a parsimonious, irritable acquaintance

 

Recently read an article about AirBnBs and for some reason they sound spooky and kind of sinister, to me.

(Overactive imagination...?)

reader comments

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--------- It takes just one bad AIRBNB experience to be over it forever.  Been there, done that.

----------- I just LOVE staying in a nice hotel, can't understand why anyone would prefer to be in a stranger's house.

--------------------- Once or twice I have stayed in Airbnb with relatives who booked things -- the anonymous key pickup, no contact with owner or management, the cheap but good looking furniture, faucets that didn't work -- it left a poor impression....

---------- Before, AirBNB was a no-brainer, much better prices, convenience and comfort than hotels.  Now, AirBNBs and hotels are almost equally annoying, expensive and inconvenient.

----------------- It's the Uber model:  too many drivers, too many rentals.  Air B and B makes money but the hosts / drivers don't.  I suspect we are about to see a tsunami of local regulations limiting the number of short term rentals in a lot of hot markets.

------------------- We have used AirBNB throughout Europe with such mixed results that we don't use it anymore. ... we loved some of the experiences and loved a more authentic-feeling stay, yet vacations are too short to waste on housing problems.  The photos and reviews seem to be phony too often.

--------------------- I used to use Airbnb for apartment rentals in some cities.  Last time I did (late 2021) the host was supposed to meet me with the keys, and I'd texted her when my plane landed.  I ended up standing on a busy street in light rain for an hour before her "assistant" finally came with the keys.  

        I realized right then that if I had checked into a hotel instead, I would have been to my room within 10 minutes.  The inconsistency just isn't worth it for me.

----------------- Aside from the horrendous cleaning fees, and laundry lists of do's and don'ts some of these hosts post, the greatest lesson I learned (the hard way) is that if the owner does not post pictures of the property from the outside it's because they know you would NEVER want to stay there.  

This happened to me so many times in Gainesville, Florida I decided to no longer work in that area as a traveling professional.

------------ It will happen to you eventually, if you use the service enough.  Had an expensive place with good reviews tell me I was being excessively picky because the front door didn't close, or lock.  Back door didn't even have a lock.  Just the start of the problems there.  

        My bad review somehow never seemed to make it on their listing.  I have stayed in great places too -- but there is often little accountability with the bad ones.

-------------- AirBnB isn't capitalism, it is a kind of digital-era theft that legislatures haven't caught up with.

-------------------- I used Airbnb for a while, never a big fan, but I've sworn off it now, too many bad experiences and the value just isn't there.  I get it, you can find some real gems, great places that are reasonably priced.  

But for every gem, there are 5 clunkers and it can be difficult to know ahead of time.  Reviews are meaningless and unhelpful.

        Simple things like, did the owner give you the right code for the door, become hugely important.  

Arriving after dark and being unable to get in because the owner gave you the wrong code.  

Calling the owner for a couple hours because they were busy and not responding, trying to get the code.  

This has happened to me and I'm sure many others.  

Is the owner spying on you?  Yeah maybe, nobody verifies if there are cameras in the house and we've all heard stories of this being the case.  Along with all sorts of other things that are just unthinkable in a hotel.

---------- I'm on Long Island.  Party companies have rented some very nice homes that have amenities like basketball courts and pools.  Each summer for the last three years, the cops have had to be called over gun use, including one shooting....

--------- many if not most owners of multiple units are clearly do-it-yourselfers, offering inconsistent / uneven service, uneven renovation quality, difficultly in accessing the units upon arrival, and not knowing the current condition of an apartment ...

        Adding to these issues is a consistent tendency to nickel and dime everything (minimal kitchen & bathroom supplies including towels, etc.), along with occasional reminders to highly rate their units, and the experience is akin to staying with a parsimonious, irritable acquaintance.

------- Air BnB was great when people were renting *the homes they live in* when they happened to be out of town.  But it seems mostly evil now....

------------------ Airbnb has no incentive to correct these problems, because they have no skin in the game.  The traditional rules of supply and demand don't work when you are only a platform; their incentive is to saturate markets because that drives up absolute revenue, even if the renter loses individual revenue.  

"Disruptive" companies are largely about assuming revenue and transferring risk.

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