Airbnb - anyone used it? Good / bad experience?

vietnamdo

Yes, it is good to use to find some cheap accommodation

kingslayer

I've heard it's good and read some positive reviews online. I also want to use airbnb when I start travelling more abroad, so I would also like to hear people's experiences. OP, another site you cpuld try is "holidayrentals.com. as they seem very similar also. Also they are useful because you can cook your own food and you won't have a set curfew as with hotels, so won't get locked out lol

hostie

Their customer service department is the absolute worst I have ever encountered. My account got hacked and money stolen and airbnb seriously couldn't have been any worse.

Yes it is a cool way to find holiday accommodation but as a host, don't be fooled by all their talk of host guarantees. They really don't give a monkeys what happens to you. Plenty of horror stories in the press about people refusing to leave etc.

krmach

I'm currently in a middle of a bitter negotiation between myself and the owner of the house which I booked and later cancelled.

Here I underline the importance of reading the Terms and Conditions as I later found out that the owner has a strict cancellation policy so we were at their mercy whether they'll give us the rest of the money or not. But I thought there was no harm done, we've cancelled months in advance (since the owner wouldn't accommodate the additional adult and child) and the owner seemed happy at the beginning to issue the remaining funds.

But owner had a change of heart later after stringing me along, saying there was an option to find accommodation nearby for the additional people, which clearly owner didn't tell me about! I just felt that if the owner is indeed sincere in accommodating us why not mention the option of the nearby accommodation for the overflow at the beginning, why wait last minute and then decide to brandish the 'well I have a strict cancellation policy so I'm not really obliged to refund you.'

Included in the contested amount is a cleaning fee which obviously won't be used since we're not going to stay there anymore. So all in all, Airbnb took eighty-five quid for booking fee, plus the three hundred odd quid that the owner felt entitled to.

I've always used Booking.com before which allows for cancellation (because life happens) without penalties up to a certain time and date, and I'm kicking myself for not researching enough online as there were so many negative feedback concerning Airbnb. No I won't use this again, lesson learned.

PurplePow

I'm going to Croatia in May and have booked a whole apartment in Split for 2 nights for £100 with free parking. Also looking to book a whole apartment in Zagreb at the start of our trip for 1 night for £38. Both owners responded quickly, have many great reviews and have nice looking apartments in great locations. We are using hotels for the other two stops on our journey as they were best value.

A friend swears by AirBnb having used it in New York and Toronto and is already looking to use it for Japan later this year.

travelgran

We used Airbnb for a booking last year in India and were very satisfied. It was more a small hotel than a homestay but they were very obliging, meals were good and we had the use of a car.
Next week we're off to Sri Lanka and have booked several Airbnb homestays. The one with the longest cancellation for refunds asks for 7 days. Most are 24 hours.
We have a friend who hosts through the company and is very satisfied with how they deal with her. So I suppose, as usual, it all depends on individual experiences.
If this thread is still around I'll post when we get back!

pogofish

Given that AirBnB's seems to have discovered the key to time travel, it seems puzzling why they would want to bother with something as mundane as arranging accommodation?

Or maybe its just a sign that they are quite dishonest?

Yes, their stooging can be found on this very board - claiming to be able to book you rooms in the past.

DUKE

Some reviews I came across as I was thinking of booking.

https://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/www.airbnb.com

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i12104-k7621494-Airbnb-Help_us_make_TripAdvisor_better.html

allfrey

I have just booked a small flat for a week in the UK in an area where I could find no other self-catering accommodation. The process demands id verification which can be tricky. They want you to upload a photo of your passport or driving licence (mine does not have a photo so I assumed it would be unacceptable); give them a mobile phone number and get a verification code; and then give them your Facebook, Gmail or Linked In id and log in. I reluctantly gave them my main Gmail details but these did not suffice (probably because I do not use Google Plus). I eventually manged to get the property booked through my husband who has a Linked In account. If you are not an active Facebook or Linked In user with lots of friends, you may have problems.

squirrelchops

Yes booked OH a 6 week stay with Airbnb in Stuttgart. Excellent place- self catering apartment for 30 euros a night.