r/technology • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • 7h ago

Society New Airbnb rules ban hosts from making guests wash dishes, do laundry & other checkout chores

https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/new-airbnb-rules-ban-hosts-from-making-guests-wash-dishes-do-laundry-other-checkout-chores-3420832/
26k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

2.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

16k

u/williamgman 7h ago

Too late. So many of us have moved on back to hotels. Less hassle and cheaper.

1.0k

u/opermonkey 7h ago

AirBNB was neat when it started, "hey, my family have a cabin near the mountain, gives us a bit of money to stay there when we aren't using it" (which a friend of mine does, they still don't make profit) but quickly turned into greedy fucks being greedy.

438

u/Klutzy-Football-205 7h ago

This sums up pretty much all of the *-sharing services.

It was neat when it was "I'm already going to the airport Wed @ noon, give me a bit of money and I'll get you there too!" These companies take an outsized portion of the proceeds and take 0% of the liability.

Too little, too late, AirBnB. They were silent for YEARS over these complaints. Let me guess, their bottom line got affected so it is finally time to act?

Even if a hotel is more expensive, I know what I'm getting, have genuine recourse options and am incredibly consistent experience if you stick with the same chain.

93

u/opermonkey 7h ago

It's a trend in pretty much every business. Let's milk any trend we can for as much as we can as fast as we can.

Investors used to look at future gains now they just want immediate billions.

6

u/xombae 3h ago

Enshitification

4

u/StopReadingMyUser 4h ago

"y have slow money when can have fast money?"

→ More replies (1)

132

u/stevedore2024 7h ago

The whole point of the gig economy was to shift all the costly complexity and overhead to little part-timers. Insurance, you're on your own. Repairs, you're on your own. Certification is irrelevant, restrictions are irrelevant, regulation is irrelevant, medallions (taxi licenses) are irrelevant, just break all the norms that have been instituted for the old generation of industry by charging less at first, then raise the prices so the profits flow to the centralized corpo-lords and not the gig workers left holding the bag. And then the public will get even more angry when the gig workers strike back and demand more, but the corpo-lords have already vested and moved onto the next thing they can ruin.

3

u/nulla-nomen-eius 3h ago

profits flow to the centralized corpo-lords and not the gig workers left holding the bag

I honestly cannot understand the financials for Door Dash.

I ordered something today, I paid about $6 more than I would if I went there myself (without tip). I add a $5 tip to a $20 meal which is probably generous I think? How much would that driver receive if I hadn't added the $5? I don't think restaurants are doing heavy discounting for Door Dash, so I'd guess all their margin and payment to their gig driver is within the $6-8 on my $20 meal... so as the driver you have to get to the location, which might take you 10+ minutes and several miles... you have to park... you have to go in... you often have to wait for the food... then you drive another 10+ minutes and several miles to drop the food off which may take time if the orderer isn't watching/waiting. So you spend at least 20-25 minutes on this effort and you made what? $3-4? Even if you add $5 tip that's $8-9... you complete 2-3 of these in an hour and best case you're getting $16-27 for that hour, but you're also paying for fuel and consuming your vehicle... it just doesn't seem like a worthwhile thing unless every delivery is the ideal, which I'm sure they are not.

4

u/Sexual_Congressman 2h ago

Doordash doesn't have "tips", the thing the app calls a tip is actually a bribe, since the driver can see it before they get your stuff and you can't take it back. In certain places, you won't get your order unless you offer the maximum bribe. Also, people who do it regularly aren't taking orders from some place they don't know on the other side of town to some other place 10 miles away.

The 20 or so doordash orders I've made were all fulfilled by someone who was already within half a mile of the source.

→ More replies (1)

9

u/Alkein 5h ago

And if the hotel is overbooked and accidentally booked your room to someone else who got there first? they are pretty good for getting you set up in the next closest hotel that works for you (even outside their own chain/company). From what i've heard of airbnb, it can be quite a nightmare to get things sorted if something similar happens there.

5

u/radda 5h ago

It sums up anything

Nintendo made a card game for kids about collecting and battling with little monsters and a bunch of fucking assholes turned it into an "investment"

Capitalism is a disease

2

u/Akussa 5h ago

What's going to end up happening with this change is they'll just tack on a cleaning fee (or larger cleaning fee if they already do one). AirBNB and other similar services are just not worth it anymore.

4

u/Crayshack 5h ago

When I have a problem with a hotel, I can complain to corporate and get something done. But usually I can just walk right up to the front desk and say, "I have X problem," and they fix it right then.

→ More replies (3)

245

u/JollyGreenGigantor 7h ago

People used to rent their guest bedrooms, carriage houses, and in-law suites too. It was a fun way to travel and get local recommendations. Big step above couch surfing and significantly cheaper than hotels.

43

u/zenith_hs 7h ago edited 7h ago

Yeah, this is how i remember it when it was awesome. Now its just a private (and corporate) alternative of booking

Edit: type now instead of not

2

u/DataDude00 5h ago

Crazy how many professional landlords exist in many locales now because of AirBNB

When searching some popular beachfront / cottage areas around me is it common to see the same 4-5 hosts listed as owners of dozens of properties in the area

51

u/Cowboywizzard 7h ago

I would use Airbnb still if it was cheaper than hotels, but anymore it’s like three times the cost, and then they want you to do the fucking laundry. No thanks.

→ More replies (1)

75

u/Blametheorangejuice 7h ago

There’s a dude that I work with who is slightly disabled. Lives on his own in a house that is too big for him. He has, over the years, converted a lot of his home into separate walk-in spaces so he can rent them out via AirBnB. He apparently makes a good amount of income doing it. I don’t get how he can be comfortable with basically strangers being one locked door away from your own stuff, but whatever that works, I guess.

218

u/Tweegyjambo 7h ago

All the strangers in the world are one locked door are away from my stuff. It's my front door.

→ More replies (19)

43

u/SocialismIsStupid 7h ago

I mean that’s basically every apartment so…

3

u/saera-targaryen 6h ago

Yeah i remember me and my boyfriend at the time having a staycation in LA by renting a room in a nice house with a nice backyard and just chilling in the hot tub with the other guests. It was such a good time. 

