AirBnB Troubles?

[sidis 9,823]

1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Don't discount that a lot of mid tier hotels are now building new properties with kitchens and basic restaurants.  

I know someone who stayed at an AirBnb where the owner was constantly adjusted the thermostat via Nest.  It was in the summer and she would turn it down to 72 and the owner would then turn it back to 78.

for research purposes, is it safe to assume from your experience that high-end escorts have a preference for hotels over short term rental arrangements?

cameras and such?

fwiw, i have also really soured on airbnb/vrbo of late as well.  last few experiences have left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth despite being an OBSCENELY respectful guest (primarily because i am an obsessive compulsive clean freak) and usually peoples' places are in substantially better shape when i leave than when i get there...

Edited June 29, 2023 by sidis

[deadshank 24,652]

3 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

As posted in the Real estate thread, ignore anything Nick Gerli posts. He literally posts wrong information all the time. 

[YGIFS 19,449]

3 minutes ago, Deej said:

Search queries for "Plano bang house" just shot up on PornHub. 

All I'm getting is a buncha realtors with a gun fetish.  What another word for "bang"?  

I remember there was an apartment where I was living in grad school that I was sure had a half-dozen young asian women living in it.  And older dudes would come and go.  This was before most of us knew what human trafficking was in its current iteration.  But somebody still has to legit sign the lease, and sign for utilities, and give their license plate number, and all that.  Big risks.  With STR, all you pretty much need is a CC# and the rest you can just make up.   Great, more nightmare fuel.  

[Brothahorn 10,087]

Speaking of cameras.  True story.
I stayed in an airbnb in Nashville for a conference at the convention center.  I didn't stay in the hotel for two reasons.  One is that the prices are insane for conferences.  Two the last thing I want to do is be around a bunch of conference attendees after the conference.
I stayed in a studio apartment about a 20 min walk away. The owner looked to be mid 20's and pretty damn good looking. This was clearly her home as most of her stuff was there. My guess is she leaves her place and stays with a boyfriend or friend and makes some easy coin.  
I had returned to the airbnb and wanted to watch a game on the TV and went looking for the remote.  Wasn't on the TV stand.  So I opened the left drawer.  Filled with thongs.  Closed it.  Opened the right drawer.  Filled with bras.   My review said something to the effect of "midtown was very respectful of my things"  which I assumed meant the camera did not show me sniffing her thongs.   

[Brisketexan 105,061]

Also, another positive of staying in an AirBnB flat when traveling in Europe is that the walls are often thinner/less soundproof than newer hotels, and/or you're among other flats where people keep their windows open at night.

And due to those factors, we've heard some SERIOUS banging going on in adjacent/nearby flats over the years.

So that's a plus for AirBnB.

[Doc Sam Beckett 5,792]

Stayed in a houseboat on the Seine, which was incredible. An apartment in the middle of Barca was equally awesome, but probably would have been better without the ol battle axe involved. Every other Airbnb has been meh. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,508]

from what I can tell, Airbnb has recently responded well to protect their guests with changed policies or changes to the website. I imagine that some Airbnb hosts are not happy with the changes and/or they see their reservations plummet. If hosts can’t handle more transparency or competition, then they should look to get out.  There isn’t a profit guarantee, and sometimes business have to operate at a short term loss. 

[Biff Tannen 45,665]

2 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

 

 

Is the VRBO quality significantly better? Thinking about using it when we go to Virginia.

 

 

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

I honestly think it's 6 to one, half dozen the other. Most of the properties that are available for rent are listed on both services. I've found VRBO to be a bit less intrusive, and never have had any requests for "do the laundry." I think VRBO is a bit more "corporate" that way, and there's less of poeple renting out their own apartments and such for the weekend, that kind of thing. But realistically, it's like comparing carmax to autonation, who gives a shit, right?

