Don’t forget the hidden cams. That’s part of why we don’t use AirBNB.
I have no idea how I forgot one of the creepiest reasons, thank you.
Or the owners deciding to stay with you.
I’ve seen so many stories of this happening that it almost seems to be the norm.
Well wasn’t the whole point to temporarily rent empty rooms at first?
Pardon me, what?
Stopped using them once my girlfriend and I found a hidden camera.
Sueing was much more stressful than just getting a regular hotel. Never again.
That is sickening. How did you find the camera?
If that happened to me I am not sure I would ever leave my house again.Turn off the lights and use your phone camera and look for a dim light. They usually have an infrared bulb to see at night.
Not all phone cameras pick up the infrared. and not all spy cameras can see in the dark. So while doing this as a preventative measure is good, please don’t let it lull you into a false sense of security.
Most phone cameras have IR filters, indeed!
Almost no front-cams have IR filters, though. So if anyone reading this tries this, use your self-facing camera.
I have a habit of using a flashlight to go to the toilet in hotels or unfamiliar places, so I don’t stub my toe or other stupid stuff when doing the nightly toilet sleep walk.
So I grab the flashlight, point it around and notice a glint from the ceiling fan. The ceiling fan didn’t have an IR remote so it didn’t make sense and yup, sure enough it was a little lens that conveniently pointed towards the bed.
Fun thing: We actually signed a waiver that the house uses cameras, since there were a view regular ones on the perimeter for security, which seemed logical. That asshole really tried to play the “but you signed that you’re okay with being filmed” card.
Look for things that point to the bed or shower that don’t need to. Fire alarms, lights, and chargers are common options. Check Amazon for common options. Also try shining you phone flashlight on them, lenses will reflect well and must be exposed obviously. They may be tucked into holes, but they still have to see something.
Airbnbs also encourage property owners to hold on to real estate for short-term rentals exacerbating the housing shortage in North America.
But, capitalism, right?
I remember when AirBNB was new and they were giving talsk at various tech conferences. The buzz and excitement for what it could ecome was great. The person presenting at the local PyCon I was at used it to get local accomodation for cheap.
Then the greedy landlords with multiple property-portfolios got involved and it turned into yet another money making gig for everyone and his auntie. It’s turned to shit as do so many things when the lust for money overtakes it.
Every startup trys billing themselves as a new, sexy tech company, even when they’re not. It looks good to venture capitalist investors. Uber is the same way. They’re a transport company, not the next google.
AirBNB’s can also be a real problem for the local renters who actually live where the tourists want to go.
It’s so funny how it’s all come full circle. I’m back to using hotels and taxi cabs now. How crazy I would have thought that sentence 10-15 yrs ago.
Have taxi cabs started embracing apps yet? The best thing about Uber/Lyft when they started was that you didn’t have to make an actual phone call to a company and request a cab and then be told to wait ~30 mins for one to show up.
I say this as a partier who used cabs weekly for over a decade.
That being said, agreed on the hotel. I only use Airbnbs for group trips where we’re all trying to stay together. If it’s my husband and I, I’ll rack up those Hilton Honors points while not needing to do anything pre-check out please (though we never leave the room gross. Trash is always left in the trashcans and the used towels are always in the bathroom specifically).
That I’m not sure. I think they have but it must be annoying if every different cab company has their own shitty app that is nowhere near as good as lyft. We mainly use them for airport runs, so it’s not really a big deal not having an app. Scheduling them in advance is fine with us, and they’re just waiting at the airport when we get home, so no need for an app or a call.
Folks that rent an Airbnb are often wanting more than a boring room (full kitchen, yard, washer/dryer), which is still without a doubt vastly cheaper than any hotel.
Sure there are shitty hosts with ridiculous rules, but those are things you should be researching in advance to paying.
I have stayed at Airbnbs across 4 states and four countries; other than one of them being cancelled due to plumbing issues, we have not had a single problem and each time it was far cheaper (~40%) and had more options than hotels.
Same here, I’ve been to Airbnbs in about 10 countries (all in Europe) and never bad a problem. Usually cheaper and more flexible than a hotel in the same area.
I’ve never had any trouble regarding cleaning fees or whatever.
I think the most crappy expirances are in the US ans some high traffic areas.
You can usually tell by reviews and crazy rules. I once tried to book in Italy and was asked to bring my own linens. So that was a no.
In general there is deals to be had, but a little common sense goes a long way.
So far I haven’t had any bad experiences at an Airbnb, but I only ever rented them because they were cheaper than a hotel room, and I refused to get one that shares a space with the owner.
I just recently booked a hotel room because the Airbnb prices are through the roof. I can check in to the hotel at midnight if I want, and they actually serve free breakfast unlike an AirBedNBreakfast…
Not all of them are that bad. I’ve had nothing but good experiences in the UK and EU. Often times cheaper per person than a hotel too. And you get left alone, don’t need to deal with cleaners or what not.
Parts like this make me think airbnb is only shit in the US. I’ve never had those crazy cleaning bills or other hidden fees.
