It is funny but you know there is an invention to the problem you just mentioned: It is called a "Hotel". For cost conscious people it is called a "Hostel" or a "Guest House".
The reason Airbnb is cheaper is because users are running afoul of the laws and possibly taxes.
Have you checked the Airbnb listings? Very little people are sharing their places. Most of the people are running this as a business. Many of them are not either there and delegate the key to another third-party.
It is a mess. And I'm not against it (I'm not a legal citizen of every country). But it is not fair to have registered hotel who comply with rules and pay taxes. And have Airbnb. You'll have to pick.
One of the reasons Airbnb is cheaper than hotels is that fraud and safety costs are passed on to guests and hosts. This is part of the business model. Once you build all the protections people want, you may find yourself at the same prices hotels were charging, and that's not very unicorn.
Airbnb can be cheaper if you don't mind sharing a bathroom and all other common areas, which is usually what people are comparing. That's somewhere between a hostel and a hotel, though.
If you want the same privacy you'd have in a hotel room, it will be about the same price if you're looking at a place in Manhattan and comparing it to one of the less expensive boutique hotels. Not to mention the fact that every single 'whole apartment' listing on AirBnb in NYC that doesn't have a proper license is operating illegally.
I think this one is pretty key. For the first couple years when AirBnB started, they were almost always cheaper than hotels, even for whole places. Of course, a lot of that was their fees were lower and they weren't paying taxes. I can almost find better deals at hotels now.
I don't deny you can get cheaper hotels rooms than airbnb rooms. nonetheless, I have visited Japan, US, Caribbean and in many cases the airbnb proposal is way better for the same money.
As a counter to that, I don't know the last time I stayed in an AirBNB and it was cheaper than a local hotel. Rather I was forced into it by people I was traveling with.
You can frequently get a room on AirBnB for a lot less than 20% off the price of a hotel. Often you're getting prices that are comparable to a bunk in a hostel, but for a private room instead. 20% taxes are not enough to account for this. The actual difference in price is due to changes in the capital and labor structure. Lots of people are renting out spare rooms that would have otherwise been empty, spending a few extra minutes making beds they would have made anyway.
"In my experience Airbnb isn’t even cheaper, just has more “interesting” housing available."
I still, can not wrap my head around this. The idea behind airbnb was to rent out unused parts of your house. You STILL can not do this. Motel 6 is cheaper all day everyday. I will keep giving my $80 to Motel 6, but, I KNOW there is someone out there that has a room and needs $80. The original problem still exists. I can't pay $120 + $30 in cleaning fees, plus do your house chores Sarah.
The reason Airbnb is cheaper is because users are running afoul of the laws and possibly taxes.
Have you checked the Airbnb listings? Very little people are sharing their places. Most of the people are running this as a business. Many of them are not either there and delegate the key to another third-party.
It is a mess. And I'm not against it (I'm not a legal citizen of every country). But it is not fair to have registered hotel who comply with rules and pay taxes. And have Airbnb. You'll have to pick.
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