Imagine waking up each morning to a view of Florence’s famed Duomo from your bed. Or counting the gargoyles on Notre Dame Cathedral from your couch. How does sipping a glass of wine on your own private rooftop terrace overlooking the expanse of Athens at sunset sound? These are all real experiences you can enjoy, all at a fraction of the price of a hotel, by learning to use Airbnb strategically.
Vacation apartment shares have been transforming the travel industry. Since coming on the scene just under a decade ago, Airbnb has become the fastest growing home sharing service in the world. Don’t get me wrong, I still love hotels and they certainly have their time and place. But adding Airbnb to my travel toolbox has opened up experiences I never would have had otherwise.
The idea of renting some stranger’s apartment usually inspires one of two reactions in people: an excitement of the possibilities to escape the confines of the traditional travel industry and embark on a more local experience, or a wariness of being taken advantage of and a fear of not understanding how to protect oneself.
Is It Really Better than a Hotel?
As much as I love Airbnb, one of the reasons it has been a good experience is because I’ve made strategic decisions when and where to use it. In some cities, it’s the only option I consider. Hotels in Paris can be prohibitively expensive, particularly if you want to stay anywhere centrally. The sheer numbers of Airbnb rental options in the city, however, keep rates competitive, even in the prime neighborhoods.
In some cities, however, a hotel may well be a better choice. In areas with a less developed tourist infrastructure, finding established hotels that can offer a “sure thing” may be much more attractive. Other cities might provide a taste of luxury for a much more competitive price. For example, when planning a trip to Panama City last year, the minute I discovered I could stay at the Ritz for the same cost of many Airbnb apartments, the choice of luxury over local authenticity won out.
The real difference, in the end, comes down being clear about the experience you are looking for. In Bangkok, I felt that, because the entire trip was going to be such a new cultural experience, the comfort and familiarity a hotel offered as a much needed refuge after long days of exploring and adventure really appealed to me. In Rome, however, having a kitchen at my disposal made my exploration of the neighborhood market a much more fulfilling experience and saved money because we had breakfast and coffee at home each morning.
In the past three years, I’ve stayed in ten Airbnbs across the globe. Each has been a great experience, and a few have turned into some of the most memorable parts of the trip. From the Venetian flat with sweeping views of the lagoon, to the artist-chic one-bedroom in Paris’ Marais district, where we stayed was just as incredible as any individual thing we did in those cities.
The success I’ve had is more than just luck. It takes planning and analysis to find the apartment that’s best for you, with the lowest risk of disappointment. Here are some of my tips for maximizing your Airbnb experience.
“Entire Homes” Are the Best Way to Go
Assuming you are not a 20 year old backpacker, my guess is that you are hoping for more to your vacation accommodations than a couch to crash on and a place to store your bags. If that assumption is correct, then you should start your housing search by checking only the box for
“Entire Homes,” which guarantees you have the place all to yourself. The options of “Private Room” or “Shared Room” put you in someone else’s place, sharing the space with them. While I’m all for getting to know a new culture and meeting new people, I can do that without sharing a bathroom with them. Limiting your search to an entire home will get you results ranging from a tiny studio apartment to a multi-level house, all to yourself.
Use Other Filters to Find those Amenities that are Really Essentials for You
Now that you know which listings you’ll have all to yourself, it's time to refine that list. Airbnb’s search function offers other filters that will limit your search based on minimum number of bathrooms, bedrooms, or actual beds. While these help you decide on whether the space is right for you, there are over 20 other amenity filters that can also limit your search results to things that are key to your comfort. I always check off wireless internet, because having access is vital for making reservations, doing research on the area, or sharing photos on social media. Other amenities, like an in-unit washer and dryer, can be very helpful if you want to pack less and stay longer. If you’re traveling in winter or headed to a mountain getaway, maybe the in-house fireplace is something you’d want to be sure you get.
What to Look for in Descriptions
Each listing includes a written description of the apartment. Those that provide little to no additional information are a huge red flag. If hosts can’t be bothered to try to sell their places to me, I can’t be bothered to rent them. Those that are well done, typically provide you with a lot of information that you wouldn’t be able to glean from the pictures alone. Does the building have an elevator, or is it a five-floor walk-up? How far is it to the nearest public transportation? Are there restaurants and shops just outside the front door or is it a quiet, residential area?
Dissect the Photos So You Know What You Are In For
Some listings are better than others in terms of giving you a visual of what you’d get if you booked the apartment. While the hosts are likely not professional photographers, the quantity and quality of the photos they use says a lot about them as hosts and about how honest the listing may be. If the listing says it has two bedrooms, make sure you see photos of two separate bedrooms. Take a look at the beds. Are they real beds, or is it a pull-out couch or converted day bed? While those options may be fine for you, make sure you understand what you’re getting before you show up and find a surprise you weren’t expecting.
