I'm never using AirBnb again! Think you have a booking? Guess again. (1 Viewer)

[northern exposure]

I know what you are saying but if they still won't return my money I'll enjoy my vacation and still go out of my way to let everyone know when I get back. This isnt haggling this is a service that kept all my money that didn't provide the service

I'm sorry if I missed that part.

What exactly is the OP asking AirBnB to do?

They canceled the room and will not return some money he paid them?

Well it's costing him $700 more for the week. If AirBnB is going to provide a service, they need to offer some guarantees and recompense when the people they represent don't live up to certain standards. I say this having NEVER used AirBnB. I'm just speaking to what y expectations would be to get me to use such a service.

This post sums up my position almost completely. We booked a trip to Hawaii in August and secured flights and accommodations then. One week prior to our arrival the Airbnb host sent this message "sorry we can not host you". He had sent multiple messages earlier in the week requesting flight details,etc. Now we had to scramble to find other accommodations and are paying prices like people that left their trip planning to the last minute ($700 more for the week in a lesser property).
Airbnb says they will issue a full credit for the canceled booking, but it will take up to 15 business days for us to see it. We have already had to pay in full for the replacement booking.

 

[northern exposure]

Hypothetical:

I find a guitar on Ebay I want to buy.
The price is $500.
I buy it.
Next day I get an email that says, "Sorry, we've had an issue with the guitar, and we're no longer able to sell it to you."
They refund the full purchase price of the guitar.

Do I have recourse with Ebay?

I don't think that comparison is valid. Not getting that guitar doesn't potentially leave you homeless for a week in another state, cost you an extra $700 not to be, and cause you extreme stress right before a major trip.

Exactly. The hypothetical isn't even close to a similar situation.

 

[northern exposure]

Agree that the OP should totally move on...in time. First be pissed/shocked, second get another hotel or condo what have you secured preferably VRBO does this if it’s in their policy (I thought this was how it worked), third get the company to make good if their service wasn’t met (if the fineprint says this is acceptable than I guess move on but this seems extremely screwed up).

Plenty of time left to enjoy vacay, OP hasn’t even gone yet. Still have the joy of dealing with the airport

Totally agree once you step foot on the island resist any urge to compare the new place or think that somehow this impacts what you are now doing. Don’t do anything but maybe a joke or two at VRBO’s expense while drinking a Chi Chi poolside.

The important question now is which island are we going to? @northern exposure

We are going to Oahu.

 

[jamny]

Never used it and never will.

This is a bad take. Airbnb or vrbo allow you the opportunity to not just stay in a downtown location and let’ you explore way more locations than traditional lodging. We have stayed out in the middle of nowhere in Iceland at a sweet house and at an Alp side house in Switzerland. Or even more simply a house along the shore of Lake Michigan or a place that was completely surrounded by Zion national park.

It sucks when **** goes sideways but the small percent chance that it does is worth the risk

We like hotels and usually stay at the best ones there are. Love the experience and service. Not a bad take, just a difference of opinion.

 

[Sand]

work with the owner directly, off platform

That can go very badly.

Hasn’t yet. But you’re correct.

I remember before ABNB this was the only way. I rented an apartment in Rome for a week through slowtrav (forum for Italy travel). Did more due diligence than otherwise, but things worked out well.

 

[Sand]

Never used it and never will.

This is a bad take. Airbnb or vrbo allow you the opportunity to not just stay in a downtown location and let’ you explore way more locations than traditional lodging. We have stayed out in the middle of nowhere in Iceland at a sweet house and at an Alp side house in Switzerland. Or even more simply a house along the shore of Lake Michigan or a place that was completely surrounded by Zion national park.

It sucks when **** goes sideways but the small percent chance that it does is worth the risk

We like hotels and usually stay at the best ones there are. Love the experience and service. Not a bad take, just a difference of opinion.

When doing short stays or arriving at odd hours hotels are the way to go. Staying for a week in one spot? Then a rental like this can make a lot of sense. I just put them in different usage classes.

 

[ChiefD]

Agree that the OP should totally move on...in time. First be pissed/shocked, second get another hotel or condo what have you secured preferably VRBO does this if it’s in their policy (I thought this was how it worked), third get the company to make good if their service wasn’t met (if the fineprint says this is acceptable than I guess move on but this seems extremely screwed up).

Plenty of time left to enjoy vacay, OP hasn’t even gone yet. Still have the joy of dealing with the airport

Totally agree once you step foot on the island resist any urge to compare the new place or think that somehow this impacts what you are now doing. Don’t do anything but maybe a joke or two at VRBO’s expense while drinking a Chi Chi poolside.

The important question now is which island are we going to? @northern exposure

We are going to Oahu.

Sweet.

Make sure you hit Pearl Harbor if you've never been there before.

 

[the moops]

I’ve never understood the complaining of the cleaning fees. It’s just part of the total. I’m choosing based on the total price, I don’t care what structure makes up that total.

So is any other hidden fee. ComplainIng about hidden fees is pretty common.

I wouldn't exactly call cleaning fees as hidden fees. Exorbitant? Ridiculous? Sure. But the fee is right there when you click on the length of stay

 

[jamny]

Never used it and never will.

