Have any of the TDub adults used this before? I've heard about it, but never tried it and didn't know how legit it was. Safety, host, rules, guaranty of availability after booking, etc.

Would like to hear general feedback about your experience using this service. Thinking of using this when I go skiing since all rooms are $400-700/night

2/7/2015 7:46:13 PM

Wife has used it twice, in Switzerland and Netherlands. She enjoyed it thoroughly as she chose families similar to us (married with young kids), as she went with our daughter, who was 4 then. It is legit, but I guess there is always a very small chance of your host turning out to be a sadistic child killer or a vampire/zombie

Just make sure they have good positive feedback. And if you are very concerned, you can google for airbnb dos and don'ts, and any (if there are) horror stories.

2/7/2015 7:57:48 PM

I plan on using it to rent an apt in Paris in March. I've known people who have used short term it in nyc (own their building) and the tenants are normally fine.

Read the reviews. Don't be a dick.

[Edited on February 7, 2015 at 10:07 PM. Reason : K]

2/7/2015 10:03:22 PM

used it as lister of property for rent and have hosted guests

can tell you that the danger cuts both ways

would-be renters are also subject to vetting the guest as well, so general common sense applies.

You won't be able to rent from someone who hasn't done some basic vetting of you too. And a lot of people are turning this into a fulltime side biz to raise extra cash so look for people with high feedback and expect to be greeted with facilities that may start to border on commercialization, but it's very quaint

My favorite story is we rented to a diplomat's son who just got back from West Africa and we had to e-mail with him to make sure he wasn't exposed to Ebola

Airbnb ftw

but just like uber, watch the fuck out!! If you want to minimize liability and are a big wuss then just get a hotel

2/7/2015 10:07:20 PM

Had some family use it recently. They loved it. That said, the people they were renting from, effectively turned a floor of the home into a furnished apartment that got rented out.

From what Ive heard, theres lots of reviews on most places so you can use them to see if its a good idea or not.

2/7/2015 10:07:45 PM

My friend uses Airbnb almost exclusively when she travels out of state. The place she stayed in San Fran was truly insane and she had a great time.

2/7/2015 11:51:49 PM

my wife and i use it whenever we stay in one place for longer than a few days while on vacation (we did it for our honeymoon in asheville for example). No problems, sometimes we never even see the host as we stay in a private room. Never had any issues, and enjoy staying there as compared to a hotel.

We have also couch surfed (hosted and surfed), but since we are usually rolling into town late and leaving early, it was too much of an inconvenience to meet up with hosts for 1 night stays.

2/8/2015 1:07:02 AM

Quote :

" If you want to minimize liability and are a big wuss then just get a hotel"

This is probably the best advice for a guy like Douche Bag

I don't think he's particularly savvy about this kinda stuff.

2/8/2015 10:16:24 AM

i have used it in San Francisco, cabins in NC, and for family visiting in NYC with great success. has always worked out well. better places to stay for typically less $ than shitty hotels. hotel peeps are trying to get it banned in NY because it's cutting into their market... they use the excuse that AirBnB places don't have to go through the same health inspections and such. not sure on the latest in NY

2/8/2015 5:51:00 PM

A coworker of mine used it in Paris when he was there for a six week business trip and he loved it. Didn't get hotel points but he got to live in a sweet apartment in downtown Paris for cheaper.

2/8/2015 5:54:44 PM

I will most likely use it this weekend in Boone...First timer.
We will see how this goes.

2/8/2015 6:38:59 PM

It seems like couchsurfing but with a fee. Why not just couchsurf?

2/8/2015 10:26:15 PM

I used it last summer in Boston. We found a place in the Back Bay for less than $100/night, which is a steal. We had our own bathroom and plenty of privacy. The hosts spent some time talking to us in the morning recommending good local restaurants and tips on getting around Boston.

2/9/2015 7:41:16 AM

Quote :

"It seems like couchsurfing but with a fee. Why not just couchsurf?"

In my experience the airbnb places have been nicer than just staying in someone's guest bedroom or on their couch. It is a little more formal because you reserve and pay in advance. Airbnb was almost like a bed and breakfast stay than being a guest in someone's home (at least in my ~10 experiences). You also pick your airbnb based on the attributes of the room/house instead of the attributes of the host.

2/9/2015 9:40:02 AM

I've used VRBO, HomeAway, and AirBnb several times each. Of the three, VRBO is the best, by far. Maybe because it's been around longer? AirBnb is OK, but I typically go to VRBO first.

2/9/2015 12:19:00 PM

I rented out a condo I own near NCSU for about a year on AirBnB.

I am now flipping it to Section8. As a landlord, it was a PITA to drive 20 minutes between visits or schedule someone to come clean it with tight turnover (renters back to back).

However, I did make an extra 45% than if I rent it out the normal way.

We are going to finish the apartment over our garage in Morrisville, and rent that out on AirBnB when its not being used by my father-in-law (he'll be splitting time between here and colorado).

