a nice idea gone mad

 

[more Reader Comments on Air-bnbs]

~ Staying in a shed with a bed in Hawaii was my last Air BnB experience.

~ I think I am done with Airbnb.  The good ones are more expensive than a hotel and the bad ones are irritating with their funky bathrooms, no lock on the bedroom door, and hosts who are wacky and / or unavailable.  It was different 10 years ago.

~ Speaking as someone who has the questionable pleasure and reverse privilege to live downwind from a private short-term vacation rental in a formerly peaceful and quiet residential neighborhood -- 

these cleaning fees seem still not nearly high enough, judging by the non-stop party ruckus coming down the hill all day and night, the litter strewn about ... the squealing tire noise pollution from those drunk late-night returns from town.

It's a nice idea gone mad ...

~ Hotels do it better and cheaper.  Why not stay at a professional place rather than deal with amateur hour?

~ Last one we tried we canceled because the host acted reluctant to rent and asked strange questions like "How did you reserve this?"

        "Uh, on AirBnb where you listed."

~ Reviews are another reason to question staying at an Airbnb.  We stayed at one in Hawaii that was nice, but the owner was a bit of a nut job - telling us how he charged a previous guest because of some scratches on the floor from using the chairs that had no protectors on the feet.  

        By that time we were there and checked in so we were stuck but it definitely had us looking over our shoulders the whole time.  Then we didn't get our damage deposit back until we had left a review that he had read and responded to........so how honest do you think we could be?

------------------------ Bingo!

~ A few months ago, our daughter booked an AirBnB without reading the fine print.  Upon arrival she discovered she was responsible for washing the bedsheets and remaking the bed.  Because she had to be out the door at 4:45am to catch a flight, she slept on the sofa.

The owner noticed that the laundry pod hadn't been used, and accused our daughter of not following the rules.  

It was a VERY expensive eight hour stay.

Nick in Denver

~ Exactly, I didn't even consider buying a home in a building that allows short term rentals; I've been there before.  

Clueless guests asking residents and the front desk for help and parking in the wrong spot; rowdy guests throwing parties, and security problems because we didn't know who our neighbors were going to be from week to week.  

We even had a porn video being shot in a unit and on the rooftop patio.

Matthew Nichols

~ I was done with airbnb when hosts started asking me to lie for them.

"Say to the concierge you're a friend of mine"

umm - no...?

David Schwartz

~ We were refused entry to our Airbnb in Vegas because it was in a gated community that didn't allow them.  It said in the check-in instructions that we shouldn't tell the gate guard that we are staying in an Airbnb or they would refuse our entry. ...

~ It makes perfect sense that listings are down.  It's something people "try out".  AirBnB moves into a new market, like Indonesia, properties get picked up, word spreads, business is good, and finally people decide they want a real hotel for less instead of staying in a smelly place, listening to footprints above, and leaving the key under a flower pot.  

Then it's time to move to a new market.

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