2

u/chmilz 5h ago

That's what it started as. Then it was used to "disrupt" hotels (read: undercut them by not paying taxes).

I suspect it also fucked up the hotel market, too. With families staying at AirBnB's, hotels might not have good data on where to have inventory suitable for families. We prefer hotels, but it can be hard to find units suitable for a family of 5 or 6 with a kitchenette and pool.

2

u/AmyInCO 5h ago

I just said almost the same thing because I didn't see your comment until now. I loved meeting the owners and getting recommendations and sometimes even company for dinner.

2

u/Fuck_your_coupons 4h ago

I stayed in an Airbnb in 2019 in Boston that had a great host. He was living there, gave me space and gave me local knowledge of the area. Now you go to an empty house that costs more than a hotel room and they have a list of chores.

148

u/CipherWeaver 7h ago

Airbnb is now entirely small time landowners leveraging their property for revenue without tenant protections. It has ruined the property market in almost every city in the world it operates in. It is a cancer on society unless you are a billionaire and you want to buy houses all over the world to live in a few weeks a year. 

33

u/chuck17031 7h ago

Yeah, it definitely sucks. The type of condos being built in certain areas are being built solely for short-term rental properties. Even if you wanted to live in it full time, they’re built with little to no storage space and as fast as possible using the cheapest possible materials. Where I live, 80% of the homes are empty for 8 months or more out of the year and we have people who are homeless because they can’t afford rental prices. It’s absolutely insane.

→ More replies (2)

27

u/MoJoichiban 7h ago

Couple plots near my apt got bought recently. Noticed it’s being turned into a big house in front with about 6 small studio units in the back as a large separate building. My guess is they’re going to AirBnB those units to offset the mansion they’re building.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/aurortonks 5h ago

My apartment complex just cancelled their agreement contract with Airbnb which allowed people to rent units specifically for doing 3rd party short term rentals.

They cancelled the agreement because Airbnb guests were loud at all hours, trashed the pool multiple times, pooped in the cabana, and generated a ton of complaints from regular tenants.

20

u/Geogian 7h ago

Yeah! My wife and I were hosted by someone who barely spent any time at home and had a spare bedroom and bathroom. It was cheap for us and some extra cash for him. Plus someone might as well make use of the space.

5

u/kitsunewarlock 4h ago

I remember when this shit started on Craigslist and it was literally "give me a couch for a night and I'll give you $50".

2

u/mycoruby 4h ago

Yeah I remember using Craig’s list years ago and had great success with places.

3

u/AmyInCO 5h ago

I stayed in random rooms in people's houses when the AirBnB/couch surfing thing just started. It was neat. You met people and talked to them. It really was just guest rooms and spare bedrooms. You never knew what could happen. People would take you to their favorite places, sit and talk to you over coffee.

Even later, it was nice to have a home base with a kitchen and separate bedrooms. when I traveled with my 3 young children.

Now it just sucks and the prices are ridiculous.

3

u/zardozLateFee 5h ago

Remember when you actually knew the people? It was all social network based. Now it's a AI profile photo that's a front for a real estate company with 65 units.

3

u/JimiusRostock 5h ago

Enshittification at work. People smelled money and AirBnB was eager enough to play along.

2

u/Fuck_your_coupons 4h ago

I remember booking an Airbnb years ago for like $50 a night I think near a smaller national park. Now the listings are like twice to triple that amount. Airbnb was only good when it's the cheapest option in the area.

2

u/opermonkey 1h ago

it's also destroying the housing market in many cities. companies are buying properties and then using air B n b to circumvent hospitality laws.

2

u/scarletnightingale 3h ago

My parents had a coworker that would do this way back in the day, they had a cabin in the mountains and would rent it out to coworkers here and there so they could make a little money when they weren't using it. It didn't come with cleaning fees or a million rules, basically just leave it neat and make sure to leave the water so the pipes wouldn't freeze. We got to go up to the mountains in the snow multiple times when I was a kid. That kind of stuff is ruined now.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/rolfraikou 2h ago

I miss those days and that trip to Joshua Tree I got out of it. It was the same sort of thing, that was actually their own vacation home, so they started renting it out. Price was fair, place was small, but close to the entrance to the park. No special rules beyond not damaging things and not leaving it a total mess.

Now the price for one night in a similar place is like half a month's rent. Yeah, I'll drive very far to avoid a price like that. Then having to worry about hidden fees and weird rules. Not worth the hassle.

→ More replies (6)

7.3k

u/codespace 7h ago

Plus, hotels create jobs. AirBNB just fucks the housing market in favor of microrentals

2.4k

u/IsThatHearsay 7h ago

Plus, hotels don't create unknown, irrational and sometimes fraudulent legal liability for the customers.

In a hotel, if you break something, you might have to pay a reasonable fee to fix/replace it.

With Airbnb hosts, even if you are a perfect guest, you're subject to their irrational whims of if you left the place clean enough, or if they claim anything is missing or damaged, and it becomes a "he said / she said" bullshit battle with the host, the company, and your bank.

You never really have that problem with hotels, yet that is a major shared experience among Airbnb guests. And you never know if you're gonna have a good host or a batshit insane one ahead of time.

221

u/Goatseportal 6h ago

People are also afraid to leave an honest negative review because they can face retaliation from the host. More he said/ she said bullshit that affects your ability to get future rentals

11

u/jonpeeji 5h ago

That's not my experience. Reviews are held back until both parties have submitted theirs.

12

u/catwithbillstopay 4h ago

Which is a huge problem. If one party knows the other might be negative, they just won’t review or post.

9

u/ERFFFQUAKE 3h ago

Even if you don't review, the system eventually releases the other party's review

→ More replies (1)

658

u/puppylust 6h ago

Even worse, some of the latest horror stories include a host fabricating evidence of damages with ai tools.

The amount of research you need to do to feel confident the host is legit and the place matches the pictures isn't worth it most of the time. Maybe I'll do it for a remote cabin, but for most trips a hotel or established rental company is better in every way.