This is a bad take. Airbnb or vrbo allow you the opportunity to not just stay in a downtown location and let’ you explore way more locations than traditional lodging. We have stayed out in the middle of nowhere in Iceland at a sweet house and at an Alp side house in Switzerland. Or even more simply a house along the shore of Lake Michigan or a place that was completely surrounded by Zion national park.

It sucks when **** goes sideways but the small percent chance that it does is worth the risk

We like hotels and usually stay at the best ones there are. Love the experience and service. Not a bad take, just a difference of opinion.

When doing short stays or arriving at odd hours hotels are the way to go. Staying for a week in one spot? Then a rental like this can make a lot of sense. I just put them in different usage classes.

To each their own. I'll take a week at a Four Seasons resort over a week at someone's house any day.

and I should add, we aren't rich. We are pretty well off, don't have kids and don't spend needlessly during the year. It's just that vacations are the highlight of our year and we spend well above our means for that week or two away to have the best, most memorable experience possible.

 

[massraider]

remember before ABNB this was the only way. I rented an apartment in Rome for a week through slowtrav (forum for Italy travel). Did more due diligence than otherwise, but things worked out well.

My experience with dealing with hosts offline was hilarious.
I was in London on a work trip with some colleagues, and I had already used AirBnb, loved it, had good reviews, and offered to find accommodations. They agreed, we were booking 3 bedroom places, so we are saving money.
We wanted to bounce around different areas to get a feel for the city. The boss didn't like one of my choices, as it was in Vauxhall, not in the "cool" areas. He was a bit of a tool about it, and announced he would take over the AirBnb duties, and promptly found a 3 bed in Fitzrovia for a good price. (Me: I didn't see anything in that range in east London, let alone Fitzrovia).
The host said he can waive this fee or that if they agree to cut AirBnb out, and my boss promptly got scammed for $1200.

 

[massraider]

I wouldn't exactly call cleaning fees as hidden fees

You right, it's not

 

[DA RAIDERS]

work with the owner directly, off platform

That can go very badly.

Hasn’t yet. But you’re correct.

I remember before ABNB this was the only way. I rented an apartment in Rome for a week through slowtrav (forum for Italy travel). Did more due diligence than otherwise, but things worked out well.

Same. I do as much due diligence as Humanly possible. It’s worked out for me.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

remember before ABNB this was the only way. I rented an apartment in Rome for a week through slowtrav (forum for Italy travel). Did more due diligence than otherwise, but things worked out well.

My experience with dealing with hosts offline was hilarious.
I was in London on a work trip with some colleagues, and I had already used AirBnb, loved it, had good reviews, and offered to find accommodations. They agreed, we were booking 3 bedroom places, so we are saving money.
We wanted to bounce around different areas to get a feel for the city. The boss didn't like one of my choices, as it was in Vauxhall, not in the "cool" areas. He was a bit of a tool about it, and announced he would take over the AirBnb duties, and promptly found a 3 bed in Fitzrovia for a good price. (Me: I didn't see anything in that range in east London, let alone Fitzrovia).
The host said he can waive this fee or that if they agree to cut AirBnb out, and my boss promptly got scammed for $1200.

If the offer to go off platform comes from the owners, that’s an automatic red flag

 

[GordonGekko]

Now we are scrambling to find a place to stay.

I have a house in Wailea.

You need a place to stay?

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Now we are scrambling to find a place to stay.

I have a house in Wailea.

You need a place to stay?

That’s really kind of you! We go to Maui semi frequently. We have inlaws there. If you ever want to rent it out, so I don’t have to stay with my inlaws, let me know

 

[Keerock]

Now we are scrambling to find a place to stay.

I have a house in Wailea.

You need a place to stay?

:sehr0n:

 

[Joe Bryant]

Regarding the bolded.Yes, Hawaii is very expensive and we don't appreciate an additional $700 bill one week prior to our arrival.
Regarding the second bolded statement, you make it sound far more sinister than it is.
There is already stress in our lives from jobs, families, the holidays, etc. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from all of that. We planned it since August and one week prior to our arrival, they cancel our reservations. This is additional stress we didn't need.

I'm not suggesting at all anything "sinister". Was simply going of what you wrote when you said, "I told her I intended to share my negative Airbnb experience throughout social media, on message boards, etc."

Totally understand the frustration and as I said, I'm sorry they canceled your room.

 

[Major]

I’ve never understood the complaining of the cleaning fees. It’s just part of the total. I’m choosing based on the total price, I don’t care what structure makes up that total.

I don't think anyone has a problem with the cleaning fees it's when they tell you it'll be $80/night and then you're hit with a $200 bill upon booking. I believe ABB is changing this but it was always an annoying aspect of their site.

 

[Major]

Tried to leave a review, but it appears Airbnb only allows reviews to be left after the completion of your stay. This could have happened numerous times to others and we would never know

In their reviews it should say that they cancelled your stay and how many days before the trip. I haven't used ABB in a minute but it used to tell you if a host cancelled trips.

 

[the moops]

I’ve never understood the complaining of the cleaning fees. It’s just part of the total. I’m choosing based on the total price, I don’t care what structure makes up that total.

