Angry with Airbnb.
Angry is the first word that comes to mind.
But considering that we used to travel full-time and stayed in Airbnb apartments 300+ nights a year…and considering all the nice hosts we met along the way over the years, the most appropriate word is probably ‘disappointment’. ‘Sad’ would be another word.
What set forth these emotions was a 2-month trip through Mexico where we stayed in 9 Airbnb apartments. All the Airbnb’s where we stayed were hosted by Superhosts (if that means anything anymore. I don’t think it does).
Let me give you a summary of our stays to explain. Then I’ll tell you about a few other issues I have with Airbnb.
Note: People on the Mexico FB pages seem to get in a tizzy about this post. “You’re in a tropical country, you should expect cockroaches”. This post wasn’t about Mexico, it’s about the general state of Airbnb. And even if you’re ok with cockroaches, is it acceptable to rent out a place that’s dirty, that doesn’t have water or that has broken beds? Airbnb isn’t charity. And we’ve travelled many times to Mexico and have had great Airbnb experiences. So for those still getting upset about this post: it’s not about Mexico, it’s about how Airbnb has gone downhill fast in recent years…
Morelia, Michoacán
We stayed in this apartment. It gets a 4.93 rating, it’s “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”. Gabriela is a Superhost.
“A few steps from the historical center” was in fact down a hill in an industrial zone.
Gabriela was a charming woman and the apartment looked nice. It was about 10 minutes after she left and we were putting our stuff away that we saw it: a large cockroach slowly walking across the living room floor in broad daylight. It was the first of a handful of cockroaches we would see during our stay.
Walking to the historic center meant walking up the hill past prostitutes. They didn’t look like the drugged-out prostitutes you see in the movies, they looked like normal ladies wearing outfits that were maybe a bit too tight and too short. What gave it away were the high heels and the fact that they were just standing there on the sidewalk looking at their phones. But it does say something about the neighbourhood – although just a “few steps from the historical center”, a lot can happen within a few blocks in an undesirable neighbourhood.
The apartment had 2 bedrooms. The main bedroom had a bed so soft that the springs must have been broken. There’s no way that a working bed is that soft. The second bedroom had a bunk bed, but the space between the top bunk and bottom bunk was 2 feet at most. It was clearly for children.
We ended up sleeping on the bunk beds.
A cat meowed constantly all night, during both nights. We found out on the 2nd day that the next door neighbour locked their cat at night in an enclosed fence on the roof of the building, just above our heads (who does that? I’ve never heard of someone locking up a cat).
The above was the first of our Airbnb stays in Mexico. It certainly wasn’t worthy of a 4.93 rating. It left us shaking our heads.
It also made us rethink how/if we would review apartments on this trip (more on that later).
Querétaro, Querétaro State
We stayed in this apartment. 4.83 rating, it’s also “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”. Casa M&G is also a Superhost.
Credit where credit is due: this was the best of our 9 Airbnbs in Mexico and one we would come back to. It was also the least expensive apartment we would have on the trip.
Nice location on a happening street full of restaurants and cafes, a nice 10-minute walk to the center, an incredibly comfortable bed, a basic but nicely furnished apartment. The highlight was the beautiful common space outside the apartment where we could sit and have the coffee that we bought next door. Lowlight was a filthy couch that we kept a good distance from (hosts should consider having a cover for couches that they wash/replace between stays).
For a short stay (we were there 3 nights), I would really recommend this apartment. We gave them a very good review.
Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato State
We stayed in this apartment. 4.91 rating. Another “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”. Miguel Ángel is a Superhost.
How? Why?
On a large thoroughfare bordering the old town, the apartment was hard to find and shared an entrance with the owner’s mother’s business. Getting up to the 2nd floor apartment meant lifting our bags/suitcases over the counter she had, going through the back door of her business, going up some concrete stairs that didn’t have a handrail (god forbid you get home drunk).
