Stayed in AirBnb once in VT, it was wonderful. It was on a family farm with horses running free, very green. They built an apartment above the shed where all the tools are . The hostess was very sweet, lived in that farm and we could reach them at any moment if needed. The only requirement was to use a compost bin when possible and use the toilet paper provided due to septic system. No chores after checking out, easy peasy. It didn’t bother the neighbors because the were none. It didnt take away from townspeople because the farm was owned by their family for over 100 years and it wasn’t an investment property. It was my dream to live on a farm for a week, it was peaceful and beautiful.
Am I the only one who doesn’t like housekeeping making the bed and switching out the towels at hotels? I will intentionally leave the do not disturb sign on for a three day stay just to make sure that things don’t get messed with 😂
You are not the only one. I worked summers doing housekeeping at a hotel in Michigan’s #1 tourist destination. That’s a lot of beds to make & towels to fold. Maybe that’s why I don’t mind doing my own
I will never use AIRBNB again. Last year was the last one. The owners just have so much demands and the places are not always clean. I am done with it and I will be using hotels from now on.
I think it’s tacky! I certainly don’t ask for my guests to wash dishes, take out trash, run the dishwasher or vacuum … just no smoking, observe quiet hrs and no partying.
I am just coming back from a trip in Spain. I stayed in quite a few hotels and Airbnbs. Airbnbs were far from perfect but I have had my worst experience at a hotel. There was a quare foot of mold behind the shower, mold stains on the ceiling, the place smelled horible, A/C didn't work. I took some picture and videos and got the hell out of there. I immeditately contacted the hotel and expedia. Took a total a 3 weeks to get a refound fighting with the hotel and expedia. I ended up making a formal complains to the oficial government email for hotel liscence in Spain and put the hotel in cc. I was finaly reimbursed the next day. So yeah, hotels can be just as bad or even worst than Airbnb. If I have a complaint with cleanliness on the day of my check in, I just contact Airbnb support and they find me another accomodation with full reimbursement on the first one. Quite a different experience than what I got from expedia. Also, if you book on expediaor booking when covid first hit you got zero reimbursement. Airbnb was the only plateform that offered full reimbursement. Its easy to complaint cause you had a bad experience, but that is just as likely to happen in a hotel. Just stay with super host and pick a place that has over a 100 reviews with an average over 4.8 and you will have a great place.
We used a VRBO condo one year on a ski trip in Park City. It was awful. The owners "cleaned it" themselves and did a TERRIBLE job. There was broken glass under the kitchen table which I found with my foot, thankfully while wearing a shoe. There were pieces of cat food scattered on the master bathroom floor. The shower had visible slime and a slippery floor. The kitchen counters were sticky.
@@barnabusdoyle4930 Acronyms, by definition, are pronounced as words. If it is not pronounced as a word, such as "YMCA," then it is an initialism, not an acronym.
We have an Airbnb in our walk-out basement. It's part of our house, but with a separate entrance and a keyed lock door inside separating it from our home. I clean it myself, don't charge a high cleaning fee, and don't ask guests to do really anything upon checking out. We live outside of a tourist city in the NC mountains. It has been a great source of extra income for our family, but definitely dropped off in busyness more recently. Our first year, 2021, was packed. Probably people wanting to get out after 2020. 2022 we made 25% less than 2021; then 10% decline in 2023 from 2022.
We are just outside of Asheville, NC. We have 3 units. It has really slowed down but I am picking up some traveling health professionals. We are very affordable.
We did this for awhile, stopped after we had kids. I didn't like the idea of strangers in my home with my children. And I was worried the kids making noise would bother our guests (but I sure as hell wasn't going to advertise that there were kids on-site...). We shifted to month-to-month rentals via Sublet, mostly picked up folks in between homes/apartments. That worked for a little, but we dropped it after awhile.
Got an air bnb for an out of town wedding in the middle of nowhere. Very sketchy area of town a nice second story condo. My now husband got locked in the bedroom within the first 5 minutes of our arrival. The host didnt answer any of our calls. My husband had to squeeze the car keys under the door so our friend and I could get a toolbox out of the trunk of his car to remove the door from its hinges and free my husband 😂
My husband and I stayed at an Air BnB for our honeymoon. We read that it was walking distance to town, it turned out to be a two mile walk and in a sketchy area. We walked into town four times and took an Uber back once. We were told we had a washer and dryer so we just packed our backpacks since we were flying. The washer and dryer was not in our apartment and the host never got back to us so we had to wash our clothes by hand along with the washcloths because we were given three for a whole week. We had a great time walking around town and the “super confortable bed” was only comfortable after sitting on the “Lucious couch”. lol. It makes for a good story. And after my review, the host stopped being a super host.
@@raniresslerthis is why honest reviews are so important. You probably saved someone from from having the same experience you did. There are so many shill reviews going around.