I don't think anyone has a problem with the cleaning fees it's when they tell you it'll be $80/night and then you're hit with a $200 bill upon booking. I believe ABB is changing this but it was always an annoying aspect of their site.

The cleaning charge is right there when you click on any property. It lists the price per night, cleaning fee, and service fee. Not sure how they can make it anymore obvious.

They can't roll the cleaning fee into the per night cost, because in almost every case, the cleaning fee is a constant, regardless of how many nights you stay.

 

[Major]

I’ve never understood the complaining of the cleaning fees. It’s just part of the total. I’m choosing based on the total price, I don’t care what structure makes up that total.

I don't think anyone has a problem with the cleaning fees it's when they tell you it'll be $80/night and then you're hit with a $200 bill upon booking. I believe ABB is changing this but it was always an annoying aspect of their site.

The cleaning charge is right there when you click on any property. It lists the price per night, cleaning fee, and service fee. Not sure how they can make it anymore obvious.

They can't roll the cleaning fee into the per night cost, because in almost every case, the cleaning fee is a constant, regardless of how many nights you stay.

I haven't used ABB in a while but I'm glad they changed this. It used to really annoying booking when they'd quote you a price like $80/night on the map and it ends up being $200 once you click. It should take into account how many nights you're booking.

 

[northern exposure]

Agree that the OP should totally move on...in time. First be pissed/shocked, second get another hotel or condo what have you secured preferably VRBO does this if it’s in their policy (I thought this was how it worked), third get the company to make good if their service wasn’t met (if the fineprint says this is acceptable than I guess move on but this seems extremely screwed up).

Plenty of time left to enjoy vacay, OP hasn’t even gone yet. Still have the joy of dealing with the airport

Totally agree once you step foot on the island resist any urge to compare the new place or think that somehow this impacts what you are now doing. Don’t do anything but maybe a joke or two at VRBO’s expense while drinking a Chi Chi poolside.

The important question now is which island are we going to? @northern exposure

We are going to Oahu.

Sweet.

Make sure you hit Pearl Harbor if you've never been there before.

Thanks. I have been and so has my wife. But, our sons haven't visited,so it is on the itinerary.

 

[northern exposure]

Now we are scrambling to find a place to stay.

I have a house in Wailea.

You need a place to stay?

Appreciated. We will be on Oahu,not Maui though.

 

[northern exposure]

Tried to leave a review, but it appears Airbnb only allows reviews to be left after the completion of your stay. This could have happened numerous times to others and we would never know

In their reviews it should say that they cancelled your stay and how many days before the trip. I haven't used ABB in a minute but it used to tell you if a host cancelled trips.

If it's there, I don't see it. I don't see an option for me to submit a review either.

 

[northern exposure]

Regarding the bolded.Yes, Hawaii is very expensive and we don't appreciate an additional $700 bill one week prior to our arrival.
Regarding the second bolded statement, you make it sound far more sinister than it is.
There is already stress in our lives from jobs, families, the holidays, etc. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from all of that. We planned it since August and one week prior to our arrival, they cancel our reservations. This is additional stress we didn't need.

I'm not suggesting at all anything "sinister". Was simply going of what you wrote when you said, "I told her I intended to share my negative Airbnb experience throughout social media message boards, etc."

Totally understand the frustration and as I said, I'm sorry they canceled your room.

Thanks. I lost my temper when the first person I spoke to asked how much more expensive the new booking was and then offered a $20 credit towards a future Airbnb booking. The Supervisor then increased the credit to $200 and that's when I made the above comments. No swearing, no yelling, but I wanted to make a point.
I was dealing with Airbnb after my wife went to sleep. The Airbnb account is in my wife's name and this morning she had a message from one of the Airbnb people I spoke to. It said thanks for agreeing to accept the $200 account credit to resolve the canceled booking situation. My wife asked me if I had agreed to it and I told her that definitely wasn't the case. She replied to the message that no such agreement had been reached.

 

[belljr]

I’ve never understood the complaining of the cleaning fees. It’s just part of the total. I’m choosing based on the total price, I don’t care what structure makes up that total.

Can you check a box that gives an all in total when searching?

I don't use Airbnb but I have seen listings now showing up on Priceline for same kinds of rentals. If you sort by price it will put it in there, but you have to look at the listing to see real price. Minor inconvenience that I don't like.

I have no problem with a cleaning if its stated..... this never happened to me but some of the stories you see on line of what was involved to "clean up" were the issue. I have no issue with throw sheets in laundry room or empty trash but some of the ones listed were like "hand wash each tile floor with a toothbrush "

 

[Drunken knight]

Its perfect for a solo traveler.

If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!

Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.

It depends what they choose to charge, and when/where the choose to disclose it. We have used them quite a bit over the past 5-6 years around Lake Tahoe. Show me the fees on the first page, not at "check out." When we have stayed for a week, I can justify the cost. Having the flat fee applied to a long weekend can make it unreasonable.

Airbnb is actually making this change and is rolling out an update to show the total price (including all taxes+fees) directly on the search page.

Which will make it.....probably just about the only website in the entire country that does this.