2/9/2015 3:41:39 PM

we are using it for a full month's stay in Paris in April. What I love about AirBNB is

1) The review system is great... You can see who is an asshole and who isn't.
2) The apartment holder DOESN'T GET THE MONEY until AFTER 24 HOURS AFTER YOU ARRIVE.

You have 24 hours to dispute any issues. It is great.

2/10/2015 11:46:44 AM

I used it to visit NYC in 2013. It was $99/night and a 20 minute walk from Times Square. It wasn't the nicest place (had to use a hallway bathroom shared by the entire floor, shower was super cramped), but I spent most of the time out and about anyway. Host was nice and helpful.

I'm using it again for a trip in April to Fort Lauderdale. Got the whole place to myself with a pool and hot tub for $67/night. The reviews are a good way to get an idea what to expect.

2/10/2015 1:54:29 PM

My sisters friends booked one in the mountains for her batchelorette.

Some crazy shit happened.

2/10/2015 7:49:16 PM

We used it for an Asheville trip, and the owners were very accommodating. Had originally rented a small MIL apartment and someone came along after wanting the whole house which trumped ours. They helped us secure another, better room, and charged the original cost. Then that owner went out of town allowing us the reign of their whole, super awesome, house. It worked out well. Would definitely use it again.

2/10/2015 10:13:51 PM

Just discovered this site today, and plan to use it extensively on my planned India/Vietnam trip.

Quote :

"My favorite story is we rented to a diplomat's son who just got back from West Africa and we had to e-mail with him to make sure he wasn't exposed to Ebola"

Are you fucking serious?

You guys get that "West Africa" isn't a country, right?

2/11/2015 6:17:21 AM

You're right, West Africa, also called Western Africa and the West of Africa, is the westernmost subregion of the African continent. West Africa has been defined in Africa as including the 18 countries Benin, Burkina Faso, the island of Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, the island of Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe and Togo. But what is your point? If someone was traveling through those countries one would say they traveled through west Africa. If I traveled through Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, I would say I traveled through Central America, Central America is not a country

[Edited on February 11, 2015 at 10:47 AM. Reason : $$$]

2/11/2015 10:41:11 AM

I used AirBNB for both a bachelor party in New Orleans and visiting with my gf at the time for homecoming in Raleigh.

Thought it was great.

2/11/2015 11:31:28 AM

I used airbnb to book a place in Park City for an upcoming ski trip. The owner doesn't get paid until you check in, so there's a bit of protection in that regard. You make all communication through airbnb and you don't pay the owner directly, so it's pretty safe. I'll probably keep using it in the future.

2/11/2015 9:08:28 PM

What happens if *the owner* cancels a reservation?

Planning on booking a place, but concerned about them canceling it last minute and leaving me without a room.

8/24/2015 4:47:37 PM

Had mostly good luck, except when ^ happened to me.
Flew out to Seattle in June and decided to drive up to Vancouver for the hell of it; had a place booked for Vancouver, but owner cancelled on the day of our flight out, and it was a pain to rebook (I think we managed to find 3 flaky people before finding a really nice place for two nights. With it being during the World Cup, Im guessing someone asked the owner if they could do an extended stay, so they of course cancelled every reservation that stood in the way...so maybe a benefit to waiting to book close to your stay?).

Anyhow, AirBNB gave us a $21 credit to use toward a new booking when it was cancelled (not sure what the number is based on). Unfortunately, its a credit that only gets used IF your new booking costs more than the original (ie, if your new booking is cheaper, you just get the difference back).

Really good experiences otherwise; would highly recommend, especially if it saves you a lot over staying in a hotel or offers a much better experience (cool neighborhood in the middle of the city vs hotel area at the edge). Id avoid anyone with a strict cancellation policy though....no one deserves to keep half my money even if I give them a months notice on a cancellation.

8/25/2015 1:56:22 AM

We used it when we went to Barcelona back in March. We never met the owner of the flat we were staying in, but her directions were superb and everything was very easy to find. We were also able to do things we'd be unable to do in a hotel room like laundry and cooking.

Some of my favorite memories are literally walking downstairs to the market in the morning, picking up a few things for breakfast after they put up with my shitty Spanish, and sipping on coffee while hanging my laundry out to dry on the roof since dryers don't really exist.

You hanging up your undies? Me too!

8/25/2015 10:47:44 AM

Used it various times for personal use. Also used it a few times in Toronto when the hotels were all booked (or over $800/night). It's really nice having a kitchen, couch, more living space etc but I guess I'm kind of spoiled by hotel mattresses. When I stay at a Marriott, Ritz, etc I know the quality of the mattress is going to be good, the AC will work, I get a lounge with free food, etc. I'll only use AirBnB as a last resort if I can't get a nice hotel room usually.

8/25/2015 12:46:24 PM

^ That's been how I am as well. I use it as my 2nd option if all the good hotels are booked or just very overpriced. You just know what you're going to get usually with a hotel as opposed to Airbnb.