My sister wanted to have an Airbnb so badly. Now she complains to me about how the guests are giving her negative reviews because the coffee maker broke and Hulu kicked them off when she was watching with the same account. I informed her that if you want to run a hotel you have to make sure the guests have the services that you’ve advertised in your listing. Now she delisted her Airbnb saying it’s “too hard.” This is one of the many reasons I tend to stay in hotels. If your wifi doesn’t work they fix it.
I did Airbnb for a while doing work-travel… It has its benefits (“live like a local”, as you said), but I’m mostly done. It’s gotten worse with pricing, cleaning fees, etc. A hotel just takes so much off your chest. You don’t get in the car to the airport and go, “Oh crap, we forgot to put the bedspread in the dryer!”
You didn’t talk about how AirBnB and VRBO charge outrageous “cleaning fees” now that make the total price too high unless you’re renting for a week or more!
I used to work at Airbnb rental apartments and we used to charge like 50 usd for cleaning and it would go directly to the cleaners and the laundry, I think it was fair.
We did a AirBnb like rental last year for my Uncle's funeral. He lived in a small town in Wisconsin and the closest hotel that could fit a family of 6 was 45 minutes away. Instead, we found a cabin for rent through AirBnb on the lake in his town of Burlington. It had room for 13. So, my family, my sister's family, and my brother's family all stayed together for cheaper than a hotel would have cost. We also had a kitchen so we could bring food. It's so much cheaper and easier to feed 5 adults and 7 kids when you have a kitchen available. And since it was our Uncle's funeral, it was nice to be with family, and when we checked in, there was a sympathy card from the owner on the table. It was a great experience. I would do it again with a big group or even with our family of 6.
One time I found an “extra” pair of thong panties under the bed that were not mine. 😂. I’ve had some good stays, and some really comical yet really off putting experiences.
With a larger than average family size (8 kids), Airbnb has been nicer because my kids aren't down the hall in another room of the hotel. They are still down the hall, though. I've called hotels when booking, explained my situation (usually traveling to family for Christmas while hubby is deployed), and why I need joining rooms. They promise they can accommodate, but when I arrive, that's not what's available anymore.
I had a really bad experience with an airbnb in Orlando. The super host had figured out all of the legalities in her favor with airbnb. After I let the host know that the fridge door handle was broken, there were crumbs all over the kitchen counter, and the walls were highly scuffed up all over so that she didn't think we did it, and would know that if she had a cleaning service it wasn't clean. She immediately offered to refund me and let me go somewhere else. I told her that weren't looking for a refund, just wanted to let her know, and that there was no way we could find a room or house on such short notice during a holiday. At this point we hadn't gone outside or tried to use anything. Something told me to take lots of photos and it saved me. The hot tub was broken. The whole reason we booked that place was the hot tub. The lounge chairs were duck taped EVERYWHERE. they were held together with it and that's what you were laying on up of, even though the photos showed them in pristine condition. She left insane instructions to reduce the hot tub temp to 65 when we left which meant we had to turn it up when we got there. After a half day, it still wasn't warm. We let it sit over night, went to the parks, and came home ready to soak our feet and it was ice cold and smelled of mold. There were no chemicals in the container that floated around. I texted her asking if she knew what was wrong with it. She asked me to unplug it and leave it. It didn't work the whole time and no refund was even offered or an apology. We had 6 people for 5 nights and she only left 6 total wash clothes. When I asked for more she said I could wash them with the 2 laundry packs she left... like I want to wash wash clothes every day of my vacation, and there were only 2 Detergent packs. After asking nicely multiple times and explaining my point, she finally told me where a hidden key was and where more were in a locked closet. It still wasn't enough. There weren't enough towels either... for us to use the same one all week. We had to use the pool towels. There was only 1 flat, worn out pillow per person. I found one in the top of a closet that had a pillow case on it. It was late and I just grabbed it for a knee pillow over night. When I woke up and made the bed there were huge, yellow drool spots all over it.... that were CRUSTY!! this was a themed condo and all of the stickers on the walls were peeling off an the owner had scotch taped them everywhere. One of the Harry Potter decorative pillows has crusty spots on it, too. The kids' room has a broken door handle that locked my kids in the room and we couldn't get to them. The doors had springs on the hinges so that they would automatically close and they got locked in the room. We were able to mess with the handle and get it open finally. When I left my review, i just left a pros and cons list. No emotion. Just listed the issues and the perks. She has my review removed because airbnb said there was no she could have known about the door handle being broken (which was bs). The rest of the review didn't even matter, they removed the whole thing. She obviously had a another account and was able to see my review before she left a review about me. It was completely negative and she flat out lied. I proved that she lied with copies of text messages and they removed her review of me. But this is what she did to anyone who left a less than perfect review. I noticed that all the reviews were one sentence and that was it. She turned in a claim against me for stealing a tiny fake plant and breaking the hot tub. She wanted almost 1k from me. It didn't even cost that to stay there all week. I went through her reviews and found a really old one from at least 6 months before where someone had said the hot tub wasn't getting hot, turned in all of my photos and threatened airbnb with legal action if they pursued me for any damages because I didn't steal and plant or break the hot tub. They paid to fix her hot tub, but didn't come after me for it. I deleted my account immediately after the decision and will never use them again. Look up how many people have dealt with crazy hosts. It's a thing. I only stay in hotels now. A similar thing happened to my aunt and she ended up just paying the guy 900$ for wine she didn't drink. The guy even admitted that his brother in law was staying there before, but wouldn't believe my aunt even she told him dirty dishes were left in the sink.