The apartment was bare yet still managed to be dirty. Oily fingerprints on cabinets, hair on blankets, hair in the shower stall. Everything felt dirty. There were no garbage bags, there was 1 roll of toilet paper, the kitchen faucet was loose and tipping over…
After a long day trip to San Miguel de Allende, we looked forward to a shower. There was no hot water. We messaged the host. He called his mother. She came over. There was something wrong with the tank. They called a plumber. All that took a couple of hours.
When we finally had hot water, we found out that the water pressure was terrible.
Horrible stay.
Guanajuato City, Guanajuato State
We stayed in this apartment. Another 4.91 rating and guess what? Another “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”. Another Superhost.
As we would find out, this wasn’t actually an apartment – it was a hotel more than anything. You walked in from the corridor to your room.
The main things going for it were a central location, free coffee in the lobby, and a comfortable and clean room. The negatives: INCREDIBLY LOUD. The Balcony door is an old-style wooden door with shutters and glass. It doesn’t stop sound from blaring in from the street below.
Terrible stay, we actually thought of just leaving early but in the end decided to tough it out…
Aguascalientes, State of Aguascalientes
We stayed in this apartment. A 4.94 rating, “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”. Another Superhost.
Yikes.
Dirty: Hair on the soap dispenser, a fan that looks like never been cleaned, fingerprints on cabinet. Nothing felt or smelled clean.
The water pressure was almost non-existent.
Beneath the cover, the bed had 2 flat sheets. In the cupboard were some thicker blankets with hair on them.
It’s a nice space and there’s large kitchen table where we could work. This could be a great Airbnb if the hosts cared at least a bit. Really, that’s what angers me the most with many of these apartments.
Zacatecas, Zacatecas State
We stayed in this apartment. A 4.98 rating and another “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”. Another Superhost.
The apartment is tastefully furnished, the location is great, there’s a huge TV, the bed is very comfortable. I actually liked it.
But Lissette and I don’t always agree on the degree of cleanliness we expect. She pointed out all the dust (all the photo frames above the bed had a thick film of dust), she found a used condom behind the bed and then showed me the mold in the shower. The bathroom had a pervasive sewer smell.
We stayed 4 nights and it was comfortable….but the dirtiness creeped her out.
Oaxaca, Oaxaca State
We stayed in this apartment. A 4.86 rating, another “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”, another Superhost.
The host wasn’t there but someone else helped us with information: he was very helpful and gave us lots of information on Oaxaca.
The apartment was well located near the center and had lots of restaurants and cafes nearby. Spacy and comfortable with a very basic kitchen (the weak point of the apartment). A lavanderia down the street if you need to get your laundry done.
I’m not going to tell you that it was fantastic but we had reevaluated our standards by then. This apartment was definitely better than most of what we had experienced and we’d recommend it to anyone coming to Oaxaca.
Puebla, Puebla State
We stayed in this apartment. A 4.90 rating, another “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”, another Superhost.
It’s actually a gorgeous space and the Francisco is a good host. The apartment was clean and it was well equipped. This was our 2nd favorite apartment on our Mexico trip.
We had a couple of unlucky events. On our 2nd day the front door no longer wanted to open. Francisco called a locksmith. In the end, they had to break one of the slots of the glass door in order to open it. On our 3rd day there was no hot water and Francisco had to come and fiddle around with the tank. He did something wrong because when we checked on the hot water an hour later we noticed a strong odor of gas and a melted plastic knob on the super-heated tank. We turned everything off. Gas always scares the heck out of us.
But these were unlucky events. This is a very nice apartment close to the center that we would recommend if in Puebla.
Cholula, Puebla State
Our last Airbnb apartment on this trip. A 4.86 rating, another “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”, another Superhost.
This is another example of a place that could be a great apartment but isn’t. No hot water and even after trying to follow the host’s complicated instructions on setting it we couldn’t make it work. Mold in both bedrooms as well as the bathroom, a washer and dryer that we couldn’t get to work, a door lock that we constantly had to jimmy with to open (and that would have been easy to break into), a neighbour’s dogs that barked non-stop.