It's always been interesting to me that Airbnb in particular takes so much flack for this when it is really an America thing, not an Airbnb thing. If you go to priceline and search flights you don't get the total price of the flight. If you go to Avis.com and search cars it shows you $30/day for 6 days = $180 and it's not until scrolling through 6 pages of checkout that you see the actual price of $320.

Airbnb even showed the total price on the first page of checkout, compared to most US websites that make you scroll through multiple pages first. It's not even limited to travel. It's literally anything. If you go to target.com you don't see the total price inclusive of tax and shipping until you're on the very last page of checkout.

In Europe most websites (including Airbnb) show the total price upfront. In Murica most websites don't show the total price until the end of the process. As far as I'm aware, once Airbnb rolls out this change they'll be pretty much the only website in the US that includes all taxes/fees up front.

Just for kicks, I did a search for a 4br in Lake Tahoe for 4 nights.

There is a link on the properties that itemizes costs (which is different from my past experiences)…. There are frequently 2 fees: a cleaning fee ($250-400), and a service fee ($400-800).

So no, I do not have issue with the cleaning fee on its own. It’s the additional service fee that changes the value for me

 

[Joe Bryant]

I'm amazed at how widespread the coverage is for Air BnB. The last two times we've visited friends where we had more people than they could accommodate, we were able to find a place 1/2 mile away that worked perfectly. I personally like a hotel too. But for convenience, Air BnB has been awesome for us.

 

[Dez89]

My host cancelled two weeks before a two-month stay and Airbnb gave me a $350 coupon.

 

[Sand]

remember before ABNB this was the only way. I rented an apartment in Rome for a week through slowtrav (forum for Italy travel). Did more due diligence than otherwise, but things worked out well.

My experience with dealing with hosts offline was hilarious.
I was in London on a work trip with some colleagues, and I had already used AirBnb, loved it, had good reviews, and offered to find accommodations. They agreed, we were booking 3 bedroom places, so we are saving money.
We wanted to bounce around different areas to get a feel for the city. The boss didn't like one of my choices, as it was in Vauxhall, not in the "cool" areas. He was a bit of a tool about it, and announced he would take over the AirBnb duties, and promptly found a 3 bed in Fitzrovia for a good price. (Me: I didn't see anything in that range in east London, let alone Fitzrovia).
The host said he can waive this fee or that if they agree to cut AirBnb out, and my boss promptly got scammed for $1200.

Yeah, I can see that. Gotta be careful. This was 18 years ago, though, so a different era.

 

[northern exposure]

My host cancelled two weeks before a two-month stay and Airbnb gave me a $350 coupon.

Did they help you find another place? Did you have to pay more for the replacement booking?

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

Its perfect for a solo traveler.

If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!

Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.

It depends what they choose to charge, and when/where the choose to disclose it. We have used them quite a bit over the past 5-6 years around Lake Tahoe. Show me the fees on the first page, not at "check out." When we have stayed for a week, I can justify the cost. Having the flat fee applied to a long weekend can make it unreasonable.

Airbnb is actually making this change and is rolling out an update to show the total price (including all taxes+fees) directly on the search page.

Which will make it.....probably just about the only website in the entire country that does this.

It's always been interesting to me that Airbnb in particular takes so much flack for this when it is really an America thing, not an Airbnb thing. If you go to priceline and search flights you don't get the total price of the flight. If you go to Avis.com and search cars it shows you $30/day for 6 days = $180 and it's not until scrolling through 6 pages of checkout that you see the actual price of $320.

Airbnb even showed the total price on the first page of checkout, compared to most US websites that make you scroll through multiple pages first. It's not even limited to travel. It's literally anything. If you go to target.com you don't see the total price inclusive of tax and shipping until you're on the very last page of checkout.

In Europe most websites (including Airbnb) show the total price upfront. In Murica most websites don't show the total price until the end of the process. As far as I'm aware, once Airbnb rolls out this change they'll be pretty much the only website in the US that includes all taxes/fees up front.

Just for kicks, I did a search for a 4br in Lake Tahoe for 4 nights.

There is a link on the properties that itemizes costs (which is different from my past experiences)…. There are frequently 2 fees: a cleaning fee ($250-400), and a service fee ($400-800).

So no, I do not have issue with the cleaning fee on its own. It’s the additional service fee that changes the value for me

so what does the service fee include - like what is it supposed to cover?

 

[Drunken knight]

Its perfect for a solo traveler.

If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!

Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.

It depends what they choose to charge, and when/where the choose to disclose it. We have used them quite a bit over the past 5-6 years around Lake Tahoe. Show me the fees on the first page, not at "check out." When we have stayed for a week, I can justify the cost. Having the flat fee applied to a long weekend can make it unreasonable.

Airbnb is actually making this change and is rolling out an update to show the total price (including all taxes+fees) directly on the search page.

Which will make it.....probably just about the only website in the entire country that does this.

It's always been interesting to me that Airbnb in particular takes so much flack for this when it is really an America thing, not an Airbnb thing. If you go to priceline and search flights you don't get the total price of the flight. If you go to Avis.com and search cars it shows you $30/day for 6 days = $180 and it's not until scrolling through 6 pages of checkout that you see the actual price of $320.

