Air BnB

Does anyone else here use Air BnB? My wife and oldest used it last year to rent a carriage house in DC for a week and I'm using it to rent a place with some friends in Madison for two days for the Great Taste of the Midwest.

Two of the three hotels within walking distance of the Great Taste (no parking, no driving available at the festival, walk or cab only) are booked up, the other (a Sheraton) is charging $250/night, which I just will not pay in Madison, Wisconsin.

So I went on Air BnB and found what looks like a great alternative. Its just east of downtown, a long walk or very short cab ride to the festival. An old victorian home with a third floor apartment, ac'd, two bedrooms, about $200/night with all fees included. So a friend and I are going to share it, only $100/night/person.

I really like this service. I've not used it yet for business travel, but I think I'm going to try it sometime. Anyone else use it?

Pappers


I have never heard of it till now so I'm no help. But thanks for the link man that's pretty cool... I might have to try that out when I travel.

Cheers
Jay

Jaybird said:

Pappers


I have never heard of it till now so I'm no help. But thanks for the link man that's pretty cool... I might have to try that out when I travel.

Cheers
Jay

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The carriage house my wife and stayed in while in DC was a great situation. Half the price of a hotel in the DC area (which is outrageously expensive for hotels), for a private, lovely place within walking distance of Capital Hill.

I'm headed to Asheville NC for a beercation with some friends in November. I'll look here for lodging ideas. Thanks!

Pappers_ said:

The carriage house my wife and stayed in while in DC was a great situation. Half the price of a hotel in the DC area (which is outrageously expensive for hotels), for a private, lovely place within walking distance of Capital Hill.

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Ohh man that's killer! I am going to have to play around on that site for sure.

Bookmarked!

Cheers
Jay

I know a lady who rents out her apartment in Chicago during festivals on there. She charges a couple hundred a night for the place with laundry and all included.

I used it for a week vacation in london and it was awesome. So easy to setup and get in and cheaper than hotel. For personal travel, I would definitely use it again.

For work, I will continue to stay in hotels so I can get my points.

The only issues i've heard about it are if you have a problem or a complaint. Otherwise, my Sister & BIL seem to love it. We've always relied on Tripadvisor and Priceline.

I just found out the people that live 3 houses away from me rent out a room on AirBnB and have for over a year... Love it!

love AirBNB

used it for 3 different places in Europe last summer and had great results with each. much cheaper and provided much more space/amenities than hotels.

the map feature is really nice for locating the property and proximity to attractions etc.

also was great peace of mind using them as the intermediary for payments and being able to read reviews on the property and the host

I've been looking into this as well, as my wife and I are planning a trip to Paris next Fall (2014). While it looks great on paper, I did notice that there were a LOT of bad reviews when you googled (air bnb reviews). Everything from people losing their money, to owners not showing up, etc. Now I'm worried because unlike vrbo or homeaway, there is no actual policing of payment (from what I've heard). Whereas if someone stiffs you on vrbo or homeaway you can contact the site and they can refund your money, that doesn't happen on air bnb because it's JUST between the seller and renter. I'm afraid to take the plunge at this point...

JeffoC6 said:

I've been looking into this as well, as my wife and I are planning a trip to Paris next Fall (2014). While it looks great on paper, I did notice that there were a LOT of bad reviews when you googled (air bnb reviews). Everything from people losing their money, to owners not showing up, etc. Now I'm worried because unlike vrbo or homeaway, there is no actual policing of payment (from what I've heard). Whereas if someone stiffs you on vrbo or homeaway you can contact the site and they can refund your money, that doesn't happen on air bnb because it's JUST between the seller and renter. I'm afraid to take the plunge at this point...

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That's not the way payment works, at least domestically. You pay air bnb when you make the reservation and airbnb pays the host 24 hours after you check in. If something isn't right when you go to check in, you contact Airbnb and the host doesn't get paid.

I don't have any firsthand experience with dispute resolution on airbnb but that seems pretty safe.

Pappers_ said:

That's not the way payment works, at least domestically. You pay air bnb when you make the reservation and airbnb pays the host 24 hours after you check in. If something isn't right when you go to check in, you contact Airbnb and the host doesn't get paid.

I don't have any firsthand experience with dispute resolution on airbnb but that seems pretty safe.

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Interesting. Maybe the reviews I read were older. I wonder how it works internationally though. I'd love to use this for when we go in 2014, but I'm a little nervous at this point. I obviously still have time to plan/decide, so maybe the more positive reviews I hear the more I'll come around to the idea.

JeffoC6 said:

Interesting. Maybe the reviews I read were older. I wonder how it works internationally though. I'd love to use this for when we go in 2014, but I'm a little nervous at this point. I obviously still have time to plan/decide, so maybe the more positive reviews I hear the more I'll come around to the idea.

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we used air bnb in Rome, Florence and Munich and all payments were handled by AirBnB - we only worked out logistics with the owners/hosts no payment was ever given directly to them.

We had no need to dispute anything so I cannot comment on how that works

I made sure to contact each host a few times before the trip to reconfirm dates and details, meet up times/locations etc. They all provided me with their cell phones.

from their FAQ page https://www.airbnb.com/help/topic/173

The Guest Refund Policy is available to all Airbnb guests who have booked on the site, no matter the destination they’re traveling to or their country of residence. The Guest Refund Policy is not insurance and does not replace your traveler’s insurance. Make sure you review and understand the terms of your insurance policy and what it covers and does not cover. Full details are found in the Airbnb Policy Center.

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terrapinj said:

we used air bnb in Rome, Florence and Munich and all payments were handled by AirBnB - we only worked out logistics with the owners/hosts no payment was ever given directly to them.

We had no need to dispute anything so I cannot comment on how that works

I made sure to contact each host a few times before the trip to reconfirm dates and details, meet up times/locations etc. They all provided me with their cell phones.

from their FAQ page https://www.airbnb.com/help/topic/173

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Thanks for this. It just seems too perfect, ya know? I mean, all of the places in the pictures look amazing, have great locations, and seem so affordable. To boot, basically ALL of the reviews of each place are positive. It's nice to hear that people have had good experiences with it though. And that policy has me feeling a little more confident in using the site.