The place looks beautiful. But again, it just hasn’t been maintained and there seems to be no care in anything.
What’s the standard of quality on Airbnb these days?
As mentioned up top: we travelled full-time for 6 years (2014 – 2020) and stayed in a huge number of Airbnb apartments. We had some bad stays but most were good. And if we did have a bad stay, it would usually be because we hadn’t booked an apartment with a Superhost. That actually used to mean something.
It doesn’t anymore. Those Superhost labels seem to be handed out like candy these days. What does that even mean anymore?
And who are these people rating these apartments? The 4.93 rating for the apartment in Morelia (roaches, prostitutes, soft bed) and the 4.91 rating for Dolores Hidalgo (no hot water, no water pressure, dirty) – who’s giving out those ratings? I just can’t believe it. Or have standards dropped so low that these are actually the best of a whole bunch of shitty apartments?
I used to tell people to book with a Superhost if they want to play it safe. I don’t know anymore. I don’t have any confidence in whatever measures or labels that Airbnb is using these days. Of the apartments above, there are five (maybe six) that I would never stay in again or recommend to anyone…despite them being “Superhosts” and being “one of the most loved homes on Airbnb according to guests”.
Here’s another thing that bothers me: self-check in. I know it’s easier and you don’t have to have a long conversation with your guest/host. But it’s taken all accountability out of the system: if you don’t have to meet your guest, you probably don’t feel the same responsibility you would if you saw them face-to-face. On this trip, 8 of the 9 apartments had self-check in.
It just makes me sad. We met so many great Airbnb hosts over the years. Some would show us around town. We had one in Spain who invited us out for tapas. We’ve kept in touch with quite a few hosts over the years. That probably doesn’t happen anymore.
Reviewing apartments – our new policy
When we travelled full-time, we used to review each and every apartment. We’d write long comments if the host was particularly good. Good hosts have to be applauded. If the apartment was lacking, we’d give constructive criticism (sometimes we’d do that just in the personal review so as not to embarrass the host). If the host was really bad, we’d be honest about it in our public reviews. For me there’s nothing worse than a host who just doesn’t care – and if he /she doesn’t care then other prospective customers should know.
We changed our review policy on this trip.
We now only review the good experiences. We don’t bother reviewing the bad. The reasons are twofold: 1) Airbnb isn’t a new thing anymore, hosts these days should know the basics of hospitality and it shouldn’t be up to us to give them constructive criticism (which, as I’ve found out, usually isn’t appreciated anyway). 2) We don’t want to get a reputation of being difficult guests by being negative. So we’ll just tow the line.
In the end, we’re part of the problem if we aren’t leaving a review and being honest. But we used to have faith in the system. The truth is we don’t anymore. So it’s on you Airbnb.
On the subject of reviews: never before have we been hounded so much from Airbnb about leaving a review. Now, for each review we don’t write, we receive 3 emails from Airbnb reminding us to leave a review. I even had one of the hosts write me asking for a review.
Alternatives to Airbnb
As I mentioned, we used to be full-time travellers and Airbnb was the way to go.
We’re looking to maybe get back to that again in the not-so-distant future. Which made me consider what alternatives there are out there.
Here are a few:
Booking.com
It’s not for the longer-term traveller who’s looking for that weekly or monthly discount. But we’ve increasingly used Booking.com when looking for a short-term apartment.
Note: on our Mexico trip, we stayed in this place for 4 nights in Mexico City. It even had a functioning washer and dryer, something none of our Airbnb stays offered. It was actually our best stay on this trip.
Vrbo
We’ve never used Vrbo. The main difference with Airbnb is that on Vrbo you can only rent whole-home rentals (vs Airbnb where you can also rent a room in someone’s house).
Vrbo and Airbnb have about the same total percentage of commission (which add up to about 20% between the customer and host). People say Vrbo has better customer service. But Airbnb has about 3 times the number of listings (about 6.6 million world-wide vs just over 2 million on Vrbo).