Airbnb even showed the total price on the first page of checkout, compared to most US websites that make you scroll through multiple pages first. It's not even limited to travel. It's literally anything. If you go to target.com you don't see the total price inclusive of tax and shipping until you're on the very last page of checkout.

In Europe most websites (including Airbnb) show the total price upfront. In Murica most websites don't show the total price until the end of the process. As far as I'm aware, once Airbnb rolls out this change they'll be pretty much the only website in the US that includes all taxes/fees up front.

Just for kicks, I did a search for a 4br in Lake Tahoe for 4 nights.

There is a link on the properties that itemizes costs (which is different from my past experiences)…. There are frequently 2 fees: a cleaning fee ($250-400), and a service fee ($400-800).

So no, I do not have issue with the cleaning fee on its own. It’s the additional service fee that changes the value for me

so what does the service fee include - like what is it supposed to cover?

having difficulty finding a breakdown of service fee.

 

[Tecumseh]

I’ve never had any issues with airbnb but this is going to be very dependent on the owners. Have to look at reviews and choose carefully.

I’ve also heard that fees have gotten ridiculous recently.

The first owner that canceled had very good reviews. We had been in contact since August and it was always a positive experience. His last correspondence was December 20th and then we got the "punch in the gut" email on December 23rd.

Make sure you leave a bad review on their page. Anyone else looking to book that property should know that they'll cancel last minute without notice.

It's extremely unlikely the host canceled just because they wanted to. Airbnb punishes hosts massively if they cancel without cause. They fine them in actual dollars (which they use to help rebook the guest) and more importantly on the host side they punish the host massively in the search results, such that it's unlikely the host will be able to get many more guests as no one will be able to find them.

There are really only 2 main reasons a booking ever gets canceled on the host's end. The less frequent of those is that the host sells their property and the new owner doesn't want to take their guests on. I do realize that does suck when that happens but unfortunately not much can be done about that (other than Airbnb re-booking you, which they will do), though that's probably less likely now as not as many people are selling to cash out as they were during the boom.

By far the most common reason is that something happened to the home. Because, after all, these are still homes, and **** happens to homes and this isn't a Hilton with 800 rooms on site and 15 maintenance people under contract for 4 bucks an hour.

I've only ever had to cancel on guests once, when we had a foundation issue that caused the finished basement to flood. We had to cancel a month's worth of guests to repair it. Thankfully Airbnb was able to re-book them all and they were all understanding people that were super nice. Which was nice because I feel terrible (it literally keeps me up at night) when someone's vacation is made worse by booking with me even if it was something out of my control, and selifishly I was already not feeling great after getting notified of a pending $40,000 repair bill alongside $10k in revenue lost to the cancelations. It was a rough month.

Frankly I think covid was the worst thing to ever happen to Airbnb because it brought too many hotel travelers, with hotel expectations into the industry. They want a 6br house for $300/nt ($50 per couple!) with a kitchen and a game room and a heated pool and get pissy when they have to put that dish (that they don't even get at a hotel) into the sink.

I'm not really sure where things are going to head now with Airbnb being a public company that has to continue to show growth for shareholders, but a large segment of new users coming in are a bad fit for Airbnb. It's a decent fit if you want...

A really cheap place that is a room in someone's home, IE crashing on the couch like the original intent of Airbnb

or

A vacation rental for multiple families or with a private pool, etc that you wouldn't get at a hotel.


It's not really a good substitute if you're looking to replace a hotel with a nice 1br place that gives you more than a hotel and at a cheaper price than a hotel and with service similar to a hotel. Homeowners and even moderately sized management companies just can't compete with hotels on reducing costs through scale and it's frankly kind of crazy to me that there are people that expect them to be able to.

I had to cancel on a guest yesterday because the weather knocked out the water. I informed Vacasa at 7:30am, and they said they’d book the guests elsewhere. 6:30pm comes around and the guests roll in. Vacasa never moved them. They were cool with me, but I felt terrible about it, even tho we did what we were supposed to do. I don’t know if/how Vacasa made it right.

 

[flapgreen]

Always had great experiences with it until I woke up one morning with a strange dude in the bed next to me.

What was their fee for this?

Wasn't listed on the receipt. I assume it was a hidden fee.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

offer to go off platform

Universal kill button for me, on any service.

 

[the moops]

Its perfect for a solo traveler.

If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!

Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.

It depends what they choose to charge, and when/where the choose to disclose it. We have used them quite a bit over the past 5-6 years around Lake Tahoe. Show me the fees on the first page, not at "check out." When we have stayed for a week, I can justify the cost. Having the flat fee applied to a long weekend can make it unreasonable.

Airbnb is actually making this change and is rolling out an update to show the total price (including all taxes+fees) directly on the search page.

Which will make it.....probably just about the only website in the entire country that does this.

It's always been interesting to me that Airbnb in particular takes so much flack for this when it is really an America thing, not an Airbnb thing. If you go to priceline and search flights you don't get the total price of the flight. If you go to Avis.com and search cars it shows you $30/day for 6 days = $180 and it's not until scrolling through 6 pages of checkout that you see the actual price of $320.

Airbnb even showed the total price on the first page of checkout, compared to most US websites that make you scroll through multiple pages first. It's not even limited to travel. It's literally anything. If you go to target.com you don't see the total price inclusive of tax and shipping until you're on the very last page of checkout.