269

u/Astrochops 5h ago

I recently had some friends book an Airbnb near me and the photos showed this gorgeous property and surrounding gardens, but when they got there they were confined to a granny flat and the rest of the property was off limits to them. What a scam.

168

u/aurortonks 5h ago

There's a known group of hosts in the area I'm in that post really amazing properties at very desirable locations. The prices are always reasonable, but not super cheap so there's no suspicion. However, once you've made it to the area and are going to check in, they suddenly have a 'maintenance emergency' and need to move you to another of their properties, not always nearby either. One that's way less nice, in a shitty or dangerous neighborhood, and has not been cleaned or maintained to acceptable rental levels.

50

u/innermongoose69 4h ago

These are on Booking.com too. Happened to me two years ago with a vacation apartment in Germany. Just hours before arrival I got a message that the booked apartment wasn’t yet available and they had to put us in another one across town.

Then we were able to go to the original one a couple days later and it was a dump. Cracked window glass, reeked of cigarette smoke bad enough to trigger asthma, and the wifi was too slow to watch a single Netflix episode. We ended up getting another place and requesting a refund. To Booking’s credit, they did mediate with the host and we agreed to a half refund. We decided to take that deal and cut our losses instead of keep fighting.

Sometimes I look at the reviews for that place just to see if they’re still pulling the same crap. One review from this summer showed the exact same cracked window in a picture. They haven’t even fixed it.

→ More replies (1)

42

u/improbablywronghere 4h ago

Just happened to my in laws in San Francisco

18

u/lefthandedchurro 4h ago

Oh dang. I had this happen to me like 3 years ago and I guess I got had. They said a flood happened and the unit had to be switched to some random place further away. I felt bad for the owners!!

5

u/bunnyguts 3h ago

We had one of these but it was in reverse.

We turned up to the dodgiest of all apartment buildings in a scary neighbourhood and they saw my little family with little kids and moved us down the road to the slightly less dodgy, well secured, more central location.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Yoroyo 3h ago

I have been bamboozled by a newly renovated Airbnb that was in a horribly scary neighborhood. Now I always look at the Google map street view cause it’s never represented correctly.

→ More replies (1)

72

u/fury420 5h ago

Good news, AirBnB is also trying to clamp down on this kind of BS as part of these new rule changes.

...For example, hosts are generally not allowed to:

Ask guests to complete tasks that require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner, including stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, or washing and putting away dishes.

Restrict access to any feature that’s advertised as part of the listing. Any fees for an advertised part of the listing must be included in the price shown to guests at the time of booking. Hosts may include information about fees for optional add-ons, like breakfast service, in their requests.

Impose fines or other penalties on guests. AirCover provides protection for hosts in the rare event that their place or belongings are damaged by a guest during an Airbnb stay.

7

u/claudekennilol 5h ago

Is "AirCover" an extra insurance policy you can buy on top of the booking or something?

3

u/hockeycross 3h ago

No it is AirBnB’s insurance for hosts. Home owner insurance does not cover minor damage and such a lot of the time.

→ More replies (1)

6

u/PsychoticMessiah 4h ago

I’m ok with stripping the bed or putting towels in the tub. I feel like stripping the bed almost forces them to change the sheets.

18

u/CallItDanzig 3h ago

Well I'm not. Im not stripping the bed at a hotel.

My favorite ive seen once to be fair is vacuuming and mopping the floors. As you can imagine I did not do it and nothing happened. Motherfuckers.

10

u/Phatferd 2h ago

90% of the time you rent an AirBNB is for a vacation. I'm not doing house chores while on vacation.

6

u/SuperPotatoThrow 4h ago

Its just so much easier with hotels, the cost savings isn't worth it, which is going to be fairly marginal to begin with.

The last company I worked for made a rule a year ago banning Airbnbs for all circumstances regardless of where or what it is just because of the bullshit that comes with it. Even if multiple people are involved in travel with a single job. No one has time to sit there and spend hours on end doing extensive research on one owner.

5

u/LicketySplitz 5h ago

I’ve seen the same thing with Uber drivers using AI to make it look like they trashed/vomited on the backseats.

8

u/anakhizer 5h ago

Is this only in the US? As I've stayed in plenty of BNBs in EU and never had a single issue.

22

u/puppylust 5h ago

It would not surprise me that the US has more scams and fraud but I don't know any statistics

→ More replies (2)

2

u/StrCmdMan 1h ago

Had a host give us a one star before because we said the place had zero locks on any doors in a high crime downtown area. We stayed there seven nights hardly slept. Everything else was booked.

His mother came by and said “it is fine” then proceeded to fuss us.

2

u/tacobasket 1h ago

“Maybe” for a remote cabin is right. I went to a cabin in southeast Oklahoma for a pandemic retreat with my husband and they hadn’t had the hot tub cleaned (a main draw of the cabin and this was in the height of COVID soooo) and then they had the audacity to give me a bad review when we left, accusing me of bringing a dog when we just have a shedding dog and some hair had been dropped from our clothes onto the floor while we were there for 4 days.

Not to mention there was a wasp infestation inside that I was kind enough to leave off my review (regret now that I was being too delicate).

→ More replies (1)

151

u/yankeeinparadise 6h ago

I saw a post yesterday where the Airbnb host was charging the guest to replace washcloths and towels. I’ve used Airbnb’s very little, but this makes me never want to use them again.

81

u/FauxReal 6h ago edited 5h ago

There was a post a few days ago where at the very bottom of the amenities list was a notice saying that bedding would not be provided and the guest must provide their own pillows, sheets and blankets.

Edit found the post: https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/1x9su95/airbnb_wants_you_to_bring_your_own_bedding_hides/

Also found some others:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AirBnB/comments/1fgdu04/house_manual_says_bring_linens_listing/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AirBnB/comments/13rkwot/no_linens_or_towels_in_airbnb_rentals/

This one is an extra charge: https://www.reddit.com/r/AirBnB/comments/xx57u1/extra_charge_for_linens/

48

u/chesterismydog 5h ago

That’s ridiculous- who wants to pack that shit. That’s a whole other suitcase.