Vrbo is owed by Expedia and I’m told they have a loyalty program called One Key and you can earn and redeem rewards for travels booked through Hotels.com, Expedia and Vrbo. Airbnb doesn’t offer anything like that.
We’ll be looking into Vrbo.
Homestay
It’s the opposite from Vrbo – Homestay only does hosted stays, meaning you’re renting a room in someone’s house. Good if you’re a solo traveller and want to meet locals. As some have mentioned, it’s what Airbnb used to be when it started out.
Homelike
Another company that’s new to me. Homelike rents fully furnished apartments and only do stays of a month or more.
It’s exactly how we used to travel and a company that I’d like to try out in the future.
There are many more options out there depending on how you travel: whether you want a fully-furnished apartment or a room in someone’s home, long term or short term, if you want to house sit etc.
Do you have a favorite alternative to Airbnb?
How do you feel about Airbnb these days?
Related: Airbnb or Hotel?
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I’m traveling full-time in Europe and am no longer interested in using Airbnb for the very same reasons you have given here. At least with Booking.com one knows the actual location. Airbnb isn’t a good deal anymore either.
You are right. Right now in Mexico: got a better deal on a Booking.com apartment in Guadalajara (which is nicer) than an Airbnb apartment in Morelia. Airbnb now gouging both hosts and renters and it’s just not a deal anymore EXCEPT for the weekly/monthly discount which for me is the major advantage.
If there is only one bad review of a place on airbnb do not stay there. That is the one truthful review. I stayed at a place and put in a truthful negative review with pictures and the review kept on being taken down. I check it to be sure it is still up and if not I contact airbnb. The owner contacted me and offered me money to take down my reivew. I refused.
Wow! Really! That shocks me. Well, it shocks me twice: 1) that Airbnb would take it down, 2) that the owner would offer you money. Thank you for your comment.
Yikes to some of those experiences! And good to know about them…
I don’t know what a good alternative is. I was just in Italy and my AirBnbs were mostly good. I tried booking.com there once and the location info was misleading. Also, the ‘studio’ was run by a property manager, and she was insisting on a wire transfer for payment (though the listing said ‘cash’ was fine). The room was clean, but it was noisy due to the location. It was OK, but it didn’t have that personal attention that you tend to get with an AirBnb.
Anyway, I think this is a an important post, which I’m glad you wrote. I’d like to try out some of the alternatives to see what else is out there. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Lisa. You’re right Booking doesn’t have the same personal feel as Airbnb…but I find that Airbnb even doesn’t have that anymore. The transfer for payment on Booking is odd by I’ve noticed that as they’ve branched out that their payment practices have become more varied. Just booked an apartment for my mom and I in Mexico for November and I was charged 100% of the cost right away and it’s non-refundable. That’s not how Booking traditionally works but I guess they’re changing things to also cater to apartment owners…Now you really have to check everything because it’s not obvious anymore.
What else is out there? I don’t know. For now still sticking to Airbnb or Booking, changing it up depending on what I find and pricing on either.
We used Booking.com almost exclusively in SE Asia. We also used Priceline, Agoda and Expedia. We were able to find places that had fully refundable options up to a couple days before arrival at all of them but one. Usually they have both options with the non-refundable being cheaper. It isn’t my favorite way to book a place either but we had great luck the entire month we were there. I totally agree with you on the Aribnb front….used them a the very beginning and we met so many great hosts. Used the original VRBO before Airbnb was around and also had good luck with them until they ended up just like Airbnb. It’s truly a conundrum. The few Airbnbs we’ve stayed in where the host meets you is always our best experiences. I will be looking into these alternatives as well. Thanks for the post.
Thanks Michelle for the comment. I think we’ve had similar experiences 🙂
About 5 years back I booked via Booking.com an apartment in Lucca Italy. Booked already in May for September as there was a Rolling Stones concert scheduled and friends had early tickets. Then 2 weeks before I got a message of the owner: please cancel the booking by pressing the Cancel button. Of course I refused.