In Europe most websites (including Airbnb) show the total price upfront. In Murica most websites don't show the total price until the end of the process. As far as I'm aware, once Airbnb rolls out this change they'll be pretty much the only website in the US that includes all taxes/fees up front.

Just for kicks, I did a search for a 4br in Lake Tahoe for 4 nights.

There is a link on the properties that itemizes costs (which is different from my past experiences)…. There are frequently 2 fees: a cleaning fee ($250-400), and a service fee ($400-800).

So no, I do not have issue with the cleaning fee on its own. It’s the additional service fee that changes the value for me

so what does the service fee include - like what is it supposed to cover?

having difficulty finding a breakdown of service fee.

I think it is something like 20% of booking cost. That is how airbnb makes their money

 

[FairWarning]

Never used it and never will.

This is a bad take. Airbnb or vrbo allow you the opportunity to not just stay in a downtown location and let’ you explore way more locations than traditional lodging. We have stayed out in the middle of nowhere in Iceland at a sweet house and at an Alp side house in Switzerland. Or even more simply a house along the shore of Lake Michigan or a place that was completely surrounded by Zion national park.

It sucks when **** goes sideways but the small percent chance that it does is worth the risk

Not sure it’s a bad take vs what you’re comfortable with. I live on Lake Michigan and the horror stories I hear from owners, hard pass for me. I get the popularity of them, and get calls from management companies wanting to buy my house.

 

[FairWarning]

I'm sorry they canceled your room there.

FWIW, I've had nothing but super positive experiences with AirBnB.

But I think I also see it more like a connection service putting me in touch with the person with the room. I see them less as a hotel and more of a matchmaker.

I know you're not asking for advice but if it were me, I'd move on from this. Take the money AirBnB offers and drop it and move on and put 100% of your energy into the fun and positives of having a great vacation. Hawaii is super expensive already (daughter lived in Maui for 5 years). You (and I bet everyone else) will be tons happier if you spend all your time having fun vs sweating how you can make sure you do all you can to ruin a company's reputation. Mahalo.

And of course, feel completely free to ignore.

Regarding the bolded.Yes, Hawaii is very expensive and we don't appreciate an additional $700 bill one week prior to our arrival.
Regarding the second bolded statement, you make it sound far more sinister than it is.
There is already stress in our lives from jobs, families, the holidays, etc. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from all of that. We planned it since August and one week prior to our arrival, they cancel our reservations. This is additional stress we didn't need.

Why did your deal fall thru? Wondering if the owner rented it out for more money?

 

[northern exposure]

I'm sorry they canceled your room there.

FWIW, I've had nothing but super positive experiences with AirBnB.

But I think I also see it more like a connection service putting me in touch with the person with the room. I see them less as a hotel and more of a matchmaker.

I know you're not asking for advice but if it were me, I'd move on from this. Take the money AirBnB offers and drop it and move on and put 100% of your energy into the fun and positives of having a great vacation. Hawaii is super expensive already (daughter lived in Maui for 5 years). You (and I bet everyone else) will be tons happier if you spend all your time having fun vs sweating how you can make sure you do all you can to ruin a company's reputation. Mahalo.

And of course, feel completely free to ignore.

Regarding the bolded.Yes, Hawaii is very expensive and we don't appreciate an additional $700 bill one week prior to our arrival.
Regarding the second bolded statement, you make it sound far more sinister than it is.
There is already stress in our lives from jobs, families, the holidays, etc. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from all of that. We planned it since August and one week prior to our arrival, they cancel our reservations. This is additional stress we didn't need.

Why did your deal fall thru? Wondering if the owner rented it out for more money?

We weren't given a reason, just a terse "sorry we can not host you" one week prior to our arrival. We suspect the owner was offered more than what we paid for the booking.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I'm sorry they canceled your room there.

FWIW, I've had nothing but super positive experiences with AirBnB.

But I think I also see it more like a connection service putting me in touch with the person with the room. I see them less as a hotel and more of a matchmaker.

I know you're not asking for advice but if it were me, I'd move on from this. Take the money AirBnB offers and drop it and move on and put 100% of your energy into the fun and positives of having a great vacation. Hawaii is super expensive already (daughter lived in Maui for 5 years). You (and I bet everyone else) will be tons happier if you spend all your time having fun vs sweating how you can make sure you do all you can to ruin a company's reputation. Mahalo.

And of course, feel completely free to ignore.

Regarding the bolded.Yes, Hawaii is very expensive and we don't appreciate an additional $700 bill one week prior to our arrival.
Regarding the second bolded statement, you make it sound far more sinister than it is.
There is already stress in our lives from jobs, families, the holidays, etc. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from all of that. We planned it since August and one week prior to our arrival, they cancel our reservations. This is additional stress we didn't need.

Why did your deal fall thru? Wondering if the owner rented it out for more money?

If the host is an experienced host it's VERY unlikely this is the case. Again, Airbnb is EXTREMELY punitive for host cancelations without cause like a major home issue that makes the home unlivable. They're not dumb, they know people won't trust the platform if hosts can just cancel on guests whenever they want.