What made never use an Airbnb was the cleaning fees- and you had to prep most of it. I clean up after myself at a hotel but I don’t have to strip the sheets and take out the trash- just to be charged additionally for it.

4

u/FauxReal 5h ago

Interestingly other people commented that this is a thing in France, even before ABnB was a thing. I personally have no experience with that.

8

u/Tired_CollegeStudent 5h ago

I know some people do that because they find the idea of hotel linens (and hotel rooms) icky. I personally think that, unless the hotel is clearly poorly maintained, it’s not worth the effort to worry about that kind of thing unless you see evidence of bugs. And bringing your own linens won’t help in that situation.

Hotel linens are probably cleaner than most things you interact with on a daily basis.

3

u/Terrh 4h ago

This is often a thing for "cabin" like rentals in Canada and at least some parts of USA.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

32

u/yankeeinparadise 6h ago

I for one will stick to corporate hotels because that’s where I get the best service.

→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (1)

100

u/DPKingston 7h ago

Now with genai, they can just make up "evidences" of issues left behind by the guest

→ More replies (1)

34

u/phoenix0r 6h ago

The quality in general of Airbnb is so insanely unknown. You could be entirely deceived by a few nice photos and end up in a smelly dump.

3

u/iindaxd 4h ago

This is what happened to us. Showed up to an Airbnb and the place was an absolute dump. We couldn't stay there; my skin was crawling because it was unclean, furniture was falling apart. It was nothing like the listing. How is that ok???

It left us scrambling at midnight to find a new spot.

→ More replies (5)

5

u/No_Musician 6h ago

this x10.  I just want a consistent experience that I can predict so I can deal with everything else that is going on.

4

u/zoeypayne 4h ago

This reminds me of why I will always choose hotels. If this happened at an Airbnb, I would be blacklisted and sued for a biohazard fee.

A few years ago, I was in Myrtle Beach for a wedding. The best man got so obliterated I had to basically carry him into my hotel. To get him to calm down about missing the afterparty, I told the front desk guy I would buy him some snacks. The guy was cool, told me to take a few things on the house, and handed over, among other things, a Snickers ice cream bar.

I threw the dude on the sofa bed (calm down, we knew each other, don't make it weird) and left to keep partying. I stumbled back hours later and passed out. The next morning, I wake up to this grown man screaming at me, demanding to know why I shit on him.

I look over, and it is a disaster zone. The idiot had tried to eat the Snickers bar, fell asleep, and let it melt completely into his clothes and the sheets. It took me forever to convince him he had not been targeted by a phantom pooper. When I checked out, I had to look a completely different front desk worker in the eye and explain that the brown stains were chocolate, not feces. I left a $20 tip for the cleaning crew and prayed for death.

An Airbnb host would have called the FBI and charged me $2,000 for a new mattress. The hotel just printed my receipt.

2

u/_franciis 5h ago

You can get away with so much shit in hotels. Sometimes I do just want my own apartment though. Tricky

2

u/cowboi 5h ago

Someone posted airbnb host charging for staining towels and all kinds of other micro charges.

2

u/snak_attak 5h ago

And the pictures look okay but you never really know what an Airbnb smells like. I went to one that had a glade plug in blasting in every room and I am super sensitive to perfumy scents… ugh was awful even after I unplugged them, and the place wasn’t cheap!

2

u/SmashesIt 5h ago

Hotels are a lot less likely to cancel on you last second too.

twice Ive had Airbnb hosts cancel on me the week of my stay for some very important life events. Fuck AirBnb

2

u/scarletwitchmoon 4h ago

I had to sign an iron clad contract that said I couldn't take any media of the airbnb, which fine. But I think there was other weird stuff added into it that basically implied if I broke the rules, I'd get sued. The airbnb wasn't even nice and I found the biggest dead roach ever. I rated them 4 stars (even though I wanted to rate them 3 stars but I felt like they were the type of hosts that would say I slandered them, or something) and they still messaged me acting as if I rated them 0.

2

u/drewtangclan 2h ago

It's happened to me more than once that as a guest staying at an Airbnb I've been confronted by a neighbor or someone else in the building interrogating me because the Airbnb owner has apparently been lying about hosting rental properties, isn't supposed to, etc. and the host has instructed me to say I'm a friend or relative visiting.

I'm a terrible liar, I'm not doing that on someone else's behalf and I shouldn't have to worry about it.

2

u/SirPseudonymous 2h ago

That's largely how it is with small business owners in general. Large corporations are monstrously evil as a rule, but they have legal departments that can at least tell them what the laws they're supposed to follow are and generally whatever lackey you deal with doesn't have a personal material incentive to do crimes against you personally (with some very notable exceptions).

Small businesses on the other hand are operated by any dipshit who manages to hoard enough wealth to start one, doing whatever their personal vibes tell them they can do, with a direct personal material incentive to do fraud and other crimes against both their employees and clients.

→ More replies (5)

69

u/magyar_wannabe 6h ago

I stayed at one in a European city recently. The location on the listing was wrong by a few blocks - in my case not a huge deal because the "new" location wasn't really worse, just different. Someone in the building asked me if I was staying in an Airbnb, I said yes, and they said, "Hmm Airbnbs are not allowed in this part of the city". So that explains why the location was listed wrong! Oh well, not my problem I guess.

The coffee maker didn't work. The shower sprayed water all over the bathroom until I personally scraped off the mineral buildup from the shower head. The AC basically turned off at night when I needed it most due to noise restrictions.

After all this I still gave 3 stars, and an honest review because the unit had some positive qualities too. Then the owner had the gall to ask me to change or delete the review because it hurt his average. WTF, no dude...maybe don't lie in your listing and have the basic necessities be functional?

7

u/phoenix0r 6h ago

I refused to stay at any Airbnbs on my euro trip because the quality is all over the place, even worse than here.