I contacted Booking.com’s service desk and I was impressed by how well they took care of me: the phoned me three times in de days following my first contact, my case was subject in their team meetings.
The owner of the apt had to provide an alternative ON HIS/HER COSTS. Otherwise she would lose the contract with Booking.com(!). But, b/c now everybody knew there was a Stones concert, prices of remaining properties where 10x normal price (2000 euro instead of 200). Or I had to go to Florence, an hour drive, which I refused. I found an alternative via AirBNB and it was even a bit better priced and in an historic building right in the medieval center and the stage. They hated to see me go to their competitor, but we agreed it was a bit steep to let the guy pay 2000 eu for a mistake (He started renovation and had forgotten all about my early booking).
Lesson: Booking.com has the priority of the renters above everything.
I heard horror stories of parties/families arriving at a AirBNB property and nobody is there, and AirBNB says: Not our fault.
So I book with Booking.com by default since the above experience.
GREAT comment Henk!! You are absolutely right. Thank you!
The problem of Airbnb in Mexico that it’s not common for hosts to know what the standards of great stay are. Just because they never travel abroad. They just do it for money but they lack the experience. For example some hosts think that terrible water pressure it is just fine and they can not even imagine that it’s is a problem.
Also they do not know what is noise cancelling / soundproofing is, so they don’t care installing good windows and doors.
Definitely Airbnb should create some checklist for them and maybe they even try to implement it but I do not see any progress in recent years.
Bonjour Frank,
My wife and I have rented thru VRBO approximately 40 to 50 times over the last 25 years. In spring time we would rent in South Carolina for a period of 2 to 3 months. In November we would rent in Florida for a month. In renting for a month or more often the host will offer a discount. and never be afraid to ask for one.
In renting thru VRBO we never had a bad experience. The contact with the hosts via email or on the phone have always been excellent. The pictures and description of the unit rental have always been accurate.
My experience before renting is, first, check the reviews and especially for the negative ones and ask, can I live with the negative comments…. The more reviews the better. No review pass.
Also there is security in renting thru VRBO. You can cancel sometimes up to 2 weeks before arrival. It has happened to us twice in 20 years. In dealing with a reputable firm you will be protected against the scammers. We have heard horror stories of people showing up to their rental only to realized that the place they thought they had rented is a private home. There goes the vacation and sometimes a substantial sum of money.
We have also had positive experience with Booking.com and the reviews are usually accurate
Finally Frank, thanks to you and Lissette after reading several of your blogs and comments, and living in Montreal, we are in need of serious amount of sunshine. We will be visiting Nerja for 17 days this coming May. And yes, we are renting thru VRBO
Best regards
Jacques Bedard and family
Thank you very much Jacques for the great comment. We’ll try out Vrbo sometime! Having said that, we are currently on a 10 day trip through the Costa del Sol and have been using apartments found on Booking.com – 1 average experience, 2 excellent experiences.
Thank you for the honest reviews. Having just completed a 3-week trip to Puerto Vallarta, Barra de Navidad and Manzanillo I can fully relate.
The PV Airbnb stay was pleasant enough even if the “traditional” Mexican turned out to be quite dark and rustic. It would have helped if the remote host had warned me it was five flights of outside stairs with no elevator!
The Barra de Navidad stay was exceptional. I booked this on Vrbo. The ex-Swiss hosts lived on site and the property had been built specifically for Vrbo. It was spotlessly clean and exceeded the description in their listing.
The Airbnb in Manzanillo stay was horrid, difficult to find, very expensive compared to the other places, totally spartan, the mattress was brick-like on a concrete plinth, the unit old. It was not dirty – it just felt dirty because it was so poorly presented. I left three days into a five day reservation. The “super-host” had the audacity to write to me within hours of me leaving telling me he had left me a glowing review and could I return the favor!
So, I agree the private rental market has become quite a hit-and-miss affair the past few years. Sad.