You’ve been through it yikes. I’ve had some weird experiences with AirBnBs but have gotten lucky. We stopped doing them (except in very specific circumstances) as they aren’t really cheaper, such a hassle, less convenient, and we do t want to support the flip-investor culture
We have a 2 bedroom house as an Airbnb that we paid cash for. I had a wonderful time decorating it. I love having a furnished place for my parents to stay when they come to town. It’s been such a blessing. Also there is a tax consideration that makes sense for us. On the flip side, we love staying at Airbnb if they’re not too expensive. I do all the footwork to compare to make sure of the cost including the cleaning fees. Many times we can get an Airbnb for same price as a hotel and have more space. It’s especially nice to have extra beds when kids are teens and no longer makes sense for a male and female sibling to share a queen sized bed in a hotel. Or when someone snores and you don’t want to be in the same room because you’re a light sleeper.
Or for us, we have 6 kids and have to get a minimum of 2 hotel rooms and have parents sleep separately and hotels don't always have adjoining rooms.... So airbnb and VRBO "used" to make sense for us. Lately though I have been able to get a double hotel room for mess money than either of the others after all the fees and crap. 😢
Airbnbs are perfect for families! I have a family of 4 and was told to book 2 rooms because of the 3 person hotel fire policy, mom with 1 kid and dad with the other A JOKE! …. Great to put one kid in a room to nap and the other can be playing in the yard or living room… a full kitchen for making baby bottles 4am and making everything from oatmeal to Thanksgiving dinner! Thank you Airbnb for helping this traveling, anxious and over thinking mom. ❤
Agreed! Not to mention the hotel amenities Rachel is talking about were pre Covid. Hotels are no longer clean, they don’t do room service half the time and they cost more or just as much as Airbnb without the perks of Airbnb. Hotels are outdated and run by skeleton crews who don’t get in a hurry if you need more towels or other services. If you pick your Airbnb based on solid reviews you’ll likely have a great experience. Can’t say the same for hotels today unless you break the bank and go 5 star resort.
You can book connecting rooms at Hiltons. Or Embassy Suites and Homewood Suites (if you need a kitchen) are also good for families. Many timeshare properties are often full condos with the amenities of a hotel/resort.
Especially in Europe (I name there because that’s the only other country outside the USA besides Mexico where I’ve rented one). They have very different hotel concepts the that do not suite my typical family of 4, let alone larger families.
I've done the Priceline hack, but with multiple browsers...going back and forth between amenities and I figure out what the hotel is. Works every time! Now that I know there is an extension, that's going to cut out a lot of work 🤣
My first Airbnb was in Seattle for $35. It was a “room” that turned out to be the living room separated by a large IKEA bookshelf. Nothing like waking up in the morning with people literally around you on the other side of the shelving unit. Freaked me out. 😂
V-R-B-O bought Homeaway and they tried to rebrand as Verbo. I own a vacation rental. I was originally with Homeaway and transitioned to V-R-B-O. Originally, when I called the owner line for assistance they called themselves VRBO, but Verb is what you hear from all their updated branding.
I've stayed at AirBnBs in a few countries, including the US.-Before they added on all of the fees, I would regularly find NICE, in a GOOD location rooms for $10-18/night (in the US more like $30-40 range). I loved it because I automatically had a go-to person in that city/country and got to see what a normal house and family lived like. I've also rented a room out at my house (while I lived there). I rented it out for only $13/night (wasn't sure if there would be much demand, so I created it by the low price). Even though I was only charging $13, I was making a profit every single month. Meanwhile, other AirBnBs going for hundreds/night were in the negative. Why? Because it was my home and I was living there and the others ONLY rented it out, had to pay someone to clean since they weren't on site, and many pay to have someone manage it. I had two bad experiences out of around 100 AirBnB stays.
AirB&B got started because it was a cheaper and nicer option in traveling in the early days. Then the company got too big and greedy and has made themselves far less the cheaper or even better option for many reasons including the wall of fees.
Still prefer Airbnb for anything over a couple days or with multiple people. Can usually find them for a reasonable price which is great for a family of 4. We usually bring a cooler to cook breakfast and grill, lots of places have outdoor areas for kids to run around, fire pits or other amenities, usually quieter, dont have to worry about car getting broken into, etc.