4

u/themaincop 2h ago

Go see if your review is still there. It's likely the owner was able to get the platform to remove it. The real rating scale on there is 4.5-5

3

u/giollaigh 2h ago

I stayed at a place where the photos were not of the unit I was in - they showed a table that didn't exist, so because we arrived late when no restaurants were open, we basically ate on the floor. They also didn't disclose beforehand there was no thermostat and that you could not flush toilet paper (this was in the US, so quite unusual, which made it difficult to remember). I think the shower faucet hot/cold indicators were also backwards so we were confused by that for a minute. Anyway it was so hot in there that I didn't sleep and we checked out early. The host removed my (GENEROUS) two star review, so I contacted support to have it reinstated, but she removed it AGAIN. We went back and forth a few times and I eventually gave up and swore not to use Airbnb again.

183

u/avanross 6h ago

Hotels provide earnings to workers for performing work, airbnb provides earnings to wealthy property owners for sitting on their asses and hoarding land

→ More replies (4)

117

u/colenotphil 7h ago

Excuse me, being a landlord is a full time job /s

89

u/perplexedtortoise 7h ago

Grossly underpaid as well, that's why I tip my landlord every month. 20% is the bare minimum

6

u/Past_Paint_225 5h ago

I used to pay my landlord $2600 to make sure 24x7 the dinky 1 bed apartment I lived in was "liveable". That's $3.6 an hour, below minimum wage. It is my responsibility to tip my landlord

3

u/JGits 6h ago

Random thought popped in my head while reading your comment that is consistent with your point. We still call them landLORDS. Time to call the guests serfs I guess

→ More replies (5)

6

u/angwilwileth 6h ago

I really wish hotel rooms with kitchenettes were more common. I have food allergies so eating while traveling can be problematic.

5

u/FatesUrinal 6h ago

Weirdly one of the nicest rooms I’ve ever had was in Tonopah NV at the “World Famous” Clown Motel. Full kitchenette, spacious, remarkably friendly and down to earth staff. If you don’t mind the horror clown motif and being next to an old miners cemetary it’s a perfect rest stop lol.

2

u/scarletwitchmoon 4h ago

wtf that sounds so macabre and whimsical. I'm staying here now.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/renaissance1977 5h ago

I misread this at first as microorientals and thought you were implying small, Asian people had a control on the rental market.

2

u/scarletwitchmoon 5h ago

Plus, hotels actually give you points/rewards and membership discounts if you are loyal to a hotel chain.

→ More replies (14)

886

u/molie 7h ago

Honestly, this is the play especially when traveling alone.

534

u/killmurer 7h ago

Even when travelling with my wife and kid. I mean not to worry about my kid spilling some drink on the bed. And have free breakfast options. Clean towels guaranteed. And generally some expected level of professionalism is just great.

Airbnb is too stressful for me.

110

u/skraptastic 7h ago

I've used air bnb exactly twice now. First time was for a group stay for my sons 30th birthday. The house was fine. But it was not even at Best Western standards. Also there were no smoke detectors in the house.

Second time was in the UK this summer. The booked house had a plumbing issue and the host texted us while we were in the air to tell us they had to cancel the room. Fortunately they also booked us in a similar place, but it was across Cardiff, and we had to drive to the concert we had planned to walk to.

176

u/xyourmomx 7h ago

This reeks of them rebooking the original room for way more and offloading you to a cheaper room.

36

u/jimbo831 6h ago

This is almost certainly what happened. u/skraptastic probably booked it at their normal rate before they learned there was a concert nearby. So they cancelled the listing and rebooked it at a much higher rate.

23

u/xyourmomx 6h ago

Anything that requires cancelling a users stay like this should require documented followup before it can be re-listed.

3

u/jimbo831 6h ago

Agreed. As far as I know, Airbnb has no such requirement.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Hokie23aa 7h ago

What do you do in that situation?

12

u/jimbo831 6h ago

Stop using Airbnb.

→ More replies (1)

30

u/dishearten 7h ago

Yeah I am starting to think these reasons are bullshit.

I've had an airbnb cancel on me due to plumbing issues a couple years back and the exact same thing just happened to my inlaws.

28

u/xyourmomx 7h ago

A lot of people don’t question plumbing issues. Especially if they already have a prepared solution. It just seems these plumbing issues always happen right around big events nearby for Airbnb’s. I’d be curious to see if the listing appeared bookable at that time after they moved you.

2

u/Abalamahalamatandra 3h ago

And they could fix that by not allowing a new booking on any cancelled date - I mean, if there's a plumbing problem, there's a plumbing problem, right?

But curiously they don't fix it.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

17

u/NeedThatTartan 7h ago

Not having to phone some person with broken English to tell them there is no water in the shower and them being just as flabbergasted as me. Now every time I vacation somewhere I book a place with 24/7 front office.

3

u/JustAnotherINFTP 7h ago

i stayed at an IHG and my room flooded, the water stopped working, and they've compensated me nothing and the hotel's manager is lying to corporate about it.

so it's not all roses

→ More replies (1)

2

u/cortesoft 5h ago

It depends on the purpose of the travel.

If we are going to a city or the stay is a stop along the way, I’ll choose a hotel.

But our family loves to rent a cabin in the woods, and renting an air b&b or the equivalent is way nicer for that sort of experience.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Rando-namo 7h ago

Free breakfast and no clean up vs cleaning fee and you need to clean - whatever will I do?

Three only reason to ever get an Airbnb is if you plan to be in your accommodations for the majority of time vs just sleeping and showering there.

→ More replies (1)

105

u/FatherSquee 7h ago

I really liked hostels when I was traveling alone, but then again I was in my 20's.

43

u/ftsapr 7h ago

Shoot, my wife and I used to do hostels all the time when we lived in Germany.

We were also in our 20s/early 30s though.

Now, we want the privacy.

34

u/Scary-Maximum7707 7h ago

Then you're gonna love this set of movies about people traveling and visiting various hostels.

It's even called "Hostel", look it up.

And if you don't want spoilers, better not look it up, just get it and enjoy watching!

7

u/totesandhose 7h ago

I love how realistic they are too, almost documentary-esque in how it portrays the average hostel experience.