I share your concerns. We are a Canadian couple I currently biking our way around Andalusia and in over a month have stayed many different types of accommodation using different providers: apartments for longer stays using AIRBnB, hotels (1-4 *) and hostels (not dormitory type hostels but simple accommodation using Bookings.com and booking directly with the hotel or once a convent. We have had very good accommodation through AirBnB so far but I am very careful and look at all the reviews (if there are few or inexplicably they are old, I don’t book) and if not enough info which is sometimes the case I email with questions first (what floor is the unit on, are there late night bars nearby, is it a busy street and do they have secure bike storage, etc.). So we have been lucky so far but I too am seeing an increase in no face-to-face with the host but a code is sent for entry, and have wondered about the the whole proliferation of
“much-loved AirBNB” and Super Host designations. I used to use VRBO more than AirBNB but they don’t seem to have as many listings anymore. We are reluctantly using Bookings.com as I have two major beefs about them. 1. early on in our trip, our credit card was compromised by what we now know is a big scam impacting Bookings.com whereby after our hotel booking was confirmed, we received an email saying there had been a problem with the payment process and we would need to click on a link to put our credit card info in again. Normally we are very cautious about things like this, but it was early in our trip and the booking was in 2 days and I panicked and did what they did. I had second thoughts, did an internet search and found this was a big scam. We then spent mucho time and some $ on our phone contacting our credit card company, put a lock on that card and are only now travelling with one credit card. I notified Bookings.com who a month on, have never specifically responded to my concern that any emailed confirmation of a booking through them should include a warning about this scam. They say they have sent my complaint to their security dept. and I keep getting contacted to complete a evaluation on how well they responding to my complaint. NOT! 2. Consequently, I have tried to avoid using them but it is so hard to find an accommodation’s actual website on line now to either phone or email them directly as I know we would get a better rate. Bookings.com seems to have a monopoly now. Grrrr….
We’ve used Airbnb, a lot while travelling in Europe and Latin America with mixed results, some amazing, some appalling (why do those always make for the best stories?). I think the rating system of both venues and guests is a strong point (no way would I want to rent to someone with no references, and to commit to staying somewhere completely unknown without any reviews is a little outside my comfort zone). But it is also a major flaw because, as noted, people are hesitant to criticize real shortcomings in a place and risk getting labeled as a “difficult” guest. I wonder if a “checklist” review system might not be more meaningful? Was hot water available on each day of your stay? Please provide a photo of the bathroom fixtures when you checked in, etc. it would take a lot more work, but might be more meaningful to potential renters. Some of us are looking for a place to be our home for a long stay, others just want somewhere to sleep while spending their days out exploring. Personal interaction with a host can add a wonderful dimension to your stay, but there are also hosts with a great property who really should hire someone with people skills to handle the interactions. Being old enough to remember the days when people who had a room or apartment to rent in Europe would hire someone to hang out at the train station and approach the arriving tourists with offers of accommodation, which resulted in following a complete stranger, down unfamiliar streets to an unknown destination – I am grateful for the online option
Ha, remember the old days when we often had to go to the tourist information office where they would call around trying to find a room somewhere? And yes, I remember renting rooms from ladies hanging around at bus stations throughout Europe. Don’t see it that much anymore but experienced it a few years ago when taking El Chepe through some of the small towns along the route.
So yes, we’re lucky to be able to do things online these days. But I do miss the days when it was a more personal experience, before hosts were ‘investors’ counting on Airbnb rentals as a get-rich-quick-scheme.
It would also help if Airbnb showed that it actually cares about the customer experience. Because it just feels, from stories I hear on the host side, that it’s just about pushing for additional bookings. It’s hard to get customer help, there’s no loyalty program…I just feel they have to get back to basics. And I wish they would because we always enjoyed the Airbnb experience when we travelled full-time.
Another longer term rental place is Furnished Finders – these places rent for a month or more.
Thank you Margo – looked at it but it only seems to operate in the US?