Thanks for mentioning that short-term rentals aren't good for neighborhoods either! In some cities, more regulations are being implemented that limit short-term rentals. In my neighborhood, near main hospitals & close to downtown, there have been so many of these that it takes away from people being able to buy a single-family home or rent long term.
During my career, I spent 26 years on the road, averaging average 150 nights in hotels. Even in 1991, they had the sign regarding hang up your towel to be green. In all of those years, I always hung up the towel. In all of those thousands of stays, NOT ONCE did they leave the towel. I always got new towels. As far as beds made every day, that went away after covid. Even staying at Marriott properties, they now do at least every other day, but you can ask for new towels. They charge more, but give less service. I used to tip in hotels based on nights stayed. No longer.
My hotel stays are 250+ per year. I’ve not had the same experience for charging more post-COVID. The standard service is less, but I’ve not seen them charge more for daily service if requested.
@@NCalebWard my mistake. By saying they charge more, I mean in general, not for service. The cost of staying in hotels has gone up dramatically, but the service has gone down. I would generally stay in Fairfield Inn or Holiday Inn express. I could stay for $80-$120. Those same hotels are now $150-$190. At best, I get every other day service now.
My cousin has a couple of AirBNBs, but she puts SO much work into them. They look like you’re staying in a rustic little cottage inside an enchanted forest; she definitely found a niche. Her properties are constantly booked which means constant cleaning & maintenance.
Airbnb ruined my vacation, you have so much more control with hotels. Airbnb works sometimes I'm sure but if you have an alternative do it and be happy.
Years ago, a psychotic AirBNB host left me a blistering (and undeserved) negative review. There was and still is no recourse for this. After nearly 10 years of having some of my AirBNB requests refused (because of the review) and having to explain to others what happened, I made another stab at having the negative review removed. Nothing could be done, so I requested that my account be removed. I have used VRBO or hotels ever since.
Whenever I've considered AirBnBs or VRBO, they look appealing until you actually get to checkout and see the pricing after taxes and fees. I picked 3 low cost examples from Nashville in the spring, and the average added cost at checkout was 58% more than what was advertised. An advertised $107 AirBnB was actually $170 per night. I know hotels also have a spike at checkout, but not this bad.
We own a long term rental and a short term and do Airbnb and VRBO. I only made 300 a month off the long term the short term I made over 100,000 gross in Raleigh, NC. Raleigh isn't a destination area! I chose to short term rent out our 5 bedroom home to send my two children to Christian school and didn't want to sacrifice our budget. So we moved in the long-term rental and explained to our children to get out of the public school system, teaching our kids things they have no business teaching. I know Dave Ramsey said no to private schools in financial peace when we took the class back in 2008, so we had to think outside of the box. Our first home is paid for, financed for 15 years, and the Airbnb is killin it only booked on weekends, so less wear and tear on our home. I've met so many awesome people and this experience makes me want to own more! I got into this only needing an extra $16,000 a year and have made way more. Trying to pay off second mortgage now.
More than 25% of the single family homes in our town are vacation rentals… it really doesn’t feel like a home anymore… people drive like it’s a commercial parking lot and even with polite peeps, it is really really disconcerting to have new people “moving in” right next door every single week (or even more often). It doesn’t even feel worthwhile to say hi to people walking, because 80% of the time they are on vacation and just look at me like I’m weird. And the owner lie through their teeth when they buy and prep them. Dude, I’m not an idiot and 4 other people on the street have told me the same lie
A family member of ours used to rent out rooms in his home or a section off half of his house to rent out on AirBNB. They made a lot of money but I personally didn’t think it was worth being uncomfortable in your own home. Now… they have continued down this slippery path of getting into more and more real estate - sometimes with groups of other people - using multiple mortgages and loans… the risk is just huge. I hope nothing bad happens for them. But it may bust.
I prefer hotels. Although I’ve done all of it. If you book a hotel, with a really good breakfast bar, you can get a nice full breakfast and also pack a sandwich and grab an apple for lunch. You also have a pool and everything is just way more straightforward and I agree with rachael. I think it’s more secure for women traveling alone.
As someone with pets, Air B&B has been so very helpful. Hotels are so anti-pet it’s frustrating to travel. I’d pay just as much for my hotel as I would boarding my pets 😒
We have a cousin who have a gorgeous 3 floor cabin in the Smokies that my SIL rented for our families & grandma to spend the week. It was a lovely week, having nice family dinners at the porch watching a beautiful sunset going down behind the trees… She rents it with AirB&B… It’s a gorgeous place, I hope it works for her financially as much and as long as possible. she’s such a hardworker… 🥰🙏
We only use it when we go to the outer banks every other year, its around 4k-5k for a week for a 3 story beach house, and we go with my wifes 4 brothers and sisters, all have our own rooms, 2 kitchens etc. And it makes it at or under 1k for each of us. Thats a super cheap vacation
Watching from lafayette louisiana and the city just banned Air B&Bs. You are grandfathered until the end of 2024 to either sell your rental or turn it to just a long term rental only. No more short term rentals are allowed here anymore.
