, your own little bathroom and balcony, dinning room experience, how you can shut your door after a day exploring and just watch TV and eat snacks in a very comfy bed with huge pillows.

I always use airbnb several times a year and have never had a bad experience, I always contact the owner before booking and ask the street name etc. I think the way they reply says a lot as some are very helpful and friendly and some are quite abrupt. Always helps me make a decision which one to choose.

I've only had one bad experience where the cleanliness was poor and the owner quite frankly odd.
It was not a comfortable weekend

All others I've used have been great and the one we stayed in in Brooklyn was amazing, felt like we were in a movie

I prefer self catering to hotels. We aren't restricted to mealtimes. I can have a slice of toast and a cup of tea for breakfast without having to pay £15 for the privilege, I don't have to worry about being out of the room so the cleaner can come and tidy up.

I have never tried airbnb, but will probably do so next time we go away.

I like them because I generally have found them a lot cheaper. Budget hotels in most cities are grim - tiny, overheated, airless, uncomfortable, grubby. For the same price I have had some lovely Airbnbs (in Germany, France and London). It seems like you’ve had a run of bad ones!

I agree that lunches out are fun but we’ve saved lots of money as well having breakfast at home in an Airbnb.

And I agree I wouldn’t want to stay in someone’s home with them - we have only ever stayed in ones where you get the whole place to yourself.

All the Airbnbs I’ve stayed in have been like holiday lets and as clean as any hotel.

My bugbear is you can’t rely on them - we recently booked a whole house for a family group of 8 (age range 59-15) in Dublin. We booked about 5 months in advance and they cancelled 10 days before we were due to stay. We were visiting for (amongst other things) the Queen concert and Michael Buble was also playing that weekend so there was very little else available and we ended up staying in an absolute filthy kip of a student hostel. If we had booked a hotel I don’t think that would have happened.

We've stayed in AIRBNBs loads, I prefer them because we don't eat meat and therefore if we can't find any decent veggie places we have the option to cook something. Last year in Lyon every single veggie place was either shut or open weird hours, closing when we got there, unable to actually cook at the time; all sorts of odd things going on so we just bought food each day after our food attempts went wrong.

Also, I quite like being able to sit on a chair and relax rather than having to swap who has the decent chair. And we always book a larger place so that if one of us can't sleep we have another bed to use. Hotels are always so tight with space.

Wouldn’t want to stay in someone’s home with them either
Just embarrasing

Loonoon that is what puts me off too. Hotels would not do this, I have occasionally been overbooked by hotels but said hotel sorted an alternative hotel.

I have had some very positive airbnb experiences but would be worried about relying on one for our main family holiday for example.

I've never stayed in an Airbnb as I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about the way it has moved so far from it's original ethos of people renting out spare rooms to show others their local culture ( which I'd absolutely hate as my privacy is very important to me), to essentially being just another apartment/cottage booking engine albeit one with fairly intransigent cancellation policies and apparently a habit of deleting any negative reviews.

Look at the way here, Airbnb is being used interchangeably as shorthand for s/c.

I'd rather book through booking.com or holiday lettings which have longer experience in online bookings and don't require you to build up a personal reputation or demand that you leave positive reviews.

As to going s/c rather than in a hotel - we do this most of the time - just buy in breakfast and eat out for all other meals with the money you've saved from not staying in a hotel.

I think I would feel uncomfortable staying in someone else's home and having to talk to them every day and tell them how nice their house is

Wouldn’t want to stay in someone’s home with them either
The kind of Airbnb let we're mainly talking about here is the self-catering kind where you have the whole space, though, rather than ones that are actually run like a B&B with the owner in situ.

I just thought it was strange that your post seemed to imply you couldn't stay at the AirBNB (his choice) and eat out (yours). (and was maybe being a bit flippant too, sorry).

I read a thread on here that said if you reviewed them at less than 4 stars their listing is at risk. I suspect they short out their rating systems and then people would be able to genuinely review what state places were in.