2

u/neurohero 6h ago

Paid for by the Tourism Board of Slovakia.

19

u/MFbiFL 7h ago

Did you time travel from the early 2000’s?

32

u/AvaryZig 7h ago

Yeah, but the long and slow way.

2

u/el_diego 6h ago

Must've been on dial up with aol

3

u/NordlandLapp 7h ago

They have a fitting username at least

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Hollow_Rant 7h ago

Woke up from a coma and wondering why someone connected their Tivo to the internet.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/FauxReal 5h ago

I've stayed in a hostel that has private rooms or smaller shared rooms that were empty too, still cheaper than a hotel and ABnB.

2

u/Borkz 5h ago

I didn't even realize people still used it as a hotel alternative. I know the original pitch was more like rent somebody's extra room on the cheap, but that was decades ago and these day's it seems synonymous with renting a whole vacation home to split with friends or something.

2

u/snorlz 2h ago

i have, but thats when i was staying 1 night and the hotels were significantly more expensive.

Like you said, they dont even fill the same niche and its disingenuous to act like they do. 8 friends going on vacation together are typically wanting a shared space without other people, which hotels cant do but airbnb can

→ More replies (3)

48

u/EYNLLIB 7h ago

There's still a place for vacation rentals, it's just sad that airbnb / VRBO are basically just filled with hotel-like condos for a similar price but without any of the benefits of a hotel.

Why rent a condo in a high rise when you can rent a hotel room in the building nextdoor for the same price?

Airbnb is great for more isolated areas, or unique stays that aren't at all competing with hotels or local housing markets.

13

u/nimble-lightning-rod 6h ago

I feel like people forgot short-term rentals (particularly vacation rentals) have always existed! You just used to book from things like magazine ads for shared beach houses or travel agents who knew of all the fancy cabins for ski trips. Airbnb made that model more accessible with the advent of technology and opened up the doors to everyone getting screwed. There’s still a great argument for the existence of short term and vacation rentals (and demand that’s pretty reasonable), but they once upon a time existed without screwing up entire city’s housing markets.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Murky-Relation481 5h ago

I've never had a problem with Vrbo but also I'm usually renting places where the house is part of the destination or if we're bringing the kids for an extended stay someplace.

Also I feel like people don't apply any reasonable sense of cost to their bookings. A lot of scammy shitty places but they're cheap. Higher cost and reviews are the main thing to look at.

The worst we've had is a washing machine not working at one place. Luckily we were visiting family so just washed clothes at their house.

Also I don't think major cleaning should be the requirement of the guest but I do feel like dishes in the dish washer is the bare minimum. Hopefully they're washing multiple loads of dishes if they're staying long.

3

u/yahutee 5h ago

Because the condo presumably has laundry and a full kitchen?

2

u/Past_Band9178 5h ago

I prefer vacation rentals to hotels every time.

We like to have our space. We like having laundry in the room and a kitchen. We don't do traditional vacations, though. We are usually traveling for a purpose like mountain climbing, an ultra marathon, or a triathlon. For triathlon trips, especially, hotels do not work. They don't have enough space to store our bikes or work on them. They don't have laundry and get mad about bikes in the room. They also don't have kitchens.

We also take longer trips - 2-3 weeks usually at a time. It's much easier to pack for a few days (workout clothes + nice clothes + travel clothes) and do laundry like at home than pack 3 weeks of clothes and have to deal with it when you get home.

We like to go out to eat but much prefer to eat our own food most days. We have a milk allergy and two celiac people. We eat lots of fish, rice, vegetables, and fruit. Not a lot of restaurants can accommodate. Especially hotels, which tend to be more of a bar/grill experience.

178

u/Only-Cranberry-4502 7h ago

I remember one time my sister accidentally packed a bowl from the airbnb thinking it was ours because it looked the same and the host tried to charge $500 for the bowl and get a new set after arguing for a while, airbnb tried to to just charge the debt card secretly, they settled on $50 and said to update the payment method and I was like nah and they banned me

A year later when they started struggling they said I was magically unbanned and how great it was to have me back like too late I already moved on to hotels which are a lot better

61

u/Blametheorangejuice 7h ago

We stayed at an AirBnB that had no real checkout requirements listed (other than where to leave the keys). But then we got some sort of “cleaning fee” because we didn’t take out the trash, vacuum, and wash the sheets. Mind you, we are generally a cleanly family anyway. But, you know, fuck that guy in particular.

31

u/Theyna 7h ago

You could've done all of those things and would've still gotten the fee.

10

u/EYNLLIB 7h ago

To be totally fair, taking something from a hotel room would also be met with an egregious charge and nastiness from the management.

12

u/alexthealex 7h ago

It’s not that egregious. Everything in a hotel room essentially has a price tag. Take the bath robe if you’re willing to be billed for it. Hell, you can usually ask the front desk what it adds to the bill if you take pretty much anything.

9

u/DenghisKoon 6h ago

Can confirm. I called a front desk years ago asking how much for one of their super comfy pillows. It was less than retail. 😆

→ More replies (1)

135

u/nerdygnome1 7h ago

So much this. Same price and for what? Noise curfew and a bunch of house rules?

17

u/CapitalAd5339 7h ago

Almost like you’re imposing and them accommodating and doing you a favor - despite you paying for it.

Why do people even put up with hosts that have these conditions? If people ignored such places, the practice would have died long back.

2

u/PattyRain 4h ago edited 42m ago

Because sometimes you don't know about them ahead of time.  One AirBnB we were at let us know after got there that we couldn't cook in the kitchen after 10pm. That wasn't a problem for us, personally, but I know it would be for others. 

2

u/CapitalAd5339 3h ago

I know, that’s the other craziness - the uncertainly and unprofessionalism of everything. Sometimes, even getting into the apartment can be a challenge with their secret key hiding places or code boxes… Especially if you arrive at night and just want to go to bed after a looooong trip.

3

u/jurassicbond 7h ago edited 7h ago

Noise curfew? Wouldn't hotels have more noise restrictions than most AirBnBs?