I rented an AirBnB in progreso Mexico-clean and safe. What they didn’t tell us is that there’s a dog rescue around the corner. The constant barking was awful. Some days we stayed out just to get away from the barking
I enjoyed reading this. We live in Mexico (for over 6 years now) and rarely use AirBnB here. We used it once in Oaxaca — the host was really TRYING but the bed was terrible, and the hot water non-existent. I think standards are different here. We used it in Puerto Vallarta once and had a great apartment. No towels though. 🙄 Before we moved here, we used it in our town (Ajijic) and had good experiences — hosts onsite. That makes all the difference, I think. Overall, I think hotels are a better bet in Mexico!
That’s the thing: not having water, dirtiness, no towels…these things are basics in my books. I’ve had a couple of hosts write me personally on this post saying it’s unfair. You know what? Airbnb is not a charity and I see some hosts giving guests accommodations that they themselves would never stay in. I get there are bad guests just as there are bad hosts…but an Airbnb shouldn’t be at par with a youth hostel, especially if run by a “Superhost”.
I have been an Airbnb Super Host on St Croix USVI almost since we started over 10 years ago. As well I have used the platform to book rentals over the years, all US or Canada. I have been happy with my rentals. You are correct about the decline in the type of renters. We used to see really nice people but have found especially since the pandemic more people that I wouldn’t rent to again. Still the majority are lovely. Personally I believe Airbnb has allowed every Tom, Dick and Harry with extra space to make some extra cash. I see it here. There used to be a handful of Airbnbs here, now there is a glut, some good some not so good.
We are always open to communication with potential guests and are very upfront with our answers since we don’t want unhappy guests. We live on property so we are here for check in and available for any questions or assistance. It’s unfortunate not all hosts have the same level of commitment. As with anything these days there are always disappointing situations. I don’t believe the entire platform is bad but yes with its growth problems have arisen. I’m not sure what the answer is but I’ll continue to use them and maybe double down on due diligence! Happy travels!
You’re absolutely right Deb about “Tom, Dick and Harry” hosts. There are also a lot of shitty guests. Maybe it’s like a social media platform – the bad apples bring everything down to their level. But then it’s up to Airbnb to regulate, enforce and have quality control.
Have you felt progressively squeezed by Airbnb in terms of fees and regulations over 10 years? My mother used to host but between higher fees and Airbnb always pressuring her to rent more she got fed up.
Used VRBO a few times over the years, it was great. Our first AirBnB experience 8 years ago was with a Superhost and was horrific. It was January in Hood River, OR. No heat! But even if there were, the heating system was a fire hazard that amazed my husband. The apartment was in an old shed turned bedroom. Thin outdoor carpet covered icy cold concrete floors. I have never been so cold in my life as that night. While we were awake, we turned the stove on and left the door open as our heat source. No hot water either… There were a myriad of other problems…
The killer was that after taxes and cleaning fees, it ended up being more expensive than the grand, Historic Hood Rive Hotel that we thought we couldn’t afford. And they had heat, hot water, and a real fireplace. After that and other marginal AirBnB experiences, we have our Portuguese residence, travel in Europe and throughout the country and get a deep dive into Portuguese and European culture and history. And stay in hotels!
Yikes. That experience sounds like pure hell.
We have a 10 day road trip coming up and booked everything through booking.com. I think for short term stays that’s what we’ll do. But Airbnb is still the best option for a monthly stay and that makes us nervous these days…
We have been slow traveling Latin America for 18 months using Airbnb, and have spent the last 3 in Mexico. Our experiences have been much more “interesting” here than in any other country we have been so far. That, along with the ~20% government tax, really take the shine off of Airbnbs in Mexico. Love the country, but were we to stay in one place for 3 or more months, we would probably use a local realtor to hook us up with a place.
Great point about the government tax. Appreciate the comment, good to know that Mexican Airbnb experiences have been a bit “interesting” for you as well…
Completely agree. Done with Airbnb. Similar experiences in Mexico! I believe Airbnb needs to implement some form of quality control whether it is pre and post checklists for basic items in the kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, or volunteer/paid evaluators that actually stay for a night and follow an objective checklist to verify the listing and ensure the ratings are correct.
