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What's the value proposition of Airbnb and Vrbo for guests these days?

11 points by cooperadymas ↗ HN
I'm trying to book a vacation right now. Comparing hotel sites to Airbnb and Vrbo I'm dumbstruck. Not a single listing on these two sites is cheaper than a comparable hotel stay. For example, I can get a highly rated hotel suite with fully supplied kitchen in the same area for 25%-50% less than I can get a 1 bedroom apartment, and the hotel comes with significantly more amenities.

Half the Airbnb listings look like they're hotels masquerading as condos or apartments.

9 comments

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nickwritesit
For me, it's all about location. I rent an Airbnb/Vrbo for a week or two every summer so I can be right by a lake. But I'd choose a hotel every time for normal travel. Airbnb/Vrbo, for me, is when the house and immediate location is the destination.
logicalmonster
Something like Airbnb for renting a house is kind of convenient when you're traveling with a close group of people or something for maybe a long weekend at a lake and a hotel might not be the most convenient situation to enjoy nature, fish, swim, grill and drink beer outside, etc. A house you have to yourself is far better in that kind of scenario.

For general travel needs, hotels seem like the much better choice these days.

hw-guy
I've found Airbnb to be worth it when I need a house for a large family group, like 8 people, when we want a common living and dining area instead of 4 separate hotel rooms. Otherwise, I agree--for 2 people, a hotel room is always a better deal, especially when you tack on Airbnb's fees.
ian0
Same boat. One thing about the hotels though when your staying for-the-stay as opposed to work or sightseeing is that the food bills can rack up to more than the accommodation, swinging it in airbnbs favour cost wise.
bombcar
AirBNB was great before it went to shit and now it's just hotels rebranding in many cases.

Just like I've had Ubers that are just taxicabs also doing Uber.

The biggest advantage remaining is obscure locations and family stays where you'd like a whole house.

2rsf
Traveling in groups, or even a family of parents + teenager, requires more than one room and then Airbnb wins.

I agree that there are commercial rentals on Airbnb, some pretending to be private, but again it is a good solution for larger groups.

Personally, but this is my preference, I like the look and feel of a local place, something that most hotels can't provide.

keiferski
Airbnb is still great for the original use case, which is renting a room in someone else’s apartment. Zero hotels in NYC, London, LA, etc. are cheaper than a room on Airbnb.
saluki
We had issues with Airbnb in London the places weren't that great, we ended up paying double basically to switch out a bad location just to move a mediocre one.

Our airbnb in Edinburgh was AWESOME.

So you really have to sleuth the listings I guess. We did ask tons of questions about the bad one in London but still ended up in a bad unit.

We did find an excellent hotel in London, The Resident Covent Garden. Highly recommended.

We'll probably lean toward hotels from now on, unless we are really comfortable with the airbnb listing. And will definitely ask even more questions next time.

kevinherron
We still use AirBnB/VRBO to book a week at cabins/houses at or near ski resorts or locations that don't otherwise have hotels.

I needed an overnight this Saturday in Saratoga, though, and after a quick look at AirBnB I ended up just getting a hotel for a similar price.