SydneyCarton is mostly correct.  Many hosts/property managers do list on both platforms.  That said, Vrbo tends to be larger homes in more vacation type places (beach homes, mountain cabins) where ABB tends to be more urban.  Vrbo doesn't allow hosts to rent "shared spaces" or single rooms in a home, where ABB does.  You will also find more places on ABB that are the host's primary residence (apartments and such) that they rent out for single events, as opposed to straight vacation homes.

 

1 hour ago, midtown said:

I've had some great Airbnb stays and I've had some not so good. 

 

The biggest issue for me these days is that as of now Airbnb has no loyalty program.  I get hundreds if not thousands of dollars in free stays and benefits with Hilton.   I think vrbo, hotels.com and one other have started a loyalty program. 

Yes, Vrbo, which is a part of Expedia (as is hotels.com) is getting folded into the Expedia loyalty program.

[Biff Tannen 45,665]

For the hidden camera issue, that has become a big legal issue over the past couple of years and it is required by law that no cameras are allowed inside and that all exterior cameras be disclosed in the property description on the sites.  Not to say it can't happen, but they will get kicked off the platform very quickly if it is discovered/reported by guests.

[BabaYaga 15,288]

I can't believe how much crap is stolen from these places.  We were looking to enter the market and just from a few cursory forums the horror stories were wild.  Not just small items like utensils, etc. but electronics, TV's, even furniture.  The recourse process is so long and arduous that many say they factor it in to the cost of doing business.  

[Judge Roybeanbag 11,819]

I haven't used AirBNB for a few years.  My only complaint with VRBO is having to either purchase the required insurance, or put down a huge deposit.  Also people who reserve a place and then cancel in the period before they owe anything.  

[Biff Tannen 45,665]

4 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

I haven't used AirBNB for a few years.  My only complaint with VRBO is having to either purchase the required insurance, or put down a huge deposit.  Also people who reserve a place and then cancel in the period before they owe anything.  

The damage insurance is set by the host, if they want to require it, but there should be almost no one left asking for an up front deposit.  That has been sunsetted for a while.  The most common now is that they keep the card on file for incidentals, just like hotels.

[Hook1997 5,351]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

I keep thinking he’s someone’s sock account but no I think he’s just that dumb.  

Edited June 29, 2023 by Hook1997

[Judge Roybeanbag 11,819]

4 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

The damage insurance is set by the host, if they want to require it, but there should be almost no one left asking for an up front deposit.  That has been sunsetted for a while.  The most common now is that they keep the card on file for incidentals, just like hotels.

Good to know.  The place we VRBO'd this past weekend, the host still had it as a requirement.  The only reason it's an issue with me is the card I use for stuff like that has a hard limit on it (to avoid getting scammed) and the deposit usually hosed that up.  I'd have given her a hard time for being a fat chick from Bay City, but she and her husband are UT grads so I tread easy.

Edited June 29, 2023 by Judge Roybeanbag

[midtown 3,345]

1 hour ago, Orange&White said:

Does the data show this to be an AirBnB issue or a short term rental issue?

Are all STR portals experiencing 50% drops in revenue or is it just AirBnB?

I would think that the increase in numbers of STR options would cause a decrease in AirBnB to go along with their higher fees and every other negative brought up in this thread.

But I don't see that equating to a "wave of forced selling" of STR properties.

The wave of forced selling probably has a lot to do with the amount of leverage in a lot of these STRs.  Lack of revenue combined with even a small decrease in value could cause some selling

[Aqua Buddha 14,582]

1 hour ago, sidis said:

for research purposes, is it safe to assume from your experience that high-end escorts have a preference for hotels over short term rental arrangements?

cameras and such?

fwiw, i have also really soured on airbnb/vrbo of late as well.  last few experiences have left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth despite being an OBSCENELY respectful guest (primarily because i am an obsessive compulsive clean freak) and usually peoples' places are in substantially better shape when i leave than when i get there...

Correct.  AirBnb's have nosy neighbors.  Hotels don't care.