Airbnb is great for group trips. Our girls trip, we can get a 5 bedroom house with a fenced yard for the same price as a couple basic hotel rooms. This gives us way more flexibility. Now, if i just need a bed to crash, sure I'll opt for a hotel which is convenient. It just depends on the trip.
We have stayed at Airbnb many times in many different cities around the world. We have had entire places to ourselves, opted to get just a room in someone's home (while they were also there) and also (gasp) shared an apartment with strangers. We rented an apartment in Europe and we had half the apartment to ourselves (2 rooms) and another couple (we never saw) had the other half and we shared the bathroom and kitchen. It makes travel so much cheaper and an adventure. We are in our 50's and on Baby Step #7 so it isn't just for the young and poor.
VRBO and Airbnb’s are wonderful if staying for multiple nights and/or with a family or group. Multiple bedrooms, kitchen, lots of room, etc. Just read the reviews and you can avoid the bad ones. We own a rental too. It does not cash flow but we get to use it too.
Agreed. i stay at hotels when travelling alone, for the convenience. I've used VRBO and airbnb for the past 12-15 years for all or my family travel. It's just nicer to have more room and overall cheaper than 2-3 hotel rooms. You just need to be selective and check reviews.
I have never had an issue with AirB and actually plan to use it for a short term stay while relocating. But we'd never consider going the 'room' route, entire home only. Fees are high but sometimes convenience trumps saving money.
We own a property in a touristy area that we rent out when not using it ourselves. Overall, we’ve done well. But it does come with risks and headaches that mutual funds just don’t have. It is anything but passive income.
Yeah, but you make hundreds of times more. At some point I rented out a small apartment and Airbnbed it. My initial investment (first and last month + furniture) was under $3000 and my profit was $500 a month with at most 5 hours of work a month. No mutual funds will ever give you 16% MONTHLY return. I know that there are different properties and some places and situations are more complex then others - but such opportunities should never be ignored.
We stayed in a name-brand big hotel right beside Grand Central Station in NY. There was something large growing on the floor in the bathroom. It looked like something out of a 1950s horror movie. It was kind of coffee-colored, fuzzy, and the size of a small dog. We did not spend much time at the Hotel because we were so busy. We could not wait to get out of there. It probably has its own room by now, and is ordering room service.
My sister in-law rented an AirBnB on a lake and the seven foot tall slide broke as she went down it. The fall broke her hip and she ended up with thousands in medical bills. She contacted AirBnB to file an insurance claim and they sent HER a bill to cover the cost of the broken slide, despite her pictures showing that the slide was broken previously and just fixed enough to barely hold it together. It is a nightmare she is still dealing with…
I loved Airbnb because I could also visit my beach house when it wasn’t rented. However, I needed more income and have since gone long term. But I do believe there is a market for Airbnb because on the location
We went and stayed at a VRBO with another family and we got a house on the lake for a month during the summer and we split the cost and ended up being very affordable split between everyone
This makes me sad! We have 3 airbnb river house rentals that have paid off all of our debt and have blessed a lot of people!! They are still relevant and awesome.
I've never rented 1, but I have 7 that I rent out. I leave a welcome basket that has snacks, they have a nice little coffee/tea/hot cocoa center, and bottled water in the fridge. I raised kids, they need snacks when they arrive.
I personally think Airbnb is the new take on renting cabins/cottages when I was a young girl. It was cheaper than staying at a hotel if you had a family. I remember making sure everything was clean and tidy before we left.
We (28 & 34 own our home and 2 long term rentals) just bought a duplex in a little vacation town near our off grid cabin. I’m pregnant & our families want to come stay and help us get ahead in the cabin and entertain our 2 year old. Our plan is to live in the bigger unit while we upgrade the cabin and do an addition. My mom and I can work on our unit of the duplex while the guys knock out big stuff on the cabin. When it’s all said and done we’ll be into the duplex under 200K and have about $800/unit per month, & a safe comfortable place to live for the time being :) Lots of vacation rentals around us, but we aren’t into that. I hate the turnover. I’d rather establish a little farm stand out front and supply all the boat people with goodies!
I've stayed in one and I've rented out a bedroom. I haven't rented it since the pandemic started. AirBNB got weird. First was the pandemic, then AirBNB stopped paying out on the insurance for violations, and that is terrifying. If someone refuses to leave or wrecks something, their insurance was supposed to cover it, but then the stories came out. I rented super cheap in a residential area, so it was mostly people traveling to see family or deal with business. I've considered going back, but the horror stories have me scared.
I used to work for a hotel. I HATED the third party apps much of the front desk does. Most of the time if you book directly with the hotel you cab get the same rate.
Been staying at Airbnbs for years and still do. So much better than hotels. A lot of the complaints you guys are mentioning have not been an issue over all the many Airbnbs I’ve stayed at. You’re taking the generic negatives. You have to book with reputable and highly rated hosts and you have none of these problems.
