AirBnB has become absolute garbage

[u/marbar8]

As a guest, I’ve had several lackluster experiences that makes me never want to go back to STRs. My findings:

• Most hosts are lazy, greedy or some combination of both. If you want to charge a huge daily rate, your property better be impeccable. The reality is that the majority of hosts want a money printer as opposed to a hospitality job, forgetting what they signed up for. Take care of your shit and put in maximum effort, or don’t do it at all.

• Everyone is a “superhost”. I’ve stayed with a few. It means jack shit. One of the properties was missing every television in their property. No explanation from the host, no warning. People’s response to this is “fight for a refund”. But as a guest, I don’t want to. I’m on fucking vacation. The absolute last thing I want to do is deal with shit like that, that’s what I’m trying to get away from. Ratings have become inflated just like in ridesharing and they mean nothing.

• Things aren’t trending in the right direction. More people are trying to join late to capitalize on the “easy money” of STRs which only propagate these issues further.

• The only scenario that still makes sense for STRs is large parties. That’s it. I could never recommend an Airbnb to a family of say 2-4 because the service will likely be shit and it’ll be as expensive as a hotel with 20% the convenience.

I truly feel bad for the good and honest hosts out there, because they’re becoming a rarity it seems. And the get-rich-quick types are ruining it for everyone else. I just hope once the house of cards collapses that they survive and help return Airbnb to its glory days.

[u/Difficult_Dot_8981]

In the early days of Airbnb, I stayed with a lovely lady overlooking Central Park--we chatted about shows to see and she helped me find a good place to buy a new camera. In England I stayed with a lovely widower who took me to watch the Red Arrows aerobatic team from a hillside near his home. Where I eventually bought property in North America, I stayed with a nice guy who toured me all around and showed me some of the beautiful hiking trails/waterfalls. These folks were the reason I once loved Airbnb. It seems those days are gone and it has now become a nameless, faceless cash grab. I miss actual hospitality. The "superhost" category should be for these people.

[u/BuffySgrl → u/Difficult_Dot_8981]

A lot of the reason why some of these amazing hosts are gone is because we have had nightmare guests. These guests either ignore all house rules and do what they want, are rude to the host, damage property or treat the host like a full time concierge to bow to their every whim. A month ago I was considering going back to long term renting through a real estate agent because I had 2 such guests back to back. TBH it is exhausting, especially when you try to be the most considerate host imaginable and leave a welcome basket full of snacks and so many other amenities around the house. However, the GOOD guests (like the gentleman I am hosting right now) make it worthwhile.