Only once have I seen someone in an AirBnb.  We were in one of the kids bedrooms.  He had a Bible on his desk or something.  Kinda hot/kinda awkward.  

[atomheartbevo 89,626]

9 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I think there’s lots driving this, but anecdotally— I kissed AirBnB goodbye a long time ago. It’s no longer cheaper than a hotel but it’s always way more complicated. Most of the hosts are assholes who want the money of the hospitality industry without being hospitable. Getting a resolution is nigh-on impossible. In Europe booking.com is a FAR better experience.  I could see going AirBnB for certain very special situations like a month-long getaway but for family vacation travel, it’s just not worth the hassle and the bullshit rules hosts have in place for the price.

I still like the concept a little bit somewhat, but ultimately we found a few places on AirBnB that we liked in New Mexico and along the coast and a place out by Fredericksburg, and in a couple of cases, talking to the owners, they gave us their business cards/personal contact info and we deal with them directly now.  

[Aqua Buddha 14,582]

4 minutes ago, midtown said:

The wave of forced selling probably has a lot to do with the amount of leverage in a lot of these STRs.  Lack of revenue combined with even a small decrease in value could cause some selling

This.  They could also throw them into the traditional rental market.

There was and is a fundamental misunderstanding by AirBnb owners of the industry they're in.  They think they're in the landlord/real estate business but they're really in the hospitality business and those are completely different.  Unless your property works as an actual vacation rental in a spot where people vacation, it's generally useless.  

[YGIFS 19,449]

I don't know who'd be insane enough to buy SF homes in Austin right now given market costs plus interest rates just to own them as STR's.  but people are still doing it.  Good news is I suspect a large number of SF homes will start to hit the traditional rental market or just be sold, good news for those wanting to access Austin real estate to actually live in.  But it's gonna take 1-2 years to sort out. 

Back of the envelope math on my neighbor's apartment buildout so the main house can now be exclusively STR.  They spent at least $500k on the build, plus another $200k on the main house in upgrades.  that's also gonna mean another $5k in property taxes at least.  And they borrowed at the absolute rate peak several months back.  They're gonna have to charge at least 30% more to offset all that.  In a market where rates are coming down 30%.  I can't hear the music or parties from here so it's none of my business but at some point they;re gonna stare out the window and like Gob Bluth say, "I think I've made a huge mistake."  

[CooterBrown 18,003]

3 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

This.  They could also throw them into the traditional rental market.

There was and is a fundamental misunderstanding by AirBnb owners of the industry they're in.  They think they're in the landlord/real estate business but they're really in the hospitality business and those are completely different.  Unless your property works as an actual vacation rental in a spot where people vacation, it's generally useless.  

I think a friend of mine made this mistake.  She's an excellent realtor and has a dozen rental properties. A few years ago, she decided to enter the AirBnB game but due to house location, which was great for a long-term rental, it never, ever rented. A 3/2, completely remodeled and nicely furnished but it would only occasionally rent to a family that was visiting relatives the vicinity. Pretty sure that to date she's never made back the furniture expenses from rental fees but did okay selling it at the height of the market.  

 

[midtown 3,345]

[HonkeyVape 107]

2 hours ago, midtown said:

I also think that regulations will continue to make short term rentals illegal in more and more places.  I want to say I saw a snippet of Dallas banning them. 

Dallas did last month I think, and Plano is either thinking of it or doing it as well. It's a nuisance in neighborhoods is the idea.

Personally, I never saw the value in AirBnB's but it does make sense the way Brisket said it-- if you are traveling with a large group and need 3 beds, etc.

My personal calculus was always use Marriott/Bonvoy in order to stack points that my company pays for, with all my business travel, and then I turn around and use points for free stays for family/personal vacations.

I've gone to Disney World 3x with free rooms at the Marriott property (Dolphin/Swan) on site, multiple trips to the beach in San Diego and LA for free, free stay in Ft. Walton / Destin, etc. Couldn't get that if I were using AirBnB's.