We prefer AirB&B or VRBO over hotels but it depends on the price. In the last 10 years we picked a hotel over AirB&B only 2-3 times. We like being in a house with a full kitchen and washer/dryer. So nice to cook our own food, hang out in a comfortable living room, and do laundry so that I don’t have to pack dirty clothes. Just pick AirB&Bs with short check out instructions. We only stay where we can have the entire place to ourselves. We have stayed in shared AirB&Bs a couple of times over the years but entire is the way to go if possible. We did stay in an Extended Stay when we stayed in Portland and it was nice to have a pool, hot tub, and gym because it was rainy all week so it was nice to have so many indoor activities
We are AirBnB hosts, but we must charge quite a bit less than most! 😂 Several years ago, we built an addition on to our home, and while doing so, thought it would be beneficial to build a small guesthouse for when guests stayed so our kids wouldn’t have to give up their rooms. Recently (within the past six months), we listed the house on AirBnB and VRBO. The only additional charges we add are if they bring a pet ($20 per stay), and a very low cleaning fee (also $20). We ask them to only drop their wet linens in the walk-in shower floor, and we take care of the rest. It blows my mind that the majority of hosts charge outrageous fees they themselves would probably not be willing to pay! Now, the small house is a bedroom providing all the same things as a hotel room - no actual full kitchen - but we also provide a silo with a fire pit and an outdoor hot tub for their enjoyment. Sometimes I think we are undercharging, but it stays occupied quite frequently, and this is helping fund our son’s college bill, as well as reducing our credit card debt. Also, this small house is owned free and clear.
I have booked tons of Airbnb's - very rarely have I had to do chores. Often, the host is helpful with recommendations and reservations, there is a dedicated maid/cook, I love having extra space and a kitchen and washer/dryer. I get up early, and in a hotel room there's no where to go that doesn't wake up my partner. In an airbnb, I can make coffee and hang out in the living room. Our daughter can stay in her own room. You can see the full price w/ fees before booking, it's not hidden. Hotels have tons of fees (resort fee, anyone?) that are not disclosed in the nightly price. Also, be aware that booking with 3rd party sites (like Priceline) you don't get loyalty points/miles and have much less recourse when things go wrong. 3rd party extensions (like Travel Arrow) are just advertising for 3rd party sites.
We travel to Nashville several times a year. We stay at the Hampton Green Hills. They give a discount for parents visiting their kids at Lipscomb Belmont and Vanderbilt. Even with that discount the cheapest we’ve gotten is $179 plus taxes for a night. They do a decent complimentary breakfast and we always pack our own food to save going out.
We stayed at an Airbnb in Spain in 2014. The place did NOT look clean when we checked in. Turned out - after we slept there - the owner lived there and stayed elsewhere when he was renting the place and he DIDN'T clean it before we checked in! I am NOT making this up. Sheets were not changed. Not a good experience.
I rented many Air BnBs. My kids and my husband (their step dad) traveled a lot. It would have been really uncomfortable to all be in the same room. With Air BnB, we each had our rooms AND a kitchen. We still use them and love them since my kids are now adults. We each want our room.
From a consumer point of view, I have to say that we have never enjoyed any of our VRBO or Airbnb rentals. We have had several issues with doors falling off, getting locked in bathrooms because the doorknob fell off the door, beds falling down or being in such poor shape that sleep was impossible. And this is not even addressing the colorful bag that property owners can be. To add insult to injury we get charged a cleaning fee, but then are expected to clean? I mean, leaving the house reasonably organized is not the same to starting laundry, dishwasher, sweeping, etc. To me and my family it isn't worth it. I rather get the hotel where I know what to expect and won't have to clean someone else's house under my dime during what is supposed to be my vacation.
I have been a landlord for long term rentals for 10 years and then short term rental the last few years. By far, way more profitable to have short term rentals. I had way more problems with long term rentals.
Still going opt for Airbnb’s over stranger-hair in my bed… I like making my husband breakfast in the morning, no kids asking for ANYTHING and I don’t mind gathering the sheets…. Great episode! ❤
4:05 "you don't say acronyms by the word they spell." Actually, that's exactly what you do with acronyms. Acronyms are defined as "an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word." If you don't sound out the letters into a word then it's not an acronym.
I really want our town to do something about the short term rentals. All the “starter homes” are being bought up and either rented out short term or long term and the inventory of “starter homes” is depleted drastically.
We have only done AirBNB a few times but the experiences were satisfactory. 2 were a little better than the 1 of them as far as cleanliness but that one also had a clean hot tub, the other two didn’t. All 3 had kitchens and restaurants nearby. 2 of them we left cleaner than we received it. 1 was about the same when we left. But definitely a cheaper option than hotel, and more private.
"You're more secure at a hotel" 👀 I had an employee who opened my room door (not room service), no knocking or warning. Since then, I started putting latch on everytime!!!
