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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think Air bnb is over rated?

207 replies

jennymanara · 23/09/2019 12:54

We have stopped using air bnb unless it is literally just for a bed for 1 night. Because the standard is invariably poor, unless they are very expensive, or are already a proper bnb just advertising on air bnb.
I adopted a few years ago a policy of only staying with superhosts. But have decided to abandon even that after staying with a few that were fine, they had all 5 star reviews, but not as good as other places I had stayed for similar money in the same city.

I think when air bnb started there were genuinely real bargains for what you got. But this is no longer the case. Instead it is full if people who are renting at the going rate locally, but really have no idea how to be professional.

OP posts:
timshelthechoice · 23/09/2019 13:24

YANBU

jennymanara · 23/09/2019 13:24

And when I say fine I mean clean and everything worked, but a bit meh.

OP posts:
MissDew · 23/09/2019 13:25

I looked into booking Air BnB once. The booking wanted an admin fee and a cleaning fee. So I booked into a hotel instead. No complications.

Plenty of self catering options on other sites. I think Air BnB has had it's day.

Elphame · 23/09/2019 13:28

Completely agree with you.

I have seen evidence of hosts who don't even wash the bedding between guests. A squirt of Febreeze and that's your lot

Shockers · 23/09/2019 13:29

We’ve never had a bad experience, but I do go through all of the reviews before booking.

We’ve stayed in some wonderful spots!

boujie · 23/09/2019 13:32

I've only ever really had good experiences with it!

srilankadreaming · 23/09/2019 13:35

Air B&B landlord here. I offer a private studio with en suite, kitchenette with fridge, sink, microwave, kettle etc, access to the garden and free parking with lots of breakfast items for £35 a night. We are on a really quiet street but within walking distance of amenities, shops, eateries and countryside walks. Nearest Premier Inn is usually double the price. Guests comment on how clean the accommodation is. So I think I'm, doing a good job and it's a bargain. We are not all bad! I'm up north though so I have to try!! Sorry just read that back and it sounds like an advert OOPS
Contrast this with the one time this summer when DD and I stayed in an Air B&B in Oxford. What a disaster! Greeted by the host to be told her 10 year old daughter was having a sleepover that night and kept awake by screaming girls until well into the early hours. Finally got to sleep to be awoken at 5 am by her son screaming for ice cream. Needless to say we didn't stay the second night. But hey this is Oxford so bookings are a certainty. The host wasn't even bothered that we left although thankfully I did get a refund.

timshelthechoice · 23/09/2019 13:40

I have seen evidence of hosts who don't even wash the bedding between guests. A squirt of Febreeze and that's your lot

Eewww. Really?

0lga · 23/09/2019 13:50

I’ve stayed in many air BnBs all over Europe and have only had one bad experience. I find they are better value than hotels and you get more space and privacy.

I like being able to make my own breakfast and often dinner too, using fresh local food. Hotel meals promise so much but are frequently disappointing IME. I am gluten free and find that 75% of most breakfast buffets are not suitable for me. And I rather resent paying a fortune for eggs and tomatoes with hot water to drink 😭

I find that I get stressed before each meal as I KNOW it will be an issue for them, even If I’ve notified them in advance in writing. I just want to sit down and eat like everyone else without a major incident.

So self catering suits me just fine.

Strugglingtodomybest · 23/09/2019 13:52

I've never had a problem with it, I've stayed in some lovely places. I don't like the sterility of a lot of hotels and self catering places, so I like the option of being able to stay somewhere a bit more homely.

jennymanara · 23/09/2019 13:57

I hate lots of "homely" touches like nick nacks that get in the way and ornaments.

OP posts:
MrsCasares · 23/09/2019 14:07

The apartment above ours (Spain) is an airbnb. The owner doesn’t pay her community fees, so access to the pool is not given.

I feel sorry for holiday makers who come expecting a pool - as advertised and can’t access it.

Penelopeschat · 23/09/2019 14:08

We also avoid Airbnb - expensive and I’d rather either hotel, B&B or self catering cottages through agencies or directly but with a good history of positive bookings etc.

Elphame · 23/09/2019 14:16

timshelthechoice Yes sadly - one hopes they are few and far between but at the prices some of them rent out at I guess every penny counts.

Washing and laundry is a significant overhead in terms of time and money.

Bellsofstclements · 23/09/2019 14:21

We've had a great couple of Airbnb stays since having a baby - two in people's homes while they've been on holiday. DS has loved having lots of new toys to play with for a week and it's much easier than having to creep round a hotel room in the dark because he likes to go to sleep at 7.30.