[HonkeyVape 107]

1 hour ago, BabaYaga said:

I can't believe how much crap is stolen from these places.  We were looking to enter the market and just from a few cursory forums the horror stories were wild.  Not just small items like utensils, etc. but electronics, TV's, even furniture.  The recourse process is so long and arduous that many say they factor it in to the cost of doing business.  

Different market (but similar idea), I had a buddy get his car stolen he was renting out on Turo. The renter just never returned it and never was heard from again and he had to file a stolen car, it was a huge pain in the butt, etc. All over a Jeep Wrangler.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,975]

AirBnB is the way to go when traveling in Mexico, especially if you are off the beaten path. We've stayed at some pretty nice places for cheap that way. In smaller towns, it may very well be the only way to find a place unless you already know somewhere to stay.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,508]

29 minutes ago, midtown said:

tangent. I'm assuming you didn't create this but what an ugly graph. Can't stand when people decide to display every irrelevant # on a graph. /data viz rant over

[midtown 3,345]

I didn't create it the same analyst whose research started this thread did.  I'm sure data scientists love this shit

[Js1 85,275]

8 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

tangent. I'm assuming you didn't create this but what an ugly graph. Can't stand when people decide to display every irrelevant # on a graph. /data viz rant over

[zman13 178]

This guy says the first guy is full of shit:

 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,975]

Did you even read the first reply to this thread?

[Samson's Wig 3,191]

I wish that short-term rentals were going away, but they're not.  The two quickest solution to affordable housing in most cities would be to ban short-term rentals and ban entity ownership of residential properties.   Alas, neither will ever happen in most places.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11,819]

Timely thread, someone mentioned this upthread, just got this email:

Quote

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Edited June 29, 2023 by Judge Roybeanbag

[MrBig 5,378]

Even if revenue from Airbnbs is down, it’s only down because it is coming off a ridiculously high peak.

Airbnb’s are owned at such a low interest rate, it’s not very hard to break even with competitive pricing. 

 

[HonkeyVape 107]

21 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

I wish that short-term rentals were going away, but they're not.  The two quickest solution to affordable housing in most cities would be to ban short-term rentals and ban entity ownership of residential properties.   Alas, neither will ever happen in most places.

Not so sure about that. You might see the tide shift, it's starting in Texas: 

Dallas approves new rules banning short-term rentals in single-family neighborhoods: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2023/06/14/dallas-was-still-mulling-short-term-rentals-into-the-late-night-no-vote-by-9-pm/

 

Plano City Council votes to issue temporary ban on new short-term rentals

The city has been looking into enacting an ordinance on short-term rentals due to crime concerns.: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/plano-city-council-votes-temporary-ban-new-short-term-rentals/287-b6b6b028-3f98-43ee-aef0-89e1e9e84b5d

[YGIFS 19,449]

We did get notice from the owners considerably closer to us that they will be doing 12 nights a year of vRBO (2 ACL and Formula1), so we had to sign off on that being within x# yards from their backyard.  The HOA asked for any concerns, we all said the same shit---just keep the music down after 10pm, lots and lots of small kids in this 'hood.  But I had to be a Karen and add one more thing, I don't care if they use 'em during their stay, but I have to look at another abandoned e-scooter for 3 months, that's an issue.  Somebody left one in the neighborhood park playscape fenced area for like 3 months after SXSW.  The vans don't botherr traveling all the way into our 'hood to charge them so they just sit there.  I finally activated it, rode it the coffee shop and left it there.  /csb    I'm sure that's gotta be a major headache for areas with lots and lots of STR.  

Guy showed me the rental rates and the chunk that he gets to keep.  Did the math, yep those 12 nights cover, almost to the dollar, his property tax bill.  I was tempted but wife reminded me of the time we did this when Formula 1 came to to down 10+ years ago.  Took us two fucking days to get all our personal shit moved and locked up.  Wasn't worth it, but that was when rates were probably half of what they are now, maybe less than half.  

