Rethinking Airbnb: Why I’m Rarely Using The Platform In 2024

When Airbnb launched as airbedandbreakfast.com in 2008, it was a fun way to stay in the spare room of other people’s homes while paying less than a hotel. It was like a grownup version of Couchsurfing.

My first time using it was to stay in a room of an old Victorian style house in the Alberta district of Portland, Oregon. I next stayed with a nice couple who had a jacuzzi near Monterey, California.

Like most properties during the nascent rise of Airbnb, the hosts lived in these homes and you were renting a spare room – sometimes just a couch. There was an unspoken understanding between host and guests and interactions were welcomed and encouraged.

It was as much a place to spend the night as it was a way to engage with locals.

Why I’m Not Using Airbnb As Often Anymore

Today, there are 5 million hosts around the world and billions of guests arrivals every year. It has changed the travel landscape in both good and bad ways. I use it, but not nearly as much as before.

No doubt, Airbnb is still a great way to find unique stays around the world, but competing platforms have caught up in terms of similar listings, and the higher prices have made it a less attractive proposition than before.

On top of that, I’m starting to find more instances of complications during my stay. From remote only interactions via messaging, checking-in/checking out procedures to cleaning instructions in addition to the cleaning fees, using Airbnb just requires more effort nowadays.

What I Use Instead of Airbnb

In the last 2 years, I made 122 bookings. Here’s the breakdown of where I booked, usually primarily because of price or availability. Ultimately, this says a lot about my own preferences.

Booking: 86 (70.5%)

Direct: 12 (9.8%)

Expedia: 10 (8.2%)

Airbnb: 7 (5.7%)

Agoda: 6 (4.9%)

Japanican: 1 (0.8%)

Booking

I easily start my searches with Booking.com the most because they usually have the lowest prices 85% of them time, especially if you book on your phone, and a broad selection of hotels, hostels, and apartments/homes. As a Genius 3 member, I get real discounts, and some extra perks from time to time.

For example, I was able to book a special offer for the stunning Sophia Castle View overlooking the caldera in Santorini for around $180 when it much higher everywhere else including booking directly.

Direct With Hotel

My direct bookings with hotels have dropped in the last few years.

Sometimes booking directly will be cheaper, but surprisingly, this is not always the case. I’ve had a few hotel receptionists tell me to extend my stay through Booking.com instead because it’s cheaper with the platform discounts than their desk rate.

More importantly, I’ve shown up to two places at night I booked over the phone, only for them to tell me that there was no reservation under my name and no availability. There was nothing that could be done.

With an OTA (Online Travel Agency), if it’s the fault of the hotel, they will usually require the hotel rebook you into a comparable accommodation.

If I do book direct, I try to avoid doing it over the phone or via text, unless they can provide written confirmation.

Expedia

Expedia usually focuses more on hotels and can be better in some regions like the US, but 8 out of 10 times, the prices are higher for the same hotel compared to Booking.com. It’s still worth checking out.

Airbnb

If I’m traveling with people, I will search on Airbnb for homes, but more to see if there are unique stays that are exclusive to the platform. However, in the last few years, I’ve noticed that hosts have also started to include their previously exclusive Airbnb listings on Booking.com – and for many times it’s actually cheaper on Booking.com.

Agoda

Agoda used to have the most competitive prices for certain regions like Asia and the Middle East, but nowadays it’s rare that their final price is lower than Booking.com unless there are promo codes. I also don’t like the multi-step “hack” of having to re-check for accommodations on Google to potentially get a lower price.

Airbnb Has Gotten Expensive And Annoying

Properties on Airbnb can be just as nice if not nicer than some hotels and having more space or a kitchen can be important. It definitely is for me sometimes. Of course, the prices reflect this.

And prices on Airbnb have risen enough that it’s no longer an attractive selling point.

Unfortunately, the higher prices are not always justified when you don’t have the same services and amenities of a hotel, like the common areas, pools, gym, front desk, and security.

I’ve had many good experiences, but I’m starting to encounter more issues and annoyances.

Pay A Cleaning Fee But You Always Have To Clean After Yourself

A particular gripe I have is when a host leaves behind a checking-out cleaning procedure, even when they are charging a cleaning fee.

I’m not going to trash a place, but if I’m paying a cleaning fee, how much more cleaning is required? Is the line drawn at washing my cups and dishes, taking out the trash, airing the place – or is it ok to require me to remove the sheets and put it in the washer? None of which was advertised beforehand.

Host Controlled Temperature

I checked into a beautiful apartment in Seville that looked like it was built exactly for that renting on Airbnb. It looked great, but wasn’t very functional if someone were to stay for more than a few days.