Use the photos to help develop a layout of the apartment. Where does that door go? Is there a picture of that other room somewhere in the photo slideshow? If not, what are they hiding in that room? My general rule is that if the photos (and the reviews, which I’ll talk about in a moment) leave me with unanswered questions about what I’m getting, this likely isn’t the apartment for me. Hosts that have put in the time to clearly show you what they offer have pride in their space and are demonstrating a commitment to being a good host. If they can’t be bothered to put in time to sell their property as a place you would want to stay, how can you
trust that they’ll show up with the keys on time? Or answer a text if you can’t figure out how the water heater works? While just having good photos doesn’t guarantee any of these things, it does indicate they are more likely.
Finally, photos are key for the one amenity that many people find to be most appealing, but for which there is not a search filter option: a great view or outdoor space. Typically, photos are the only way to get this information.
Read the Reviews!
The real tell, however, is the reviews by other guests. All Airbnb guests are encouraged to provide a review of their stays, immediately after their visit. This is the best way to learn from the experiences of others. Here you get insight into some of the things that made or broke someone else's stay. Comments like “great water pressure” or “the bed was as hard as a rock” can give some invaluable quality-of-stay information. Reviewers can also provide gems of information that the host really can’t say for herself, such as how friendly the host is or the special ways that the host accommodated a challenge the reviewer ran into. A huge warning sign for me are reviews that complain about the host showing up late to turn over the keys or not living up to promises they made in the listing. Your trip is too short to have to deal with such problems.
While a single negative review may not be the end of the world – we all know there are horrible travelers out there who won’t be satisfied with anything – steer clear of those with a pattern of concerns or mediocre experiences. There are plenty of options that have nothing but great reviews, so it’s a renter’s market in most cities.
Airbnb also posts an automatic review anytime the host cancels someone’s reservation before the trip began and says how long prior to the start date it was canceled. If you’ve put a lot of time and effort into choosing the best accommodation, it can be a real disappointment—and a potential crisis— if the host rips that away from you just before you arrive. While life happens and there could be plenty of good reasons a listing was cancelled, if you see a listing with more than one of these in the past two years, that’s a red flag.
While reviews are specific to each listing, some hosts offer more than a single property. In such cases, even if a particular listing is new and has no previous reviews, if the reviews of the hosts' other properties are stellar, there’s a good chance this listing will measure up as well.
For all of these reasons, I generally make it a rule not to book with listings that have no reviews. While everyone needs to start somewhere, I’m a bit reluctant to be the test subject. The exception is a listing that has no reviews, but which is listed by a host who has great reviews from other properties she may own. If the listing and photos give me enough confidence in the property and the host reviews elsewhere make me comfortable with the owner as a responsible person, I’m willing to book an untried apartment.
Communication Is Essential
After you pull the trigger and book someplace to stay, communication with your host is critical to having a good experience. Let’s face it, staying in someone’s home requires some coordination. You can’t just show up on the doorstep and expect that all will be well. Good communication need not mean a ton of back and forth emails, but it does mean having a clear idea of next steps.
Some hosts manage their own apartments, while others may engage a management company or a family member to help with facilitating the apartment entry process. Any of these can be fine, just be sure you have a telephone number for someone you can contact when you need to. Good communication also means being a considerate guest. If you set an estimated meet-up time but your inbound flight was delayed by an hour, be sure to call or send a text message before you get on the flight so your host isn’t waiting for an hour wondering where you are. I always make it a point to text my hosts when I get my bags at the airport, so they have a sense of how far away I truly am. They tend to really appreciate the fact that you are considerate of their time too.
There Are No Guarantees in Travel
In the end, whether you book a hotel or a rental apartment, nothing is for certain. That’s part of the risk and reward of travel. The good thing about Airbnb is that they have a very responsive Resolution Center for clearing up disputes. If something goes wrong with your booking while you are there, they may not be able to resolve it in the moment, but your chances of getting your money back are pretty high, assuming you didn’t create the problem. The key to everything is your history of being a good communicator. Texting and emailing your host through the Airbnb app will ensure that all communications are clear and documented, should you ever need to share them with the Resolution Center. And in the end, just as with a hotel, if you are ever unhappy with the resolution, you can contact your credit card company and have them dispute the charges on your behalf.
While nothing is a sure bet, if you follow these tips, your chances of a stress free rental that adds to your experience are much greater. Happy travels!
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