They fine the host money and more importantly put them so far down in the search results it makes the place difficult to book again.

If the host canceled just because they wanted to make a few bucks more, in a place like Hawaii with as much revenue as those properties do, they'll probably lose $50,000+ for their trouble.

 

[jhib]

I guess my wife was unable to find accommodations anywhere other than Airbnb on such short notice. So she booked with another host. The place isn't as nice and we are paying about $700 more for the week. I spoke with Airbnb support. I explained the situation to the first person I spoke to and after placing me on hold, he apologized and offered me a $20 credit. I asked to speak to a Manager. She listened to my tale and again after putting me on hold, offered me a $200 credit which could be used towards our next booking.
I explained if this was our only compensation, I would never be booking with Airbnb again. I told her I intended to share my negative Airbnb experience throughout social media, on message boards, etc.
She listened carefully and said the $200 credit was the maximum she could offer. She said she would escalate my situation to another department and they would be in touch within 24 hours.

They're at least letting you use that $200 on this replacement booking, right? Because if not, and it's only for another future booking, then that's just cold.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Its perfect for a solo traveler.

If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!

Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.

It depends what they choose to charge, and when/where the choose to disclose it. We have used them quite a bit over the past 5-6 years around Lake Tahoe. Show me the fees on the first page, not at "check out." When we have stayed for a week, I can justify the cost. Having the flat fee applied to a long weekend can make it unreasonable.

Airbnb is actually making this change and is rolling out an update to show the total price (including all taxes+fees) directly on the search page.

Which will make it.....probably just about the only website in the entire country that does this.

It's always been interesting to me that Airbnb in particular takes so much flack for this when it is really an America thing, not an Airbnb thing. If you go to priceline and search flights you don't get the total price of the flight. If you go to Avis.com and search cars it shows you $30/day for 6 days = $180 and it's not until scrolling through 6 pages of checkout that you see the actual price of $320.

Airbnb even showed the total price on the first page of checkout, compared to most US websites that make you scroll through multiple pages first. It's not even limited to travel. It's literally anything. If you go to target.com you don't see the total price inclusive of tax and shipping until you're on the very last page of checkout.

In Europe most websites (including Airbnb) show the total price upfront. In Murica most websites don't show the total price until the end of the process. As far as I'm aware, once Airbnb rolls out this change they'll be pretty much the only website in the US that includes all taxes/fees up front.

Just for kicks, I did a search for a 4br in Lake Tahoe for 4 nights.

There is a link on the properties that itemizes costs (which is different from my past experiences)…. There are frequently 2 fees: a cleaning fee ($250-400), and a service fee ($400-800).

So no, I do not have issue with the cleaning fee on its own. It’s the additional service fee that changes the value for me

so what does the service fee include - like what is it supposed to cover?

“Owner costs”

 

[Orange&Blue]

Never used it and never will.

This is a bad take. Airbnb or vrbo allow you the opportunity to not just stay in a downtown location and let’ you explore way more locations than traditional lodging. We have stayed out in the middle of nowhere in Iceland at a sweet house and at an Alp side house in Switzerland. Or even more simply a house along the shore of Lake Michigan or a place that was completely surrounded by Zion national park.

It sucks when **** goes sideways but the small percent chance that it does is worth the risk

We like hotels and usually stay at the best ones there are. Love the experience and service. Not a bad take, just a difference of opinion.

When doing short stays or arriving at odd hours hotels are the way to go. Staying for a week in one spot? Then a rental like this can make a lot of sense. I just put them in different usage classes.

To each their own. I'll take a week at a Four Seasons resort over a week at someone's house any day.

and I should add, we aren't rich. We are pretty well off, don't have kids and don't spend needlessly during the year. It's just that vacations are the highlight of our year and we spend well above our means for that week or two away to have the best, most memorable experience possible.

We have 3 kids and being able to stay at a house instead of a hotel is worth the cleaning fee for us.

 

[Zegras11]

Never used it and never will.

This is a bad take. Airbnb or vrbo allow you the opportunity to not just stay in a downtown location and let’ you explore way more locations than traditional lodging. We have stayed out in the middle of nowhere in Iceland at a sweet house and at an Alp side house in Switzerland. Or even more simply a house along the shore of Lake Michigan or a place that was completely surrounded by Zion national park.

It sucks when **** goes sideways but the small percent chance that it does is worth the risk

We like hotels and usually stay at the best ones there are. Love the experience and service. Not a bad take, just a difference of opinion.

When doing short stays or arriving at odd hours hotels are the way to go. Staying for a week in one spot? Then a rental like this can make a lot of sense. I just put them in different usage classes.

To each their own. I'll take a week at a Four Seasons resort over a week at someone's house any day.

and I should add, we aren't rich. We are pretty well off, don't have kids and don't spend needlessly during the year. It's just that vacations are the highlight of our year and we spend well above our means for that week or two away to have the best, most memorable experience possible.

We have 3 kids and being able to stay at a house instead of a hotel is worth the cleaning fee for us.

the savings on meals, especially breakfast and lunch is tremendous, instead of eating out.

Just two adults is not the prime ABB market at all.