[UT_OB1 2,217]

3 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

I can't believe how much crap is stolen from these places.  We were looking to enter the market and just from a few cursory forums the horror stories were wild.  Not just small items like utensils, etc. but electronics, TV's, even furniture.  The recourse process is so long and arduous that many say they factor it in to the cost of doing business.  

And sometimes people for a “small gathering” get in a fight with each other and use an SUV to ram a truck through your garage door, and when the cops show up people are just streaming out of the house. 
 

Got a quite a few fun stories. It’s a pain sometimes, but if you can just get through it you realize you have something to laugh at later on. 

[Biff Tannen 45,665]

42 minutes ago, MrBig said:

Even if revenue from Airbnbs is down, it’s only down because it is coming off a ridiculously high peak.

This is also true.  Covid caused the vast majority of STRs to have record years in 2021 and 2022.  2019 is the measuring stick now.  

[C-Man 27,184]

8 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Don't discount that a lot of mid tier hotels are now building new properties with kitchens and basic restaurants.  

I know someone who stayed at an AirBnb where the owner was constantly adjusted the thermostat via Nest.  It was in the summer and she would turn it down to 72 and the owner would then turn it back to 78.

That's when you open up all the windows when you leave for the day

[fattyflattie 4,639]

14 hours ago, AUS-97HORN said:

I used ABNB three times.  First time was on a trip to Nice, France, when my company way paying for most of the trip, but I spent a few extra days there., Everything went really well.     2nd time was the Cal game in Cali where I went to Napa Valley, that Wed/thurs. everything went really well.

3rd time ended up with me ever using them again.

cant remember if it happened in 2018 or 2019, but I prebooked a nice Dallas studio loft condo in downtown from a SUPER-RENTER (or whatever they fuck they are called he'd had something like 500 reviews for that place) for the Fri/Sat of ou about 50 weeks or so before the game. ridic cheap, like $110 a night plus another $100 cleaning fee.  

Got the ABNB confirmation.   Host basically wanted to confirm with me that I mean to make a reservation a year in advance. I confirmed, he asked me some basic questions why I was booking early, I said I was visiting friends (truth, but no the full truth), and all was cool.

about July or Aug the host emailed again, just to make sure I was still planning on making the trip.  Yep. Cool.

I hear nothing again until Sunday before ou, and the ABNB rules said that my host should contact me a week beforehand to give key pick up info.  dont get that, so I email the host that sunday asking for pickup details. Nothing.

email the host on Monday, asking for  key pickup info. Nothing.   Email Tues morn, Nothing.  finally chat with ABNB on Tues night, give the story, say Ive heard nothing.  They attempt to contact host.  nothing.

I call ABNB support on Wed, they cant get the host. and now I start worrying  They tell me they have options if the host goes silent... but meanwhile the ABNB people cant get him.   Finally on Thurs morning,  ABNB tell me the host "forgot" I had reserved the room, and that "it was under emergency repairs and the room was unavailable this weekend"... even though ABNB confirmed it was rented 2 days before.[we all know what happened, the host rented the room for $$$$ privately because it was TX/ou]

ABNB support was beyond useless.  They said, no problem, we will give you 10% off another ABNB host that shows available Friday/ Sat in Dallas the day before... LOL, of course the only open ABNB spots were mega party lofts.  8-15 people could stay.     Priced at $800-2000/ night

I point out that I fucking agreed to a ~$330 stay.  ABNB cust service keeps trying to imply that "they will make it right" but they REFUSE to fucking give me any sort of hard answer what that means.  I flat out ask them if I book the cheapest party loft, will I be paying $110 a night?

