Air BnB?

[psimon]

Has anyone used Air BNB?

Thoughts?

Thanks...
---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[worm761]

I had a great experience with AirBNB last year. I would not hesitate to use them again. The reason I chose AirBNB over the other sites is that they hold the money until 24 hours after you check in just in case there are issues.

 

[Soulsearching]

Has anyone used Air BNB?

Thoughts?

Thanks...
---Paul in Southern NJ

I did not use Air BNB, I used an Inn, but I was with people who did and their place was beautiful, clean and spacious. I now am using Air BNB for my next vacation. I could not believe how nice this place was.

 

[DizMe]

I use them often and have nothing but good things to say about them. I like that many of their properties are unique. I stayed in a really cool apartment in Upper East side NYC last October. Studio, but nice size with high ceilings, a fp, brand-new elegant kitchen, hardwood floors, and a laundry nook. Bathroom was tiny and you had to walk up 4 flights of stairs but the place was only $100/night. 1 block to subway and easy walk to Central park and museums. In December, we rented a big home in the redwoods on a creek--gorgeous sort of Victorian gothic farmhouse in appearance, all hand-made from wood. Amazing place. Had a treehouse and an extra apartment above a water tower. It was $250/night and was huge. It was near Arcata, CA.

 

[psimon]

Interesting... Did you have an issue with them wanting a copy of your driver's license? Giving that out is kind of creepy to me. Too many things can be done with a photo ID and your license #.

Thoughts?

---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[DizMe]

Honestly, I don't remember them asking for it, but I recently had to do that with VRBO. I guess I figured they needed to verify your identification since you're staying in someone's home. I'll be interested to see what others say about it!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

We stayed in an AirBnB this past March while we were in Santiago, Chile. We absolutely loved our experience. For about $50/night we were able to stay in the Center of the city in a loft apartment on the 16th floor. There was a gorgeous rooftop pool too! We will definitely be using them in the future because it makes traveling so much more affordable for us!

 

[lauracitawita]

We used it for our trip to Paris last year and had a great experience. We stayed for much less than a hotel would cost in a great area. My inlaws used it for a place in Toronto last year for 2 months and in Portugal this year for 2 months. They loved their hosts and apartments!

 

[tink9702]

We have used Airbnb twice, once in Newport, RI at an amazing mansion & another time in Charlestown, MA. Both times the places were immaculately clean and looked exactly like the photos.

 

[bearzabout]

I was surprised that the Air BNB fees were so high. I remember they added a 10% or 12% fee on top of the rental price. Is this normal? I am leary of using them now since I don't remember the fees being spelled out clearly and the fee really added to our rental cost.

 

[bearzabout]

i just checked their site. Their base fee is 12%. It goes down to 6% for more expensive rentals. For my weekly rental, I paid 12%.

 

[Pugsley]

I've heard lots of good things about them, but to be fair I want to let you know about my experience. I made a reservation far in advance of my trip, since it was a busy time in the area I was visiting. A week or so before my arrival I received an email from AirBnB telling me that the host had cancelled my reservation. No explanation - seems like they just changed their minds or got a better offer somehow. Air BnB refunded my money and offered me a discount on a replacement room, but at that point in time there was nothing decent left on their website. So I had to get a hotel room and pay a premium for it since it was so close to my arrival. Ever since then I've been unwilling to use them since they have no control over what the hosts do. I heard that they don't even discipline them or kick them off the site unless they have multiple offenses.

 

[elaine amj]

Interesting... Did you have an issue with them wanting a copy of your driver's license? Giving that out is kind of creepy to me. Too many things can be done with a photo ID and your license #.

Thoughts?

---Paul in Southern NJ

I thought it was awesome - they check you out and they check the owner out. Made me feel safer. I believe only AirBnB has that info and it isn't handed out to the owners or anything.

As for me, I used it for a 5 night stay in London, UK last spring. For the same price as a tiny budget hotel room, I got a 1 bedroom apartment (comfy sofabed in the living room for my kids) with an ensuite bath, a small kitchen, and a washer/dryer - all just a block from a Tube station! I did talk to the owner on the phone 1-2 times before the trip to check her out. We texted to arrange a meetup time once I got there. I liked that AirBnB holds on to the money so if there are issues I can sort them out. I did a cottage rental in Wales on that same trip and had to wire over the full payment when I booked it. That was a little scary. I sent her $1 first and then called her phone (listed on her website) just to verify her email address and banking info was accurate (started worrying because there are tales of hackers taking over the email address of a legit business).

I also use VRBO - have had several successful rentals in the US with that.

 

[elaine amj]

I've heard lots of good things about them, but to be fair I want to let you know about my experience. I made a reservation far in advance of my trip, since it was a busy time in the area I was visiting. A week or so before my arrival I received an email from AirBnB telling me that the host had cancelled my reservation. No explanation - seems like they just changed their minds or got a better offer somehow. Air BnB refunded my money and offered me a discount on a replacement room, but at that point in time there was nothing decent left on their website. So I had to get a hotel room and pay a premium for it since it was so close to my arrival. Ever since then I've been unwilling to use them since they have no control over what the hosts do. I heard that they don't even discipline them or kick them off the site unless they have multiple offenses.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It is always good to know the potential pitfalls! In your case, I would make a backup refundable hotel reservation if I was worried. But naturally, that would only work in certain situations.

 

[sammysmom]

We are using them this August in Marina Del Rey. Can't wait!

 

[tink9702]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It is always good to know the potential pitfalls! In your case, I would make a backup refundable hotel reservation if I was worried. But naturally, that would only work in certain situations.

We had a backup hotel for our Charlestown, MA reservation since it was for a wedding and imperative that we had a place to stay. I confirmed with the owners two days before we were arriving then cancelled the hotel.

 

[DizMe]

I've heard lots of good things about them, but to be fair I want to let you know about my experience. I made a reservation far in advance of my trip, since it was a busy time in the area I was visiting. A week or so before my arrival I received an email from AirBnB telling me that the host had cancelled my reservation. No explanation - seems like they just changed their minds or got a better offer somehow. Air BnB refunded my money and offered me a discount on a replacement room, but at that point in time there was nothing decent left on their website. So I had to get a hotel room and pay a premium for it since it was so close to my arrival. Ever since then I've been unwilling to use them since they have no control over what the hosts do. I heard that they don't even discipline them or kick them off the site unless they have multiple offenses.

That's a terrible experience, all right! But I thought I would mention that this can also happen at a hotel, or they can "walk" you to a "comparable" property if they overbook. I've heard some horror stories about that. Hopefully, those situations are rare!