When we arrived, the AC was a godsend with the heat outside, but when we tried to increase the temperature at night, we only learned after waiting an hour for a text from our host that he can change it for us. Great.

The next day, we wanted to lower it a bit during the heat of the day, and had to message our host and wait for him to do it remotely. And again at night.

Late Host And The Maid Who Broke Her Neck

Self check-in has now almost replaced most host check in. While impersonal, it makes the logistics of getting into a bit easier. However, some places still employ property managers who meet you to hand over the keys and go over stay instructions.

On one occasion, the host was late, so we waited outside the property for half an hour. Upon arrival, he genuinely apologized for his tardiness. Then he apologized that the internet company was “working” on the wifi issue but it should be up again at “some point”. And then he apologized for the sheets that didn’t fit the bed, because the maid broke her neck earlier that day.

The wifi never worked, he forgot the sheets the next day, then the laundry store was closed the day after, and finally the night before we left, we found a sheet sitting on a dirty table outside the place.

Is Anyone Home?

As far as personal Airbnb stories, the most potentially serious one was a safety issue. We were taking an afternoon nap one day when we heard loud banging on the door. We startled and waited to see what happened next when we heard the beeps of the door code being pressed.

I got up and yelled out while walking towards the door as it was starting to open and it was enough for the person to immediately close the door. I looked out the peep hole and saw a girl walking away, so I opened the door to confront her.

She turned back and immediately apologized and said she had just checked out and left something behind. We let her look in the living room and bathroom for a bit and she left when she couldn’t find her bracelet.

We were lucky it wasn’t an intruder, but it’s now always at the back of my mind that any previous guests with the same door code can enter our room.

Luggage Storage

Lastly, one important consideration for me is luggage storage. Hotels will almost always store your luggage with early arrivals or late departure. This is not always possible with Airbnb homes, and can be a deal-breaker for me.

Are Airbnb Prices Higher Than Booking.com?

I’m speaking only from anecdotal experience, but in a few instances where there’s the same listing on Airbnb and an OTA like Booking.com, the latter is usually cheaper – and with a better cancellation policy.

There’s no guarantee this will always be the case, but because of my own experience, I now will always try to look for an Airbnb listing elsewhere first to see if I’m getting the best price. I never had to do this before and now I’m encouraging all my friends to do the same.

Airbnb Is A Better Platform For Hosts

That should be all you need to know. If you read the comments across Reddit and on Facebook Groups, you’ll find that hosts prefer the protection and lower commissions charged by Airbnb.

Unfortunately, this rarely translates to lower prices for guests. Instead, hosts are just able to keep a bigger cut. And on top of that guests still pay the 14% Airbnb service fee. Hosts can choose not to charge this fee, but this would come out of their cut.

So, logically, hosts can just increase the price to account for this.

Airbnb Normalized Cleaning Fees And More

Needless to say, every hotel room requires cleaning between guests. Until Airbnb came around, this was an unquestioned part of the service and price.

Well, homes are different than hotels.

Sure, you can easily argue that a multi-room home will require a deeper cleaning job than a single hotel room. But, so do villas and larger suites at high-end hotels and resorts. And this is reflected by the higher prices – I’ve never seen a cleaning fee as a separate line item.

This only became a thing because Airbnb charges hosts a service fee on the nightly rental price, but not on add-ons, like a cleaning fee and extra guests.

In turn, hosts started listing a lower nightly rate and offsetting that with a higher cleaning fee or extra guest fees.

The problem is that whether you stay for 1 day or 1 week, the fee is the same and it could be quite high.

Airbnb’s Complicated Fee Structured Encourages Hosts To Gamify Their Fees

Hosts are given the option to “split” the service fee or not charge one at all. Typically guests will pay around 14% on top of the nightly rate and hosts might pay 3-16% on a booking – but not on add-ons like cleaning, extra guests, flexible cancellation, etc.

As a result, it encourages hosts to charge more fees while having a lower nightly price

In an ideal world, the total price to the guest would be the same, regardless of how its split up. But this is not usually the case. I was fed up when I once looked at a one night stay for $100 with fees and taxes coming out to an additional $120.

Airbnb Has A Relatively Stricter Cancellation Policy

While the cancellation policy will vary by property, in general, I found them to be more generous on other OTAs compared to Airbnb.

I recently found a booking for 2 months out on Airbnb, that only allowed a partial 50% refund immediately after booking and no refund 6 weeks out. The same property was hundreds cheaper on Booking.com and offered free cancellation until up to 6 weeks before.

What Are Your Experiences?

Tell me about your experiences with different booking platforms. Are you still using Airbnb as much as before?

Looking for more travel inspirations? Scroll through some of the 450+ experiences on my bucket list. Maybe you’ll find your next adventure on there.

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Updated on November 24, 2024