Airbnb, Any Good? Have Many Abers Had Much Experience With Them?

[piggynose]

I'm venturing on my 2nd experience, hoping to replace my previous experience, which wasn't that good.

[Rtaxron]

Who are Airbnb?

[KARL]

My one and only attempt at booking accommodation through them ended when I was presented with a choice between sending a photo of myself with a list of detailed personal information, or else join Facebook (and provide the same or more). I instead booked through booking.com, gave my name and credit card details, that was all, and I got a confirmed booking at much the same cost.

[Baldric]

Google 'Airbnb Problems'

[sapelesam]

Considering it started with an airbed on the floor, I think the prices are a joke. Was looking for a double on suite room in York, out of season, for a wedding, ended up in a Best Western near the Minster for less money.

[NickorWan]

I rented a flat in the south of England for a month through Airbnb last year and it was a wonderful, however my OH rented one in Arhus and had a terrible experience. We started to rent out one of our flats in Girona on Airbnb this year and we are really enjoying it, and the feedback has been fantastic. You do need to do your homework and read reviews, but as a host now I can only say that some of us do care about the guests and do try and ensure they have a nice time. As regards cost, I am certain that our flat offers far more for the money than any hotel would, as did the one I rented.

[Captain2]

Touching some wood as I type here,
We used AirBnB for apartments in Lincoln, Amsterdam, Brussels, Lake Garda and Bordeaux; found them all to be brilliant; great communication, fabulous places (especially Bordeaux) and great value.
We're hoping to do the same for Japan next year, so fingers crossed.
Read the reviews carefully, check the 'returnable deposit' amounts (some want more than the cost of the place) and you shouldn't go far wrong. If anything seems dubious - move on.

[Cloverjo]

I've never used it myself, but my son has. He has never had a problem. He rented a beautiful barn conversion for the nights before and after his wedding.

[piggynose]

I didn''t know what to expect. i paid 260 euros up front for 20 days. i was given a small room, with a single bed, an old wardrobe, 1 big + 1 small set of drawers. use of the tinyest bathroom you've ever seen(shared).Use of the small kitchen, barely 1 shelf in the fridge. had to buy my own towel. theres a wee living room.
I've heard stories of luxury, not in my case yet.

[diddlydo]

What do you expect for 260 euros for 20 days?

[piggynose]

maybe not a lot diddledoo, but the host got rave reviews, so i paid up, i have a short contract, and its a lot cheaper than a hotel.

[FlickStar]

I use AirBnB a lot.. both as a host and traveller.

I think people not familiar with the 'community' may think that they are staying at a 5* rated B&B ... however, the company was started up to literally pay to crash somewhere for the night, making travel super cheap.

As an example, my hubby needed to take a course and stay overnight. All the hotels were a min of £80, which we didn't want to pay for a few hours sleep, so we booked an AirBnB for £15, and he stayed on a pull out bed in a spare room. No frills. cheap and what we needed.

If you want a hotel or official B&B with that type of service, that's what you have to book.

AirBnB is a way of life, a community, sharing your house with a stranger and giving them a warm bed for the night.

[NickorWan]

Airbnb is a billion-dollar industry catering for every type of accommodation from the cheap and cheerful at a few pounds per night to the luxurious at several thousand pounds per night. There should be something to suit every taste.