Airbnb Experience
 

Flying out to HK/SIN and I booked airbnb at both places. Saving over $1K versus staying at a hotels. This is my first time booking airbnb and I'm not really sure how I feel about airbnb because of the lack of communication with both hosts.

HK - I messaged the host 3 weeks ago to confirm what the check in procedure is, tells me she will tell me 1 week before I fly. Well I'm flying in a few days and haven't heard anything. Not very communicative as well because it took the host like a week to answer how to check in, only to tell me she will tell me a week before hand. Kind of makes no sense telling me 3 weeks ago versus 1 week before hand as the procedure is the same?

SIN - On the hosting ad, the host mentioned they are available on weekends to show around places, I figured, sweet deal (less planning on my end and can chill and meet some new people while they can show me around). Very communicative when I was asking questions prior to "payment". Now that I have paid, host doesn't respond to my questions when I tried to ask about if they can show me around.

Any of you guys have communication issues with airbnb hosts?

Communications were pretty basic on my part with hosts. I send them a text to say I'm in the city/country now, gimme your key code. They send it over and likely won't hear a word from me till I check out.

it's a hit and miss with airbnb. I've used the airbnb about a dozen times and I think I had a 80% success rate.

Usually you run into issue when the airbnb owner is doing this on the side and making it a low priority.You just have to remind yourself this is not a hotel grade service, and that you will run into delay or a lack of communication with the owner.

What was the reviews for those two hosts? Usually I avoid any host with less than 5 reviews.

Both hosts have 50+ positive ratings and nothing negative.

Maybe I'm expecting too much but I don't think so though? To me, if they are going to tell me something on written communication, they should fulfill it. Same with mentioning something they will provide in their hosting ad. Otherwise, don't mention it as it's misleading.

Also it's not like the places I booked are some $50/night type of thing.

if they have all positive ratings i wouldnt be too worried.

Try to contact them before you leave again both by contact number as well as through Airbnb. I find most dont really bother in much communication until basically the day before or day of the booking

Ya in the end you should choose a airbnb that has a good rating.

I rented a airbnb in Hawaii and the host actually lives in the US, that was very annoying.

Use AirBnB when I was in Japan. Host was super nice. It was around 10pm when I arrive I didn't know which house she came out to get me. Bascially that's it. The house was share by a few people and they were all nice. Last day we all went out to a bar and drink.

Other than that we didn't communicate at all during my stay. It was cheap but the washroom was share which was fine since Japanese kept everything tidy.

Communication issues vary on different ends of the spectrum.

The best ones are the ones that actually own the place, and/or live in the space you are staying at (i.e. in the basement or main building etc.) The ones that are poor with communication are those who sublet or run multiple AirBnBs.

Of all the AirBnB experiences, the ones with the least, or minimal communication are ones who sublet and/or run a service. The best ones are the ones who live in the same city or the space you are renting out. This is only a general statement and observation, so take it with a grain of salt. I've only stayed at 5-star rated AirBnbs, and even that was a mixed bag. I've come to lower my expectations when it comes to AirBnb.

Having said that, I've been turned off by the experience overall, I don't use AirBnB anymore. This was strictly a personal preference, nothing more. This was mainly driven by business/personal requirements, having to come and go when I pleased, and not having to conform to the hosts strict guidelines and rules. If my flight landed late, and it's past the curfew, well, are you going to deny me entry to the suite/unit? Shit like that was too cumbersome. One of the wackiest rules imposed upon my stay was, "I am not a tour guide, so please do not ask me questions." :seriously:

Hate to break it to you but Hawaii is in the US :badpokerface:

Haha woops, I meant to type New York.

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Finally got in touch with the host in HK. I agree with some of the comments already mentioned in this thread. Booking hotel does save any headaches as it's straight forward, book online and show up as everything is already set to go. No need to ask questions.

We'll see how it plays out with the airbnb.

The reason i use airbnbs over hotels (besides MOST of the time cost) is that unless you have a pretty killer living room you're kind of cramped in most hotel rooms, there isnt enough "living space" i find and you're constantly having to leave to do things

While i usually dont cook regardless of airbnb or hotel, it's nice to have the amenities of a home, full fridge/kitchen, washer and dryer etc.

Most hosts will contact you a couple days or a day before you arrive. It does seem kind of last minute and sometimes I feel anxious but thats how most of them do it. Never had a bad experience with airbnb but be sure to book places with good ratings and comments.

I actually prefer the host to reside out of the city.. but thats my own personal preference. Don't want the host walking in on our epic orgies :fullofwin:

If you're using airbnb for just 1 or 2 nights while out of town would you care if it was just a room in a families house or does it have to be a whole place to yourself?

^ I've done the room thing when it's crunch time (almost no vacancy within 50 miles because of the total eclipse) and both times were pleasant...you typically get to interact with the host which in my exp felt more welcoming

my most recent airbnb experience was in a rural town in the Philippines, I was desperately trying to get out of a dirty ass cramped and loud backpackers hostel and there's basically no same-day vacancy anywhere without dropping like $400/nt, found a place had no ratings, host didn't leave a unit number on the address and the town had practically non-existent internet...so I just went looking for it...lucky the locals knew where it was...turns out super-clean and spacious, and the host was very warm

is AirBnb even worth it? seems like prices are cleaning feez etc is about the same as hotels?

Airbnb as a hotel replacement is not worth it. It's good for people who are just looking for a place to crash at night when they are traveling. It can save them tons of money vs hotel while not having to share rooms like in a hostel.