I've used Airbnb a couple times though and have never had any issues.

[Edited on August 25, 2015 at 1:31 PM. Reason : .]

8/25/2015 1:31:05 PM

Yeah all my experiences have been great. You can read the renter's reviews and they read reviews on you. So everything gets vetted out before you stay. It's all been very professional every time I've done it.

8/25/2015 1:32:26 PM

I used it in Hilton Head. It was awesome. Communicating with the host was my main way of verifying the legitimacy of the whole thing. Everything worked out really well and I thought it was better than renting a hotel room.

8/26/2015 9:08:19 PM

I'm a host and a guest. Airbnb in terms of hosting is great in Boulder...huge market for it! Luckily we've had good experiences with guests so far. We've used it in Philly, Vail, and Madagascar and had terrific luck...the place in Madagascar was insane!

8/26/2015 9:23:58 PM

I use it on most trips. I prefer it over hotels honestly. Full kitchen, very clean, and usually cheaper. I can get some great locations too and really interact with locals as well. I personally have loved every Airbnb experience.

8/27/2015 3:49:43 PM

You can get a full kitchen at like a Residence Inn which can be fairly nice. I've also never stayed in an AirBnB that was anywhere near as clean as a hotel. Then again I never stay in anything below a 4 star hotel. Also never stayed in an AirBnB where the bed is anywhere near as nice as a hotel.

But yeah for personal travel they're nice when I don't have a bunch of points to dump on a nice hotel.

8/27/2015 5:42:46 PM

WELL LA TEEEEE DAAAAA

8/27/2015 10:52:20 PM

Quote :

"Insufferable"

8/27/2015 11:02:55 PM

Travel for weeks on end for work and work long hours and you'll very shortly only want a nice clean room with a comfortable bed and an AC that works. That's one think you can't always guarantee at an AirBnB. Just sayin...

8/27/2015 11:15:38 PM

WELL EXCUUUSSSEEEE MEEEE

8/28/2015 7:32:46 AM

ITT I learned The Residence Inn is a 4 star hotel.

8/28/2015 9:54:20 AM

Someone confusing business travel with personal travel, ITT.

8/28/2015 9:57:13 AM

I never said a residence inn was a 4 star hotel. I said they have a full kitchen which can be nice. They can however be very pricey category 8 hotels (Marriott only goes up to 9). I don't really stay at them.

^No one's confusing business travel with personal travel. The OP asked about Airbnb in general (sure with regard to skiing but the same rules apply). Most of my Airbnb experience has been with work when hotels are over $600/night and I can get an Airbnb for $200-250/night. I said from my experience I haven't been satisfied with the cleanliness or comfort of them but they're often still great for short vacation stays. Maybe that's because most of them have been condos in larger cities and not resort towns (I have however stayed in Airbnbs in Crested Butte and Steamboat and they were alright).

I don't see how business travel is irrelevant when asking about the following:

Quote :

"Safety, host, rules, guaranty of availability after booking, etc. "

And with the question:

Quote :

"Would like to hear general feedback about your experience using this service."

[Edited on August 28, 2015 at 10:10 AM. Reason : s]

8/28/2015 10:08:03 AM

Quote :

"I never stay in anything below a 4 star hotel"

8/28/2015 10:16:10 AM

I generally don't. That doesn't mean I don't know what a Residence Inn is. I'll amend that statement and say "I almost never stay in anything below a 4 star hotel". That doesn't mean I don't know what a Residence Inn is. Also hotel star ratings barely correlate directly with price. I've stayed at a 5 star Ritz for $219/night and couldn't stay in a $450/night 3 star Residence Inn. Saying you stay in only 4 star hotels doesn't mean you only stay in expensive hotels. I've seen plenty of Airbnbs 1 bedrooms more expensive than Ritz Carlton's.

8/28/2015 10:22:13 AM

Quote :

" I've stayed at a 5 star Ritz for $140/night"

What do I win?

[Edited on August 28, 2015 at 11:12 AM. Reason : V gov't rate ]

8/28/2015 10:43:09 AM

You have? That's impressive. I thought $219/night was impressive in Philly.

Someone told me the BofA rate in Charlotte is sometimes $99 at the Ritz but haven't confirmed it.

[Edited on August 28, 2015 at 11:26 AM. Reason : s]

8/28/2015 11:02:39 AM

Had my first Airbnb stay last week. Spent 4 nights at a place in Austin. Overall it was a great experience. I had my own bedroom with a balcony and bathroom. My total for 4 nights was $196, what was about what hotels were running for one night. The guy even had a snack bowl and cold water bottles in the fridge waiting for us.

Definitely will be airbnb again in the future.

8/28/2015 1:54:31 PM

Relevant:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/your-money/airbnb-horror-story-points-to-need-for-precautions.html?_r=0

Always a good thing to read plenty of reviews. This is similar to an experience (much less drastic) that a friend of mine had in Europe a few years back.

8/30/2015 2:47:33 AM