Explain airbnb | Imamother

amother

Puce

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 12:56 pm

How does it work? You rent someones house? What are the advantages over a hotel? Where is the family while you are there? How much cheaper is it than a hotel? What happens if something breaks or tears?

Kumphort

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 2:39 pm

There is not an across the board answer.
When looking. You can search if you want to rent a full house as opposed to a room in someone’s house. When we have done this it’s usually another family’s vacation house or some other house that they have extra for whatever reason. You can look at picture to see how lives in the house looks to seee if they have a lot of their personal stuff around or if it looks clean and bare like a hotel
I like doing it because you can usually get a house with multiple bedrooms,access to a kitchen maybe a private pool for the same price as a hotel. You have to compare prices to see which is cheaper for you. You also don’t necessarily have the same amenities as a hotel if you wanted to take advantage of cleaning or breakfast etc.

When traveling with a family I think it’s the way to go

There is a certain damage waiver I think you sign and you can buy extra insurance if you think it will be an issue

amother

Aubergine

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 3:18 pm

amother wrote:

A similar site is HomeAway which I find more reliable but it is obviously individual to the owner.

DrMom

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 3:42 pm

I stopped using airbnb due to their discriminatory policy against Jews in Israel.

I use their competitors (VRBO, HomeAway, etc.) instead.

I enjoy vacation apartments instead of hotels because there is more room (esp important with kids) and kitchen access. Also, it is difficult to find hotel rooms that accommodate families with >2 kids.

Raisin

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 5:14 pm

Airbnbs can be a room in someones house, an attached apartment or a whole house. Some cities have actually placed restrictions on airbnb rentals since too much housing stock is being used for airbnb. Ive heard of people renting a few houses and then putting them on airbnb. I also know someone who commutes to another city for work. He rents out his apartment every weekend on airbnb while he is back with his family.

We also cancelled our account but may rethink it since airbnb did teshuva.

amother

Red

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 5:15 pm

I recommend taking pictures of the property when you arrive. I used Airbnb 3 times. All three times there was problems with the property. Twice it was not cleaned properly. The last time I used airbnb the owner misrepresented the property and tried to back charge for damages that were there when we arrived.

Raisin

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 5:38 pm

flowerpower wrote:

Is the price the same a hotel? What is the going rate for a house per night?

It may be similar to a hotel but probably more space. The main advantage is a kitchen and normal fridge/freezer. prices can vary enormously depending on amenities, size and location. I think we usually save money over a hotel.

We have never had issues with damages. Some minor issues but hotels also can have issues.

flowerpower

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 5:45 pm

Raisin wrote:

Do you have to wash up the place well before you leave? Like scrub the fridge after you take out your stuff?

maidale

Wed, Dec 26 2018, 2:46 am

every house has their set of rules which you must follow. there’s a cleaning fee but they ask to leave the house in decent condition, not a pigsty, clean out the fridge and take out the trash. all of which are reasobable.

sky

Wed, Dec 26 2018, 7:48 am

I’ve done homeaway/vrbo twice I love having a big house with kitchen and grounds to make bon fires or relax Or have an experience. Plus it’s big enough for my family. Depending on the house it can be cheaper but is normally more for something normal. It definetly enhanced the trip.
Both times we went it it was a vacation home. As described. But we did have surprises:
We hadn’t thought about water being drinkable (they provided containers of drinking water I didn’t trust)
Not enough linen provided. We paid per person for linen but they calculated linen on a full bed as 2 people.
We had to clean up like sweep and take out garbage. But no scrubbing. It’s not a hotel so you do have to bring toiletries and toilet paper unless it says they provide.

Both houses were in the middle of no where so making a quick trip to Walmart wasn’t an option.

One time the owner was nearby and came to show us around. I found that a bit close for comfort but based on reviews I’ve read people prefer that.

essie14

Wed, Dec 26 2018, 8:40 am

I LOVE renting a house as opposed to hotel. I canceled my airbnb account but I've used homeaway and VRBO and other competitors many times.

1. Hotel pools have very limited hours. We rented a house with a pool and we could swim 24 hrs a day.
2. Full size fridge for storing food. Hotel fridges are ridiculously small and squeezing all your food into one is a pain.
3. Stove and cooking facilities. Very easy to kasher a plain stove top and double wrap things in the oven. Bring along a frying pan or buy a cheap one at your destination.
4. Nice to have shared living space. Instead of you & DH in one hotel room and various kids in separate rooms, you can all hang out together in the LR, or outside or whatever the house offers.

I always rent vacation properties, not usually a house that someone lives in. They're pretty sparse which makes it feel more like a hotel. Yes, you need to bring your own toiletries, they generally provide one or two rolls of TP and maybe some shampoo but I save the hotel amenities from when DH and I go to hotels alone and the kids love these treats when we rent a house. There's no daily housekeeping like in a hotel, but that's fine for a short trip.