THEY REFUSE TO ANSWER YES OR NO.   We go back and forth on email and chat and my blood pressure is fucking rising by the minute.  They keep telling me to just book the loft and they will work with the new host to get the price "reasonable"   UH  fuck that.

finally go onto Expedia, find a sketchy motel about 5 miles SW of downtown for $80/night use the shit out of Uber/Lyft and make the best of the situation.

I sent a scathing CC email to all of their CXO's and Board Members. ABNB never followed up, never apologized, nothing.

never again.

This is the kind of thing that would tempt a lesser man to rent a month later, and accidentally have some legitimate “emergency repairs”.  

[TornACL 7,698]

I have never had a bad experience with AirBNB but I do laugh after a successful stay and I leave a good review.... The owners always respond and basically praise me and my party for not being giant pieces of shit.

"we also had a great experience, his group didn't leave any empty whiskey bottles in the trees or break any of our windows!"

[conVINCEd 21,469]

It’s been a while, but if we do Airbnb it’s the cousins pitching in for a 5+ bedroom place when someone is getting married.  Last time we did that was in Folly Beach, SC and we ended up with an oceanfront place for $150/couple per night fees included.  We were there for 5 days.  The math doesn’t work for shorter stays or smaller groups.  I’ve used them 5 or 6 times and never had a negative experience.

Edited June 30, 2023 by conVINCEd

[troph 24,781]

23 hours ago, gofuckyourself said:

Airbnb only needs to offer the unique getaway or large home options on a lake, etc.

Anyone staying at a "luxury" apartment at The Domain or a room inside a generic neighborhood 3 bed 2 bath house are out of their minds. 

Depends on the purpose. We are driving to Colorado for a month stay.  The drive in this case requires two over nights. One in Lubbock and one in Pueblo most likely. Two hotel rooms at the comfort inn? $300. One Airbnb in Lubbock in a hood that’s just a bunch of clean lower middle class houses? Below that. Pueblo, same thing. I’m sitting on a couch watching the news, posting and doing some work while sipping on my coffee. Mundane Airbnb’s are perfect for traveling overnight. 
 

Of course the month stay is through Airbnb - what hotel is going to provide fishable river front access in Colorado and the amenities of a home for a month? None.

 

[Baboontyme 2,809]

7 hours ago, TornACL said:

I have never had a bad experience with AirBNB but I do laugh after a successful stay and I leave a good review.... The owners always respond and basically praise me and my party for not being giant pieces of shit.

"we also had a great experience, his group didn't leave any empty whiskey bottles in the trees or break any of our windows!"

Same. Always use them or VRBO unless I'm traveling solo for work. In general fuck hotels. I have discovered that with a little bit of creative googling you can often times locate the property management company's website and book through them for cheaper and better perks (access to clubhouse, pool etc). Be careful, though. Sometimes the property management company's cancellation policy can be more restrictive.

[gofuckyourself 8,203]

8 minutes ago, troph said:

Depends on the purpose. We are driving to Colorado for a month stay.  The drive in this case requires two over nights. One in Lubbock and one in Pueblo most likely. Two hotel rooms at the comfort inn? $300. One Airbnb in Lubbock in a hood that’s just a bunch of clean lower middle class houses? Below that. Pueblo, same thing. I’m sitting on a couch watching the news, posting and doing some work while sipping on my coffee. Mundane Airbnb’s are perfect for traveling overnight. 
 

Of course the month stay is through Airbnb - what hotel is going to provide fishable river front access in Colorado and the amenities of a home for a month? None.

 

Whole house Airbnb? I'll allow it.

I'm talking staying in a room Airbnb, the pseudo "bed and breakfast" situation. That's a Buffalo Bill wearing a skin mask situation just waiting to happen. 

100% on the unique location and features of a home vs most hotels.

 

[troph 24,781]

5 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

Whole house Airbnb? I'll allow it.

I'm talking staying in a room Airbnb, the pseudo "bed and breakfast" situation. That's a Buffalo Bill wearing a skin mask situation just waiting to happen. 