Our last VRBO was a large house. Things were not as they appeared. Our 2-year-old grandson was coming and there were China settings on all the tables that I had to wash before putting them away because of the layers of dust on them. We then found a decaying dead lizard in the dining room. We pick this particular house because of the safety features. Unfortunately some of them were not functioning. I like my condos much better
People don't account for the 1 am call with a clogged toilet or the water leak or.....then the mess some people leave - it is not a hands off job unless you want to eat up your profits by hiring someone - then it's another level of trust you have to deal with.
As someone who bought a house in a city where housing prices skyrocketed, I set up 2 airbnb private suites in my house and its been actually great. I need the extra income to cover my mortgage and house repairs. I love meeting my guests and I usually get 5 star ratings. Instead of hating on airbnbs and why yall dont like them, you should interview folks who own them and live in their houses and why they like hosting. I have several friends who also own them and the income is indispensable to living in our area. Btw, i moved here to be able to take care of my mom the last 3 years of her life with dementia.
My family and I have stayed at airbnbs in the US and Europe. Mostly we've had great experiences. And we've found great deals as low as $ 50 or 60 a night versus hotels that mostly charge $250 to $350 a night minimum. Hotels are usually way out of my budget!!
Nobody is forcing him to stay at a shared Airbnb. The owners don’t like sharing their house but they’re doing it as an extra income. He did it because he wanted to save money. I did it to help our family while I was pregnant and our guests were wonderful. One studied for the MCAT and another was a marathon runner on an internship.
George, my niece stayed at an airbnb in 30A area. It was a huge home and they rented a room with a bathroom, it had its own entrance and the owners were not there. She said it was great. I would never rent a shared space. LOL
Having young kids in a hotel is so stressful. Safety hazards everywhere, the beds aren’t child safe, and there’s never enough storage for all the items you have to bring. I’ve had to stay at hotels with my kids several times, and it’s exhausting. :/
We use Airbnb to vacation with our dogs. We have 3 elderly dogs and do not want to board them. It’s the easiest way we can vacation to the beach and not worry about our dogs.
Hotels can be hard also. Was on a project in the DC area. The project manager works for the company, and I'm just a contractor. She decides she hates our current hotel and when we are returning next week that we will move across the street. I think we were in Arlington. Turns out there is a soccer tournament in town, and we all get bumped up in room level. I have the highest level of rewards, so I end up in a two room, two bath suite on a floor with only four rooms. I thought it was cool, but she was so offended that she wasn't in that room that she eventually had me thrown off the project, and eventually, I was asked to leave the contracting company. It was awful.
Rachel, as a fellow millennial, it's verbo😂 Also, I worked at a restaurant for 10 years, we definitely appreciate the plate stacking. And, from a legal standpoint, it's always a liability when anyone steps foot on your property, so airbnb'ing is crazy. No way for me.
Stayed in AirBnb once in VT, it was wonderful. It was on a family farm with horses running free, very green. They built an apartment above the shed where all the tools are . The hostess was very sweet, lived in that farm and we could reach them at any moment if needed. The only requirement was to use a compost bin when possible and use the toilet paper provided due to septic system. No chores after checking out, easy peasy. It didn’t bother the neighbors because the were none. It didnt take away from townspeople because the farm was owned by their family for over 100 years and it wasn’t an investment property. It was my dream to live on a farm for a week, it was peaceful and beautiful.
Do you remember where it was located?
I've seen ads for VRBO where they say Verbo, but it will always be V-R-B-O to me. If you want a vowel, you're going to have to buy a vowel.
I verified and it was VRBO and now they call it "VERBO" :)
Am I the only one who doesn’t like housekeeping making the bed and switching out the towels at hotels? I will intentionally leave the do not disturb sign on for a three day stay just to make sure that things don’t get messed with 😂
You are not the only one. I worked summers doing housekeeping at a hotel in Michigan’s #1 tourist destination. That’s a lot of beds to make & towels to fold. Maybe that’s why I don’t mind doing my own
You are not alone. I just call the front desk if I need more towels/washcloths.
I don’t like people in “our” space while we are renting a hotel. I do the same.
I do the same. It seems like such a waste to have someone clean everyday.
Same. I don't want anyone coming in during our stay!
I will never use AIRBNB again. Last year was the last one. The owners just have so much demands and the places are not always clean. I am done with it and I will be using hotels from now on.
I think it’s tacky! I certainly don’t ask for my guests to wash dishes, take out trash, run the dishwasher or vacuum … just no smoking, observe quiet hrs and no partying.
I ignore the requests and just leave a tip for the cleaning staff. I am on vacation, I don't care what the garbage pickup schedule is...
Yup. We were charged an extra 100 dollars for a pet cleaning fee but when we got there dog hair was EVERYWHERE.
