airbnb

[peppansalt]

Anyone used Airbnb? Was it a good experience?

We are thinking of renting in Tuscany in July and the comparable prices seem really reasonable.

Am only at properties with lots of good reviews to reduce any risk but would be interested to hear about others experiences.

noton DH and I are considering buying our neighbors flat for family and friends who visit. It's next door so perfect for us.

I did think about saying something but after thinking about it I don't want to do business with someone who is always looking for a better deal. When you accept money you have an obligation to deliver except when something really bad happens.

namechange I don't doubt that the website told you when the hotel would take payment - it's there under "Conditions" when you view the available rooms.

With Booking.com I generally choose rooms which you can cancel without penalty until fairly shortly before the booked date, particularly if I'm doing a tour and haven't firmed up exact dates at each destination. That way I can book rooms for more dates than I need or rooms in more than one place on the same night, and cancel the unwanted bookings once my plans are finalised. Have to make a note of when I need to do that, though!

Patty it is one of the rooms that you can cancel until the day before (some still take payment but refund if you cancel) and I knew they would take payment well before we go. I was just making the point that booking.com requires payment upfront too (aswell as airbnb).

Ah, sorry. I always book rooms with a "pay at hotel" option. Of course, the exact place someone wants might not have that option, so you're right, in some cases payment will be taken in advance. I can usually avoid that, but I accept that it means being flexible about where I stay.

I've used AirBnB several times and had no problems, it's definitely the first place I look for accommodation now.
I've never actually had the deposit taken or reserved on my account, as I understood it the deposit only comes into play if the host makes a claim for damage etc after you've left.

Feeling a lot more positive about using them now. Quote a few positive stories on here. I have communicated with the hosts and they have answered a few questions that i had. They came back to me quickly as well, which i thought was a good sign.

PetitPois Airbnb hosts have a lot of targets, ratings and benchmarks to meet and one of them is response times!

Many's the time I've been fast asleep and heard the familiar 'ding' of an Airbnb booking equity in the middle of the night. It's very hard to go back to sleep without responding as having a one hour response rate gets you extra points...

Ah Eagle That's great. I hope you have had good experiences with guests. It's a two way street after all.

Used airbnb to book a gite in France for a couple of nights while attending a wedding. It was great, just as promised and despite the language barrier (host said she didn't speak English, my French is exceptionally rusty) we had a great time.

We booked airbnb last year for Tuscany. It was wonderful, so good in fact that we are going again this year. My only advice would be to Google any places you find as you can probably find them at a similar price elsewhere. The property we stayed at last year has its own website and would have been cheaper that way (no airbnb fees for owners). We're doing it direct this year for 10% less.

Avery I agree. I have to say that there are some places where i have found the booking direct or through one of the booking agents has been the same or even cheaper.
A self catering apartment in Warsaw last year booked direct was cheaper and better positioned than Airbnb properties.

I suppose like everything it pays to shop around.

Also agree with Avery. Our villa is quite a bit more to rent through Airbnb than it would be through our own website or through Owners Direct (which has no booking fees). Always worth googling your favourite villa/apartment name in case you can find a better price elsewhere!

I'm in my second Airbnb apartment on this holiday and it's lovely. Very much a home from home.

We've used lots of times, the accommodation has always been really good. One host did cancel at the last minute which was annoying but you can tell who has done this from the reviews. Let the host know when/how you're arriving and they can advise you in things like public transport from the airport etc.