Booking self catering accommodation - Airbnb booking.com vrbo?

LaFlottes · 2022-04-28T07:04:30+00:00

We are looking for self catering accommodation in or around Annecy for this summer. We have seen several possibilities on Airbnb and booking.com but it feels like a leap of faith! We’ve used Airbnb before and it’s been fine so I’m not sure why I’m so worried! Which site is safer in terms of not cancelling on is at the last minute etc? Also with Airbnb should we only look at super hosts properties? I have come across vrbo too and wondered about this site? Any advice is appreciated!

MissAmbrosia · 28/04/2022 09:43

I generally use Booking.com and have never had a problem. I have heard too many bad stories about Air BNB to trust them, though friends use them - make sure to book places with plenty of reviews/Superhost. VRBO/Holiday rentals etc - I used to use but stopped over Covid etc as normally they want payment/deposit up front. These days I will only book somewhere with free cancellation right up close to travel date/payment on arrival.

MissAmbrosia · 28/04/2022 09:46

If possible I also try to book places that are owned by a "company" rather than an individual - so accommodation where there are multiple apartments for example.

Flatandhappy · 28/04/2022 12:23

We have just been to Bali and booked through Airbnb. Downside was paying upfront but their cancellation policies are clear and they stick to them (had to cancel a booking last year due to COVID and no problem). We also got a gorgeous villa cheaper than any other site. The reviews also seemed pretty accurate as they are a bit more personal. I do use booking.com but tbh have had a few problems with them and stopped for a few years but I have got over it now 😁

rookiemere · 28/04/2022 14:37

I like VRBO for self catering accommodation and Booking.com for hotels.

VRBO does ask for a deposit up front but to me that's not a bad thing as means property owner loses out if they cancel so less likely to do it and depending on your cancellation terms for the property you would get it back provided you cancelled before their stated times.

rookiemere · 28/04/2022 14:42

Oh and just a thought as it's in France I'd try to rent from an English owner or somewhere that has very specific details around what cleaning is expected and if there is a cleaning fee what that covers.
I had a thread about the experience we had with our ski apartment rental in France where despite paying a sizeable cleaning fee I was told off on departure for not having cleaned it. Seems this is not unusual for French properties.

Clymene · 28/04/2022 14:47

I have never had a problem with being told off for not cleaning French properties and I've booked multiple SC places through both English and French owners.

I think your experience was unfortunate @rookiemere

We're doing Airbnb this time as I couldn't find anything that worked with our dates on vrbo which is usually my first port of call. I've never had any issues with either of them or booking.com although I may have just been lucky!

Movinghouseatlast · 28/04/2022 15:34

As an individual who owns two properties advertised on Air bnb VRBO and booking com I'm horrified to read advice saying to only book with companies who have multiple properties!

All of these online sites- including UK ones like Sykes, cottages.com etc are just advertising platforms. If there is any problem with the accommodation at all the owner ( or manager if its owned by a company) has to sort it out and that will vary from owner to owner. So there is actually no difference between them at all. The only difference is in the policies of each site. The cancellation policy is chosen by the owner but implemented by Air BnB etc. So for example at the moment Air BnB override a hosts cancellation policy if a guest has Covid.

So my advice is to find a property you like then try to find the owners website and book direct, saving both the owner and you some money. Always get travel insurance!

gogohm · 28/04/2022 15:46

I've used Booking.com dozens of times without incident, one one time there was they sorted everything promptly and sent me a goodwill refund without me asking. Airbnb I've used once the the owned cancelled on me!

LazyFox · 01/05/2022 17:22

I’ve used them all many times without issue. I would only use Airbnb if they seem to be run very efficiently with lots of reviews so seem less likely to cancel.

One issue I had with booking an expensive villa through vrbo (which I had to cancel due to Covid last summer) was that we lost about 300 euros in the ‘full refund’ due to exchange rate issues. Sadly have had to cancel with the other companies in the past but didn’t have this issue with them.

MissAmbrosia · 01/05/2022 17:25

Movinghouseatlast · 28/04/2022 15:34

As an individual who owns two properties advertised on Air bnb VRBO and booking com I'm horrified to read advice saying to only book with companies who have multiple properties!

All of these online sites- including UK ones like Sykes, cottages.com etc are just advertising platforms. If there is any problem with the accommodation at all the owner ( or manager if its owned by a company) has to sort it out and that will vary from owner to owner. So there is actually no difference between them at all. The only difference is in the policies of each site. The cancellation policy is chosen by the owner but implemented by Air BnB etc. So for example at the moment Air BnB override a hosts cancellation policy if a guest has Covid.

So my advice is to find a property you like then try to find the owners website and book direct, saving both the owner and you some money. Always get travel insurance!

It wasn't advice as such, but certainly on city breaks I prefer somewhere with reception, ability to leave bags, and a guarantee that it won't get cancelled. So "aparthotels" are my preference.

JurasicPerks · 01/05/2022 17:29

We generally used booking.com, and have had no issues.
We have struggled with airbnb, and so stopped using them.

Never used vrbo

Frenchfancy · 01/05/2022 17:38

As a former owner I agree with@Movinghouseatlast the same property can be advertised on all 3 platforms. The important thing to do is book by credit card and take out insurance.

Original poster

LaFlottes · 04/05/2022 09:47

Thank you everyone this is really useful to hear your experience and advice 😊

OP posts:

Tagliatellme · 04/05/2022 09:52

Movinghouseatlast · 28/04/2022 15:34

As an individual who owns two properties advertised on Air bnb VRBO and booking com I'm horrified to read advice saying to only book with companies who have multiple properties!

All of these online sites- including UK ones like Sykes, cottages.com etc are just advertising platforms. If there is any problem with the accommodation at all the owner ( or manager if its owned by a company) has to sort it out and that will vary from owner to owner. So there is actually no difference between them at all. The only difference is in the policies of each site. The cancellation policy is chosen by the owner but implemented by Air BnB etc. So for example at the moment Air BnB override a hosts cancellation policy if a guest has Covid.

So my advice is to find a property you like then try to find the owners website and book direct, saving both the owner and you some money. Always get travel insurance!

Yes, this. We've always booked direct - it's so much cheaper, and I prefer dealing with owners rather than giant companies. We had to cancel multiple SC properties when covid arrived as we were going on a fly drive holiday. Every single one refunded us with no issue.

underneaththeash · 04/05/2022 09:55

Movinghouseatlast · 28/04/2022 15:34

As an individual who owns two properties advertised on Air bnb VRBO and booking com I'm horrified to read advice saying to only book with companies who have multiple properties!

All of these online sites- including UK ones like Sykes, cottages.com etc are just advertising platforms. If there is any problem with the accommodation at all the owner ( or manager if its owned by a company) has to sort it out and that will vary from owner to owner. So there is actually no difference between them at all. The only difference is in the policies of each site. The cancellation policy is chosen by the owner but implemented by Air BnB etc. So for example at the moment Air BnB override a hosts cancellation policy if a guest has Covid.

So my advice is to find a property you like then try to find the owners website and book direct, saving both the owner and you some money. Always get travel insurance!

That's never been the case when we've stayed in SC properties booked through a company (I'm talking about maybe 40 properties in the last 10 years). If there's a problem - and often there is, you call the company and they sort the issue out.

I've tried Air BnB three times and none have been positive experiences - one cancellation at the last minute, one was filthy and one we had the issue as with a PP that they were expecting us to clean, even though I'd paid the cleaning fee.