88

u/dirtyshits 7h ago

Which is a good thing.

Airbnb market has helped to ruin the real estate market in a lot of areas and has been a problem for a lot of folks who live near them as well.

Airbnb is a good thing to have but it shouldn’t replace the average hotel stay imo.

18

u/anothercookie90 7h ago

Yeah Airbnb should be reserved for places where the nearest hotels are at least 25 miles out of the way

25

u/dirtyshits 7h ago

For me personally when family gets together on a vacation where Theres more than a handful and we want to spend time together inside more so than outside we get an Airbnb.

For example my family along with my two sisters families get together every year and everyone has their kids.

An Airbnb makes sense since we can cook together, the kids can play, and we aren’t all stuffed into our own rooms or forced to go out to spend time together. We can legitimately spend 3-4 days together.

It’s a great option and we are willing to pay for that luxury. But that’s the key, it’s a luxury.

For a moment it was cheaper to do this than stay in a hotel and there would be entire neighborhoods which seemingly were airbnbs because of it.

12

u/bamakid1272 7h ago

That's what my friends do if we do like a big group trip to the mountains or something. 10+ of us sharing a huge cabin to hang out in. Those make sense for AirBnBs.

But like if I'm on my own or it's a smaller group, or we're going somewhere like a city, then just get a a hotel.

3

u/aspidities_87 6h ago

We have big dogs, and three of them to boot. Sometimes we like to take them with us for a full family vacation and most hotels have a 2 pet limit or a weight restriction, so we go for short term rentals in that case and I’m usually looking for rural cabins or relaxing cottages.

That being said, I’ve had a ton of luck lately avoiding AirBnB for that and just looking for local short term rental companies. VRBO is pretty good, too, but I usually just use it to find the info for the property management company and connect directly to them. You can sometimes get a really good deal that way, especially if you repeat business!

3

u/ibribe 6h ago

Same here, and I'll add that my family has been doing that since long before Airbnb came around. It's not like they invented the vacation rental property.

2

u/dirtyshits 6h ago

Same. We have been renting homes or cabins for most of my life for trips like this.

They just happened to build a better mouse trap then over engineer it.

Theres a happy middle ground and I think bringing back the viability of hotels is a good thing for everyone.

3

u/el_diego 6h ago

A radius makes it complex and creates weird business pockets. Just make it a licence, like running a hotel, and limit the number of licences.

50

u/Corne777 7h ago

Yeah hotels are just better in general. I think the one reason for an air bnb is large group trips. Like you have 10-20 people on a vacation and you want to be more together instead of in 6 different hotel rooms. For awhile we would book air bnbs for like overnight stops on a vacation drive. Now we just stop at a hotel. Cheaper, easier, no clean up and free breakfast.

8

u/nails_for_breakfast 7h ago

Yeah large groups and families with small children are the only good use case for airbnbs anymore. Unfortunately I fall in one of those demographics when I travel for vacation so I'll stick with them for now, but when I don't really need the three separate bedrooms and a kitchen anymore I will happily go back to standard hotels

4

u/Consistent_Story903 5h ago

I have one kid in college and the other one in high school of opposite sex. I either need to get 2 hotel rooms or an AirBNB. A lot of times AirBNB ends up being cheaper and easier.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/hotpotatos200 4h ago

I’m in the small children category. They honestly felt like a cheat code compared to hotel rooms after we had our first. Now with 3, I won’t go back for a long while, if ever.

2

u/StregaCagna 3h ago

I honestly don’t see a future where we go back to a hotel room until we’re traveling without kids at all. The older they get, the more space they need and I have yet to spend more on an Airbnb than I would for 2 hotel rooms or a suite with a big enough sleeping space to accommodate everyone comfortably (at least in the major cities across the country and the Northeast where we tend to travel the most.)

2

u/Wooden-Repeat-9200 1h ago

Extended stay hotels might be something you want to look at. They often, especially in the US, are cheaper than an equivalent hotel with more features

4

u/SpagBolForLife 6h ago

100% especially when you want/need a kitchen and laundry. Hotels don’t have these in the room

→ More replies (2)

6

u/Shivs_baby 6h ago

I still prefer an Airbnb because you generally have more room, it’s more homey feeling and I don’t want to have every single meal out, so I like to get things for simple breakfasts and snacks and use the fridge and make my own tea, etc.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Ok_Two_2604 7h ago

The few times I’ve use Airbnb have been to stay places I couldn’t do otherwise, as it’s either Airbnb or an expensive resort. And where there is only access to residents and their guests. Though Airbnb is probably not what they intended in saying guests.

Otherwise 100% hotels. I don’t even like the condos that are rented out by an organization but privately owned or timeshares bc I’ve had bad experiences with those pretty much every time.

2

u/throwaway5882300 6h ago

I used to think that too, but the last time I stayed at an airbnb with a big group, one of the people got way too drunk and did some damage to the place and it got really ugly in the aftermath. I would say only do this if you're confident something like that won't happen, but so was I when I agreed to stay there.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (12)

16

u/cpaul91 6h ago

I don’t even check Airbnb for pricing anymore. I know it exits, and know there will be bullshit.

5

u/CarrotSlayer11 6h ago

Agree 100%. I just don't view it as an option for me.

3

u/Middle_Draft9152 4h ago

Totally agree. From a frequent customer with some extremely cool places around the globe, to a non user in a few years. Don't like it at all now. 

43

u/feurie 7h ago

That’s how this sort of thing works. They saw the fallout.

You’re acting like people signed up for a contract to hotels.

Whatever works best for the customer will get the booking.

29

u/ACasualRead 7h ago

If you're staying in a city, then hotels make more sense. If you're staying out in a town or village you're better off getting an Airbnb instead of a far off hotel or local motel dump.

3

u/skippyfa 6h ago

Bingo. I was about to make this comment. When I travel to Nashville, Charlotte, Philadelphia or other cities? Hotel all the way. Smaller towns or especially a nature trip I prefer a BnB. It feels more homey.

→ More replies (1)

10

u/CapitalAd5339 7h ago

Prepared breakfasts and lounges with free food and drink too!