Families with kids and family get togethers where two or more families get together is.

we had a 6, 8, and 12 bed places. The 8 bed place was constantly full. You'd get a couple with a kid, and aunt from Chicago, and an uncle from LA all coming in for the game, wedding, graduation, or vaca and they get to have family and meal time under one roof at a huge food savings. That was by far the #1 type of booking we had in running ABB for 2 years.

 

[northern exposure]

I guess my wife was unable to find accommodations anywhere other than Airbnb on such short notice. So she booked with another host. The place isn't as nice and we are paying about $700 more for the week. I spoke with Airbnb support. I explained the situation to the first person I spoke to and after placing me on hold, he apologized and offered me a $20 credit. I asked to speak to a Manager. She listened to my tale and again after putting me on hold, offered me a $200 credit which could be used towards our next booking.
I explained if this was our only compensation, I would never be booking with Airbnb again. I told her I intended to share my negative Airbnb experience throughout social media, on message boards, etc.
She listened carefully and said the $200 credit was the maximum she could offer. She said she would escalate my situation to another department and they would be in touch within 24 hours.

They're at least letting you use that $200 on this replacement booking, right? Because if not, and it's only for another future booking, then that's just cold.

No, the $200 can't be applied to our replacement booking. They said it could only be used for a future booking.

 

[BassNBrew]

Spent an hour on the phone with AirBnB and then submitted paperwork explaining that our tenants were illegally subletting a rental home. Sent them a copy of the lease showing their "host" was a tenant and that gov't records showing the actual owner of record. I explained that the tenant would be evicted and their guests wouldn't be able to use the home they were paying for. All we asked them to do was remove the listing and they declined saying it was between us and the tenant. Tenant has now been evicted and locks changed....hope their guests enjoy their stay in the driveway.

 

[northern exposure]

I'm sorry they canceled your room there.

FWIW, I've had nothing but super positive experiences with AirBnB.

But I think I also see it more like a connection service putting me in touch with the person with the room. I see them less as a hotel and more of a matchmaker.

I know you're not asking for advice but if it were me, I'd move on from this. Take the money AirBnB offers and drop it and move on and put 100% of your energy into the fun and positives of having a great vacation. Hawaii is super expensive already (daughter lived in Maui for 5 years). You (and I bet everyone else) will be tons happier if you spend all your time having fun vs sweating how you can make sure you do all you can to ruin a company's reputation. Mahalo.

And of course, feel completely free to ignore.

Regarding the bolded.Yes, Hawaii is very expensive and we don't appreciate an additional $700 bill one week prior to our arrival.
Regarding the second bolded statement, you make it sound far more sinister than it is.
There is already stress in our lives from jobs, families, the holidays, etc. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from all of that. We planned it since August and one week prior to our arrival, they cancel our reservations. This is additional stress we didn't need.

Why did your deal fall thru? Wondering if the owner rented it out for more money?

If the host is an experienced host it's VERY unlikely this is the case. Again, Airbnb is EXTREMELY punitive for host cancelations without cause like a major home issue that makes the home unlivable. They're not dumb, they know people won't trust the platform if hosts can just cancel on guests whenever they want.

They fine the host money and more importantly put them so far down in the search results it makes the place difficult to book again.

If the host canceled just because they wanted to make a few bucks more, in a place like Hawaii with as much revenue as those properties do, they'll probably lose $50,000+ for their trouble.

You keep defending Airbnb hosts, but the facts don't support your claims. No mention was made that the place was unlivable and that was the reason for the cancelation.
Airbnb support told both my wife and I that the host was being penalized financially for the last minute cancelation. They also told my wife they would be investigating and "blocking his calendar" was the phrase they used. The host is an experienced host because his reviews date back to 2016.
It's unfortunate that this "bad" host's actions reflect badly on Airbnb and may cause trust issues for good hosts like yourself, but that may be the case.

With regard to "They're not dumb, they know people won't trust the platform if hosts can just cancel on guests whenever they want."
Airbnb is looking pretty stupid to us at the moment. This is exactly what happened to us. I will never use the service again and, once we return from our vacation, I'm going to insure I broadcast our awful experience to others. I wish someone had warned me about the potential for this last minute host cancelation before it happened.

 

[northern exposure]

Spent an hour on the phone with AirBnB and then submitted paperwork explaining that our tenants weren't illegally subletting a rental home. Sent them a copy of the lease showing their "host" was a tenant and that gov't records showing the actual owner of record. I explained that the tenant would be evicted and their guests wouldn't be able to use the home they were paying for. All we asked them to do was remove the listing and they declined saying it was between us and the tenant. Tenant has now been evicted and locks changed....hope their guests enjoy their stay in the driveway.

Should the bolded be "were", not weren't?

 

[BassNBrew]

Spent an hour on the phone with AirBnB and then submitted paperwork explaining that our tenants weren't illegally subletting a rental home. Sent them a copy of the lease showing their "host" was a tenant and that gov't records showing the actual owner of record. I explained that the tenant would be evicted and their guests wouldn't be able to use the home they were paying for. All we asked them to do was remove the listing and they declined saying it was between us and the tenant. Tenant has now been evicted and locks changed....hope their guests enjoy their stay in the driveway.

Should the bolded be "were", not weren't?

Yes...thanks and corrected.