100% on the unique location and features of a home vs most hotels.

 

I have never shared a home with a host fuck that. A separate guest house on property sure but that’s usually some place spectacular where a studio style apt is perfect (kitchenette allowing for modest groceries for enjoying wine and cheese/salamis and a sunset on a deck etc) and hotels aren’t available.

[Js1 85,275]

18 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

Whole house Airbnb? I'll allow it.

I'm talking staying in a room Airbnb, the pseudo "bed and breakfast" situation. That's a Buffalo Bill wearing a skin mask situation just waiting to happen. 

100% on the unique location and features of a home vs most hotels.

 

I did that once.  I had an overnight in Madrid (it was like landing at 10am and flying out the next day at 9am) and I wanted to be in the city.  I literally never saw the dude the 18 or so hours I was there.  Was just a private room/bathroom in his 2 bedroom apartment. 

When I did one in Toronto, I was in their basement apartment. I could hear them upstairs, but I never saw them.  Had my own entrance and stuff.

The weirdest one was in Luxembourg City, it was an apartment in the back of a co-op art studio and one of the nights, they had some sort of Ted Talk thing that I crashed when I came back for the night.  Very weird walking in and all these Luxembourgers were like "hey, it's the American traveler!" 

But I probably wouldn't do the private room again. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Js1

[LCHorn 2,612]

19 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

AirBnB is the way to go when traveling in Mexico, especially if you are off the beaten path. We've stayed at some pretty nice places for cheap that way. In smaller towns, it may very well be the only way to find a place unless you already know somewhere to stay.

We had a pretty decent apartment in Oaxaca city for $40 a night.  Rooms at the better hotels were all $300+. 

[Js1 85,275]

Just now, LCHorn said:

We had a pretty decent apartment in Oaxaca city for $40 a night.  Rooms at the better hotels were all $300+. 

Just booked a 2 bedroom apt in CDMX with a friend in Polanco - $350 total for 3 nights. $58ish bucks a night for each of us. 

[Liquor and Poker 3,659]

23 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Don't discount that a lot of mid tier hotels are now building new properties with kitchens and basic restaurants.  

I know someone who stayed at an AirBnb where the owner was constantly adjusted the thermostat via Nest.  It was in the summer and she would turn it down to 72 and the owner would then turn it back to 78.

The AC thing happened to us in Austin but the owner had set it up to do that automatically. After 2am it just wouldn’t go below 79. Miserable.  Had another where they texted me asking us to stop closing the curtains during the day -I guess because it looked bad to them. 

Thats kind of my issue.  People are quirky and weird about their stuff.  Hotels aren’t.  The rules at a particular ABnB are often strange to the point of hilarity.   Plus I still can’t shake the feeling that I am borrowing someone else’s house.  

[Goredho 17,394]

Last experience I had with AirBnB was my last.  Was taking the fam to Austin, booked a house with a pool in Covid times so kids would have something fun to do.  4 weeks after my booking, the property owner cancels my reservation saying that the property got double booked with someone on another platform, they were first, so my booking got the axe.   He got pissed and threatened to not issue a refund when I started asking why it took 4 weeks to figure that out.  The asshole had great reviews, almost perfectly positive feedback.

Oh, well, not the end of the world, except my credit card had already been charged, it was going to take a couple weeks to get a refund processed, the trip was now a couple weeks away, and there was nothing available with a pool in the area.  We cancelled the trip.

I had other great experiences with AirBnB previously, but time, specifically leisure time with my family, is my most precious resource.  You fuck with that once, we’re done.  I’ll take less convenient, more expensive hotels because they are reliable, consistent and don’t carry the risk of fucking up my family vacation.

[kevwun 15,761]

Just about every place we have rented that has a Nest ends up being a pain in the ass because it will reset itself to their pre-programmed temp in a set number of hours.  One of the last ones we had, at least it would let you change the temp for 12 hours so we could make it through the night without it being 80.