In Australia my anecdotal experience is that hotels are ALWAYS more expensive than Airbnbs, usually at minimum $150 a night and going straight up from there. Also the benefit of having a whole house with all the facilities using Airbnb is usually far better than any hotel, though I do enjoy staying in nice hotels now and then.
Really? I prefer hotels over Airbnb. I appreciate the fact that I can instantly book any hotel room, rather than having to contact a host first. I've also not found a huge savings from Airbnb when compared to similar levels of privacy and convenience through Airbnb. Of course, each its own.
Actually in my mind, Airbnb is always more expensive than a hotel. Each trip I end up checking both options and I'm amazed at how expensive Airbnb ends up being after you add all the hidden fees.
I think the main use case is for big groups and gathering. When you want to stay with 10 people. And even then, it's still more expensive than 6/7 hotel rooms (if you come as a couple you would only use a single room).
I think Airbnb manage to convince a lot of people that they are always a better deal than hotels. I see a lot of my friends never checking regular hotels anymore.
I’ve routinely found that Airbnbs are about 1/2 the price of hotels, with more amenities and classier design to boot, no matter where I visit (assuming Airbnbs are legal there).
I consistently stay in hotels for a good portion of the year and I rarely find AirBnbs cheaper nowadays. Really the only time I stay in one is when I want to rent a big house with a large group of friends or am in a remote area that doesn't really have hotels.
I don't disagree with your point, but why would Airbnb or anyone else build a real hotel then rent out rooms for less than comparable hotels in the area? They could build a hotel and get probably $300 a night in midtown, but they won't, because they're not in the hotel business, and if they were, they would have no good reason to rent out rooms cheaply.
The appeal of Airbnb, at least for me, is that you're staying somewhere novel, in a unique place, with unique hosts who may help you have a more fun experience than a hotel would provide. For example, I've had hosts show me around the city a bit, play board games with heir guests, or even just sit around and chat about life for a bit. It has a similar appeal to the good parts of CouchSurfing with a more mature vibe.
Edit: I'm sure some people use it for not-good things, but Airbnb is more comparable to a traditional vacation rental company than a hotel company.
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.
Traveling in Australia I found the prices for nicer AirBnB listings were the same as many hotels or weekly apartments. It was easier to just check out weekly rentals posted in the window of of a realty office. Plus, in Australia the listed price is the price, whereas AirBnB drags in the obnoxious American custom of tacking on extra fees right at the very end of the transaction.
However, I will say that the one time AirBnB worked for me, the person was renting out their apartment like a hotel. She had a maid clean it up and even left me mini soaps. It was way better than a hotel.
Hotels are more reliable and organized, but I prefer AirBnB in general. I like feeling a part of the neighborhood or city, I like the home-y vibe of most AirBnBs. Hotels in contrast are a bit sterile and cookie-cutter, for obvious reasons, and some may prefer this vibe. Different strokes for different folks.
In my experience, of looking around hotels in Europe and Australia, there have always been better value hotels than airbnb apartments. All the Airbnb places were not cheap at all, and were going for the more expensive crowd. They were mostly out of the way, whereas we got some great hotels in the city.
I can't see how Airbnb isn't in a far better position than hotels. They have no fixed expenses proportional to their untapped capacity (free rooms), no cleaning staff or receptionists. Airbnb hosts, are a different matter.
I'm done with airbnb after realizing it was similarly priced to hotels but came with a ton more rules. I don't really want a 10pm bedtime when I'm out visiting friends in LA. Thanks though. At least with a hotel you can come and go as you please and not have to stress about getting there by check in time of whatever the host decides.
Airbnb is worth it if it's significantly cheaper than a hotel, but once the prices became similar imo totally not worth the hassle. With a hotel you know what you are getting upfront.
reply