Just like hand luggage divides Milton and Drew, so too does choice of accommodation. Drew prefers Airbnb over hotels while Milton has yet to stay in his first Airbnb.
In this post:
Why Drew prefers Airbnb to hotels
As an Airbnb Superhost and manager of an Airbnb Plus apartment in one of Sydney’s favourite harbourside villages I am an Airbnb fanboy. Julie and I have been using Airbnb since 2003, initially as a host and later as a guest. We have stayed in houses and apartments in France, Spain, Italy, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand and hosted guests from all over the world.
Private Room or Entire Place
We have no experience (or plans) in renting a private room and only book entire places.
Airbnb rating system
Airbnb relies on a rating system for guests and hosts. As a host we treasure our 4.9 rating, listening to feedback and updating or changing our property. My tip is look for well reviewed properties and carefully read the feedback.
Ten Advantages of Airbnb
Stay at unique locations.
Many suburbs just don’t have hotels to stay in, our apartment in Balmoral Beach is a great example. When we look at some hotels in Australia and New Zealand they are substandard motels, on the outskirts of town. Something out of a Jack Reacher novel.
Great for large groups
Whether it is a cycling, hiking or a skiing holiday sometimes you just need something bigger. This can give you space to park your cars, organise your bikes and spread out to relax. We have stayed in some wonderful houses at Verona Italy and Girona Spain
Access to grand old houses.
There are some grand historic houses located across Europe. These are often holiday homes built for the aristocracy at the turn of the century or earlier. Some of our fondest memories are from accomodation we stayed in Lake Como and Valsugana, We stayed at Villa Gordon located in Valsugana Italy. It was originally built for Austrian aristocracy and now available through Airbnb.
Fully equipped kitchens.
You get fully equipped kitchens often with basic condiments that are just not available in a hotel “kitchen”
A garden you can relax in.
One of our favourite recent stays was at Verona which was a short walk to town and included an outside BBQ and garden to relax in.
Very reasonable prices.
Every Airbnb pricing is set by the owner, making it the perfect market economy. As a host we find Airbnb often recommends prices lower than what we advertise. When you choose a large villa amongst a number of people it becomes even cheaper.
Access to a variety of apartments.
When we first started skiing in Switzerland we use to book via the village tourist information office. The same accomodation is now available on Airbnb.
Bookings can be cancelled.
As a superhost we are encouraged to be flexible with bookings. This means you can often cancel a couple of weeks before your book. For hosts its much harder to cancel
Laundry often included.
Many apartments and houses have washing machines and dryers that means you can get your clothes genuinely clean. Rinsing your smalls in lukewarm water in a hotel basin is “fake clean”
You can bring your pet.
Many Airbnbs allow you to bring your pet (we don’t). You can use the filter to find the accommodation that accepts pets. Both Winston and Rusty have enjoyed their Airbnb experiences.
Disadvantages of Airbnb
Do you research.
We once stayed in an apartment in Singapore where noise was mentioned in the reviews. After one night in the apartment we were ready to move on. Check the photos carefully, if you cant see something it does not exist!
Read the top 5 reasons why Milton prefers hotels.
Summary
Airbnb can be a great option for accomodation. The robust review system makes it easy to find accommodation with first class host in special locations,