I have now bought a house in Mexico, largely because of the constant frustration with substandard Airbnb homes.
Several people have said that about Mexico Airbnbs, both here and on FB pages. Wonder why this is an issue in Mexico in particular?
I’m not sure what the solution is but you know the costs would be passed on to clients, so I don’t know if the idea of valuators would fly. But for quality control purposes it certainly is a good idea and honestly it’s something Airbnb should take upon themselves to do (they take large enough commissions, putting a bit of it into quality control wouldn’t be asking for too much I think…)
Another crappy thing is that you can’t see the exact location of the apartment until just before check-in so you can’t look up on a map if it’s next to a busy road (which matters to me since I’m very sensitive to noise).
The rating system is completely broken. I’ve had many 2 stars at best-experience in apartments rated 4,7 or higher. And like you I don’t dare to leave negative reviews out of fear to be punished. Airbnb needs to fix this before I use their service again. My view these days is that Airbnb is only fine for luxury apartments which costs a lot to rent. The really high end is good, the rest is terrible to passable and you never know which it will be.
Totally agree with you on both counts. You’re so right about the rating system being totally broken, it’s gotten to the point where I just don’t trust it anymore. And if there are no honest reviews, how to evaluate a place?
Dear Frank, We have used Airbnb 2 or 3 times a year–around Europe–and haven’t had bad experiences..though some, less than promised. We were rental owners of multiple vacation houses in Italy when Airbnb was just starting and they eventually bought up, and deactivated all the smaller sites that we had depended on for our guests. We signed on with them for a year, but as owners, we found their platform, impersonal and autocratic. Our favorite, remaining renting site..as owners and as travellers is http://www.sabbaticalhomes.com.
Hi Toni! Interesting, I just had a look at the site. Very niche (do I qualify as an academic or writer? 🙂 ). They don’t have many listings but generally I guess you just have more confidence in the people hosting/renting on this site?
Like you we used Airbnb for about 6 years of non stop travel and mostly had good experiences with hosts and well equipped places, but what you describe in Mexico was pretty par for the course for us even in 2014 in Mexico. I think every man his dog and mother in law has an airbnb now and the old days of real hosting are definitely gone. We just started hosting again a room in our home in NZ and the type of guest has changed also, many of whom have no profile and no reviews, we are declining those requests to book. We’re now also using Booking.com more and more as we have cancellation options as well as payment options, giving Airbnb money upfront is only good for Airbnb, they’re creaming it and there are very few REAL hosts left.
Thank you, that’s all interesting. I just wish Booking.com had options for guests/hosts for longer stays. Now that would get me excited!
Cockroach crawling across the floor?! Nope, not a chance. I would have picked up my bag and immediately left and hounded Airbnb until I got our money back. No way in hell I could comfortably stay in an apartment (let alone sleep) with roaches in the house. OMG!!
We quit Airbnb years ago for some of the reasons you mention, but primarily because Airbnb wants your money up front, that just doesn’t sit well with us. We don’t want to give them hundreds of dollars six months ahead of time. We book everything with Booking.com. The reviews (in theory) are only written by people who have actually stayed in the accommodations so I tend to put a bit more faith in the reviews, throwing out the outliers. Also, I only book free cancelation and no prepayment, and we pay upon check-in.
We’ve gotten to the point where we are booking more and more hotel rooms and our recent trip to Porto, Portugal probably pushed us further in that direction. We rented a very nice apartment thru Booking.com for two weeks. The apartment was great, location perfect, etc. etc. but… it rained for 10 out of 14 days of our stay. Had we not booked the apartment, and been stuck, we would have packed up and moved on. Apartments can be a good thing for longer stays, but we’re not so sold anymore.
I agree with you on everything Patti. My one issue for people who travel the way we did – what about longer term stays (a month or more). Because that’s what makes full-time travel affordable for nomads. That’s the major advantage to Airbnb in my opinion and they’re aren’t enough competitors in that space…