Airbnb is more about the experience. Say you are heading to a small town where hotels are located in the busier part of town. Thus, by using Airbnb (which gives you access to local residential area), you can experience the town in a different perspective.

I only use Airbnb for multi-generation or multi-family trips where you want to share a space together. Kids love it cause they can run around and discover the space with their peers. And little things like enjoying home cooking, and saving on stupid things like breakfast starts to add up. Seriously, it's criminal to pay $10+/person for ham and eggs when you can make it for a dollar as long as you have a kitchen.

In the end, it's all about the company. If there's people present that I don't want to share the space with (ie. whiny kids), I'd opt for a hotel any day. :fullofwin:

Time to chime in on my first airbnb experience.

Hong Kong - Host eventually responded the day before. Only thing that went wrong was that toilet paper ran out and the host left some by the door at the apartment, but I think someone jacked it, so I literally had to wipe by ass with tissue lol. Also got a shit load of mosquito bites even with all windows closed. Host did reimburse me some toilet paper money for the inconvenience $16 cad. I gave the host positive feedback overall.

Singapore - I haven't given this a feedback yet, since I dont even know what to do yet. Place was kinda messed up, there was ant infestation in the master bedroom and kitchen area from side wall cracks. I moved to the secondary guest room to sleep during my stay as that area was ant free. I haven't told the host the issue yet since I just checked out. I didnt want to have any confrontational issues during the stay as I was afraid they might mess up my belongings. I am going to tell them the issue and go on from there as I want to be fair to give them a chance to resolve.

Did you post pics? or at least take pics of the ants

Thanks for the feedback, never really thought about "afraid they might mess up my belongings"; which is a valid concern.

I use AirBnB for some business travel, but typically only when I'm traveling to places where hotel prices are out to lunch. Scottsdale, during auction week? Yup, I'm in an AirBnB. Pebble Beach car week? It's a toss up, some years AirBnB is cheaper, sometimes I can find a hotel last minute that's cheaper. I only do whole-place, or at if I'm in a bind a room with a private bathroom.

If you're careful about what you pick, read the ratings and feedback people leave, the experience can be pretty positive. But if they aren't responsive after I've paid, I usually try and cancel. That perks 'em up!

-Dave

I've used AirBnB in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and Hong Kong.

I would do it again in Japan and Korea; if you spend the time looking up the reviews and such you can end up with a place with great value.

I wouldn't do it in Hong Kong and probably not in Taiwan either; Hong Kong residences in general are very small and quality of construction isn't that great.

I loved AirBnB a few years back... now it's kind of expensive... almost as expensive as a legit hotel which kills the experience... except for what Spoon said above, multi-generational trips would be great at a large private AirBnB place compared to a hotel. I still check it anytime I go anywhere, but I definitely don't go that route anywhere near as much anymore.

I had so many nice hosts all over Europe and shared their lives with them in their homes and their stories of their families in those countries or how they came to be in a new country (ie: Irish guy with a house on the lake in Italy) and like Geneva I stayed with a guy who worked for the UN in a fascinating job and stayed up talking to him until 3am one night, stayed a few nights in a photography school in Prague complete with a female dummy in a red dress/wig with a "Use me but don't abuse me" sign on her... hilarious... you can't buy these experiences or have them at a hotel... however... my wife hated it, my wife doesn't care to "meet new people" or talk about stories or whatever, she doesn't like sharing space, she doesn't like not being quite sure whether the host will meet up with you or not and had a lot of anxiety and uncertainty on that side of it so I had to kind of hide that part from her. It's very personality based. I have friends on Facebook to this day of hosts that I stayed with around Europe and still keep in touch with them.

I had a problem in Venice where a booking cancelled on me last minute, they said they had flooding... who knows... it's Venice, that's definitely possible... however, AirBnB (at this time, granted it was 3 years ago so maybe they're more big business and jaded now?) stepped up and asked me where I had to re-book, which was a hotel nearby at significantly more cost... they told me to send them a photo of the bill after and they paid for my hotel! Sent me a credit for the entire thing... whoa... crazy right? As I said maybe they are too big for their own good now but that was impressive.

All in all I like it, but I notice the costs have really gone up as I mentioned above making it much less attractive than a hotel and a lot more people, especially in Asia, are listing entire buildings and taking photos of 1 suite and you notice those same pictures are in like 20 other listings... the prices are super cheap and Tokyo for example is a great deal on AirBnB compared to hotels, but it's obviously not the same unit you will end up in shown in the photos and that feels risky. Reviews are your friend though ultimately, they will tell the story more often than not although I will say even some negative reviews, much like food ones, you can just tell the person was an entitled dick that nobody could make happy... so I don't always write something off because of a bad review or 2. Sound judgement and common sense is king!

Yes, I took pictures and videos. All 50+ reviewers said the place is clean and said positive things, but I guess they are either all blind and ain't as OCD as me in terms of cleanliness.

I just messaged the host to let them know of the issue and willing to arrive at a resolution. I had to thoroughly check my luggage to ensure no ants got into my belongings for peace of mind/safety.

I could have brought it up to their attention during my stay, but I didn't want to seem like I was creating an issue part way of my stay as they might take it personally. It's different at a hotel if issues arose, they can assign you to a new room to resolve, but I didn't want the risk of being locked out or my something happening to my belongings when I am out during the day.

Still good first time experience for me since I never tried airbnb and my friends all rave about it. Now that I stayed in two places, not sure if I'll use it again.

How much were you paying? At some point, people value price over quality and that may have been why there were positive reviews.