Why would you want to slave for a greedy owner, and pay for the pleasure? And sometimes pay more even after slaving because the owner decides to nitpick your efforts and charge even more?

Is it a masochist thing?

5

u/JeebusChristBalls 7h ago

The only time I've ever stayed in an airbnb was if someone else paid for it or a work trip. Either way, not doing chores in either situation.

→ More replies (1)

10

u/woodst0ck15 7h ago

Yeah I never got that. Like you expect me to clean up and pay for this place? And if I don’t I get charged? Fuck that.

3

u/Waramp 6h ago

And you're already getting charged a cleaning fee anyway, even if you do clean up after yourself!

11

u/nuraHx 7h ago

Airbnb is still cheaper usually if you’re sharing a home with multiple people. Like I just stayed at an air bnb with 6 people with beds and rooms for each person for 4 nights a couple months ago and paid less than I would have if I got a hotel room for myself for one night

→ More replies (10)

14

u/420_69_Fake_Account 7h ago

Hotels don’t charge me when I make their white towels dirty

17

u/bigguccisosaxx 7h ago

If you are 3 or more people it's definitely not cheaper or less hassle.

5

u/CulturalKing5623 7h ago

The only time we even consider AirBnB is when it's a group traveling and we want to stay together, that's their actual niche. But for awhile they were trying to position themselves as an alternative to hotels and the value proposition just isn't there.

6

u/slothscanswim 7h ago

Even if checkout chores never existed the chance that unscrupulous “hosts” will use AI images to make damage claims against honest guests is enough that even the least socially aware people on earth would shy away from AirBnB

The fact that they’ve destroyed housing markets across the planet is icing on the cake

4

u/P1umbersCrack 7h ago

Exactly this. A few years back they required us to take the trash to the local dump since there was no regular garbage collection. Never again.

2

u/psu123577 7h ago

I can’t stand when I’m paying a $200 cleaning fee and they expect me to do all of that.

2

u/halfmylifeisgone 6h ago

The only reason I use AirBnB is when I travel with my dog. She's pretty vocal and I don't want to piss off other guests in hotel admitting dogs.

I use hotels when I travel without her.

2

u/synapticrelease 5h ago

AirBNB was cool for a few years when it was fresh.

Places were generally cheaper and privately owned. While it definitely wasn’t altruistic. It did seem like a paid version of couch surfing where hosts genuinely seemed like they liked to participate because they were likely travelers themselves.

Now so many places are just purely profit driven. So they give you as many rules as possible to reduce their workload/cleaning fees. I had the unfortunate experience a few times to rent out places where they were just owned by a second company so to contact a “host” was to call essentially another company.

I’ve gone back to hotels. Way less hassle. It’s transactional, more ethical, fewer hidden costs, easier customer service.

The few times in the last 5-6 years were because there was just no other option. But I would honestly be fine with giving up Airbnb as a last resort option and just ban them outright.

3

u/soyslut_ 7h ago

And less gentrification for locals of countries in economic distress. The best benefit in my opinion.

4

u/Radjage 7h ago

I see this said all the time but personally I still find it cheaper and a better value to use airbnb over hotels.

But I'm all for people turning more to hotels to drive Airbnb prices down more lol

2

u/Illadelphian 5h ago

Yea I mean honestly while Airbnb fees and shit annoy me, even when it's not strictly cheaper, I prefer an Airbnb so much. I like to go to the beach and get a place right on the beach. I value privacy, actual living quarters and just general space. I hate having to go to hotels and stay in a single small room where we are all sharing beds or split up my family and kids into multiple rooms.

I totally get it if you are one person or a couple, I'd definitely be doing it then most likely but for a family vacation for me it's a house rental all day, whether Airbnb, VRBO or whoever else

2

u/Rando-namo 7h ago

Congratulations hosts, you played yourself.

2

u/PrinceCastanzaCapone 7h ago

Far too late. Never using Airbnb again.

2

u/boobeddick 6h ago

Obligatory fuck AirBnB. They are a plague on the housing market.

2

u/PlasmaWhore 6h ago

I have never once found a comparable hotel cheaper than an AirBnb. I like having a kitchen, living room, washing machine, etc when I'm traveling. Show me a hotel that has these amenities for even close to the same price.

2

u/Zapem10 6h ago

I’ve used Airbnb pretty often in places we like to visit. Haven’t really had any issues. I like having things like a private rooftop patio overlooking the beach with a grill and outdoor furniture that I can’t usually get at a hotel. I try to rent them only from places with lots of reviews and near 5.0 ratings.

1

u/JeebusChristBalls 7h ago

The only time I've ever stayed in an airbnb was if someone else paid for it or a work trip. Either way, not doing chores in either situation.

1

u/elfinko 7h ago

Unless it's an experience you just can't get with a hotel, I don't really see the point of AirBnB, etc.

1

u/Hokie23aa 7h ago

Yes that’s true, but a lot of times airbnbs will have views you can’t get in hotels.

1

u/styckx 7h ago

Not to mention 24/7 help from staff if needed. Not some homeowner who is likely out of state

1

u/kendrickplace 7h ago

Yup. Why would I pay more to clean up for them and pay cleaning fees.

1

u/zxylady 6h ago

And you don't have to risk cameras where Airbnb won't do anything to stop them

1

u/Z00111111 6h ago

The last time I stayed in an AirBnB was great. It was also about 5 years ago, before the enshitification set in. Was like a hotel but in a nicer, quieter spot.

From the horror stories I keep seeing I'm glad I've switched back to hotels though.

1

u/ArtificialStrawberry 6h ago

God I love a good hotel. Nothing better to not have a sink to even look at!

1

u/factchecker8515 6h ago

Yep. The price is the price and no chore list. Back to hotels 100%.

1

u/LegendaryTJC 6h ago

Some context might help. Where do you live? They are cheap and easy in the UK still, and I regularly use them on European holidays. I wonder if your problems are regional.

1

u/huskers2468 6h ago

Ebb and flow. It'll go back the other way at some point

→ More replies (80)