CodenameVillanelle · 23/09/2019 14:30

I rent my spare room on Airbnb and the vast majority of guests are very happy. The ones who aren't are usually people who expect hotel standard accommodation on a shoestring price. I charge £40 per night for 3 guests (£30 for two, £20 for one) including breakfast, towels and toiletries. Cleaning included. Hotels in my area would charge £100+ for a double room.

If you use it as it was intended to be used, as host or guest, it's brilliant. It has become too big for its boots somewhat.

Nanamilly · 23/09/2019 14:36

I like being able to make my own breakfast and often dinner too, using fresh local food

Thats one of the reasons I do it.

And I rather resent...... hot water to drink

Im very fussy about tea and I want my tea to be how I like it and no other way.

Airbnb suits me just fine.

eeksville · 23/09/2019 14:40

I love a nice hotel stay but with young kids air bnb is very practical. We've used it about 5/6 times & always booked the entire home. Never had any problems & always enjoyed our stays.

jennymanara · 23/09/2019 14:41

@CodenameVillanelle That is cheap so fair. But sometimes I have heard air bnb people say the same when they are only comparing to the standard hotel room rate, that hardly anyone pays. Most people buy online when rooms are always cheaper.

OP posts:
jennymanara · 23/09/2019 14:42

Although if I ma honest I would be surprised if you provide the same as a hotel that charges £100 plus in terms of room, service and professionalism. And by £100 plus I mean what most people actually pay, not the standard rack rate.

OP posts:
buttermilkwaffles · 23/09/2019 15:04

I used to use Airbnb quite a lot, but now do so as little as possible. One reason being having seen the effect it has had on communities in some places, pricing out locals, noise and disruption etc.

But also be because of numerous issues I have had with them, which have been more frequent recently.

These include significant price rises after booking and paying, despite Airbnb saying this is not allowed under their own terms.

Airbnb refusal/failure to get an owner to change a totally misleading description of a property despite numerous attempts (reported listing, sent emails, reported to ASA, called them out on twitter, Facebook). For example the property listing said it had fabulous views of two local landmarks - it was a basement flat so had no views of anything except a brick wall and a dirty storage area. Numerous other misleading and false claims in description. Got terrible reviews (unsurprisingly) but then was relisted again for this summer season as a new listing with exactly the same photos and misleading description, only a change of host name. Not the first listing I have seen on there which has got rid of bad reviews by relisting under a different host name, even though this is not supposed to happen.

Properties are supposed to declare cameras etc in listing as per Airbnbs own terms. Place I stayed at had a webcam/ security cam in hallway facing front door which was not declared. Felt creepy being watched every time I went to my room, to the bathroom, to the kitchen or entered/left the property. Airbnb didn't seem bothered about the non declaration.

Had issues with an apartment in France, key to building entry would not work so I was locked out every time I left. Host not interested, just said keep trying it, denied there was an issue then admitted there was but they thought it had been fixed. Locked out and desperately trying to contact Airbnb and left messages with dying battery, they still hadn't replied by the next day, so if a neighbour hadn't let me in I would have been stuck outside an apartment I paid for, all night in a foreign city, on my own with a dead phone.

Numerous other issues, including cleanliness (lack of) of some properties.

That said I have stayed in some very nice places, but most were some time ago, not as many recently.

Have noticed price rises too, so it's now seldom the cheaper option it used to be. In fact the same property listed on several platforms is often more expensive on Airbnb than on hotels and booking dot com, even though those two sites charge 15% minimum commission to owners and Airbnb charges 2% I think (plus Airbnb fees are paid by the guest, not the property owner).

The reviews also seem to be more positive (too positive) than on other sites, for whatever reason. Have stayed at a few which had undeserved rave reviews.

redchocolatebutton · 23/09/2019 15:10

more hassle than it's worth, especially if you experience issues.

hotels or commercial b&b much better ime.

OtraCosaMariposa · 23/09/2019 15:13

You just can't generalise and say that Airbnb is X or Y as every property is different. Many people who use the site (like us) only ever rent a whole property, not a spare room in someone's house. For us it's not about "cheap". We were in Paris over the summer - the Airbnb we were in wad not cheap. We could have got Premier Inn style accommodation cheaper. But we had a whole apartment, three bedrooms, proper kitchen, two bathrooms, washing machine, etc etc etc. A real home from home.

I would definitely use the site again.

beethebee · 23/09/2019 15:16

I prefer self-catering generally but still have only stayed in 2 AirBnBs, both in the same UK city, both with rave reviews, both utterly crappy.

Each time I got an email from the owner on the last day that was pretty unpleasant in tone asking outright for 5 star reviews only and saying that they'd review me only once they'd seen what I said about them.

I won't use them again.

eeksville · 23/09/2019 15:17

What other sites do people use for air bnb?