Yeah, seems like a US meme. And if an AirBnB room is priced the same as a hotel room (which is possible if you don’t filter by price), why would one pick AirBnB?
I personally prefer airbnb when traveling in big groups so we can actually hang out together a bit better, cook for one another, have a big table to play board games and a space to drink before going out that isn’t just sitting on each others beds. If I’m just traveling with my partner then yeah we usually go with a hotel but most of our European mainland holidays are in groups of 8+, so we go airbnb. Usually cheaper per head and a better space than what we’d get at a similar price for a hotel.
This. Better pricing compared to hotels is the whole point.
4 years ago all was good in Airbnb land in the EU. I used it to plan vacations, meet cool people (hosts) and find those more and more hard to find “off grid” places here.
Now they’ve become way overpriced. I tried it this year again it was just costs, added costs, more costs, more rules etc.
It was easier and cheaper to just find vacation stays through the old channels like booking.com.
Same, I’ve only ever had positive experiences with places I’ve stayed, except I’m in the US. I don’t know where everyone is going here that they’re having such awful stays. Then again, I’ve only ever stayed in places that aren’t company owned. I do several months of research before picking a place. I check reviews, fees, etc, and avoid corporate owned properties like the plague. There are no surprises with if you just take the time to look.
After my stay, I take the time to write an honest review of the property. Things that were good and bad. Not just some shitty single line “We had a great time! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”
If you find problems, report them to the owner, include them in your review, report bad actors to the site or if need be, the authorities. It’s your responsibility as a user of the platform. If you don’t, you’re part of the problem that’s dragging the platform down.
Ever tried to leave some luggage behind at an airbnb to go explore before checkin time / after checkout time? Yea, good luck with that. That’s the primary reason I stopped using airbnb again.
I read somewhere that a lot of the private equity that was used to jump start Airbnb has now been pulled back so they can generate revenue on their own.
For regular folks, this means less subsidized/cheaper rooms available now that Airbnb has to front everything versus someone propping them up.
i feel like i read this just moments ago
my provincial government finally started cracking down on Airbnb’s this summer. can’t say I’m going to miss them
They have AirBnB management companies that people can use to rent their places and those are fucking AWFUL.
I will never use AirBnB again. For my friends birthday, he wanted to go to Hawaii. I booked an AirBnB at the hotel he was at. A week before I was scheduled, the management company contact ed me and said the host cancelled, but not to worry, they had an equivalent room nearby!
So I get there, and their equivalent room was across the island over fifteen miles away (it’s Hawaii, so you must travel around the big mountain, not through it). No where near the original. I left and booked at the hotel. I contact AirBnB and their response was “Sucks to be you. We’ll ask them to waive the cleaning fee.” Like ??? Yes, of fucking course you will? I just stepped in. (Narrator voice: “They did not, in fact, waive the fee”) That was it; over $900 down the drain. Should I have validated that the company and I considered “nearby” the same thing? Yes. Should me thinking “nearby” meant the same hotel or a house within walking distance cost me over $900? No.
The idea that these Mom&Pop shops are selling AirBnB isn’t strictly true, and AirBnB is incentivized to bend over backwards and fuck over guests in favor of those middlemen management companies since they represent a large chunk of renters.
Because this really annoyed me recounting this, I actually looked at my email history. They DID NOT refund the ‘cleaning fee’ in full. Instead they offered me $75 off my ‘next adventure’ This is what AirBnB sent me:
Hi me,
This is Monica again the case manager here in Airbnb. I hope this will not be a bother for you.
While I am unable to offer you a full refund for your cleaning fee, under these circumstances, I would like to offer you a coupon of $75, half of the cleaning fee that was not refunded by your host to put towards your next Airbnb adventure as a token of our appreciation and in lieu of a refund.
I have not yet created this coupon, and would kindly ask that you reply to my email to confirm if you would be agreeable to this. As soon as I hear back from you, I will be more than happy to send you a code that will deduct $75 from your next Airbnb reservation!
So, I now post this story on every social media I can find when it reference Air BnB. Fuck them.
I feel like a credit card charge back would have been in order here, losing your AirBNB account be damned.
Yeah, I tried. The CC said it was in the AirBnB terms and conditions, which I accepted in using the service, so I had to deal with AirBnB.
Sounds like you need a better credit card provider.
I’ve never stayed in an Airbnb and I never will, but I’ve seen these management companies AirBnB-ing out hotel rooms in Vegas at places like the Rio. It’s the same price as going through the actual hotel. You still have to pay the resort fees. You still check in at the front desk.
I literally cannot understand wtf that’s about.
I’ve never stayed in an Airbnb and I never will, but I’ve seen these management companies AirBnB-ing out hotel rooms in Vegas at places like the Rio. It’s the same price as going through the actual hotel. You still have to pay the resort fees. You still check in at the front desk.
I literally cannot understand wtf that’s about.
I prefer hotels too. Too many horror stories with airbnb.
Meanwhile me in a £20/night shit hostel