I am just coming back from a trip in Spain. I stayed in quite a few hotels and Airbnbs. Airbnbs were far from perfect but I have had my worst experience at a hotel. There was a quare foot of mold behind the shower, mold stains on the ceiling, the place smelled horible, A/C didn't work. I took some picture and videos and got the hell out of there. I immeditately contacted the hotel and expedia. Took a total a 3 weeks to get a refound fighting with the hotel and expedia. I ended up making a formal complains to the oficial government email for hotel liscence in Spain and put the hotel in cc. I was finaly reimbursed the next day. So yeah, hotels can be just as bad or even worst than Airbnb. If I have a complaint with cleanliness on the day of my check in, I just contact Airbnb support and they find me another accomodation with full reimbursement on the first one. Quite a different experience than what I got from expedia. Also, if you book on expediaor booking when covid first hit you got zero reimbursement. Airbnb was the only plateform that offered full reimbursement. Its easy to complaint cause you had a bad experience, but that is just as likely to happen in a hotel. Just stay with super host and pick a place that has over a 100 reviews with an average over 4.8 and you will have a great place.
We used a VRBO condo one year on a ski trip in Park City. It was awful. The owners "cleaned it" themselves and did a TERRIBLE job. There was broken glass under the kitchen table which I found with my foot, thankfully while wearing a shoe. There were pieces of cat food scattered on the master bathroom floor. The shower had visible slime and a slippery floor. The kitchen counters were sticky.
LOL the Vrbo conversation is sooo funny!! their commercials pronounce it how Skylar did, not with the letters 😂
There are plenty of acronyms that you pronounce the word they make instead of the letters such as NATO, NAFTA or NORAD
Exactly!!!! It's VERBO lol
That's exactly what I was thinking. She's obviously never seen one of their ads 😂💀
@@barnabusdoyle4930 Acronyms, by definition, are pronounced as words. If it is not pronounced as a word, such as "YMCA," then it is an initialism, not an acronym.
@@theenokimarauderYes, and I have seen a bunch of those ads on RUclips videos.
A moment of pedantry: An acronym is when letters spell out a word, like scuba. If you say the letters like UFO, it’s an initialism
We have an Airbnb in our walk-out basement. It's part of our house, but with a separate entrance and a keyed lock door inside separating it from our home. I clean it myself, don't charge a high cleaning fee, and don't ask guests to do really anything upon checking out. We live outside of a tourist city in the NC mountains.
It has been a great source of extra income for our family, but definitely dropped off in busyness more recently. Our first year, 2021, was packed. Probably people wanting to get out after 2020. 2022 we made 25% less than 2021; then 10% decline in 2023 from 2022.
Hopefully it will pick up again in 2024!
We are just outside of Asheville, NC. We have 3 units. It has really slowed down but I am picking up some traveling health professionals. We are very affordable.
2019 comps are a better indicator of what you may expect as the norm for occupancy. COVID created a demand for travel that is anything but normal.
We did this for awhile, stopped after we had kids. I didn't like the idea of strangers in my home with my children. And I was worried the kids making noise would bother our guests (but I sure as hell wasn't going to advertise that there were kids on-site...). We shifted to month-to-month rentals via Sublet, mostly picked up folks in between homes/apartments. That worked for a little, but we dropped it after awhile.
Got an air bnb for an out of town wedding in the middle of nowhere. Very sketchy area of town a nice second story condo. My now husband got locked in the bedroom within the first 5 minutes of our arrival. The host didnt answer any of our calls. My husband had to squeeze the car keys under the door so our friend and I could get a toolbox out of the trunk of his car to remove the door from its hinges and free my husband 😂
My husband and I stayed at an Air BnB for our honeymoon. We read that it was walking distance to town, it turned out to be a two mile walk and in a sketchy area. We walked into town four times and took an Uber back once. We were told we had a washer and dryer so we just packed our backpacks since we were flying. The washer and dryer was not in our apartment and the host never got back to us so we had to wash our clothes by hand along with the washcloths because we were given three for a whole week. We had a great time walking around town and the “super confortable bed” was only comfortable after sitting on the “Lucious couch”. lol. It makes for a good story. And after my review, the host stopped being a super host.
@@raniresslerthis is why honest reviews are so important. You probably saved someone from from having the same experience you did. There are so many shill reviews going around.
My sister wanted to have an Airbnb so badly. Now she complains to me about how the guests are giving her negative reviews because the coffee maker broke and Hulu kicked them off when she was watching with the same account. I informed her that if you want to run a hotel you have to make sure the guests have the services that you’ve advertised in your listing. Now she delisted her Airbnb saying it’s “too hard.”
This is one of the many reasons I tend to stay in hotels. If your wifi doesn’t work they fix it.
I did Airbnb for a while doing work-travel…
It has its benefits (“live like a local”, as you said), but I’m mostly done. It’s gotten worse with pricing, cleaning fees, etc.
A hotel just takes so much off your chest. You don’t get in the car to the airport and go, “Oh crap, we forgot to put the bedspread in the dryer!”
You didn’t talk about how AirBnB and VRBO charge outrageous “cleaning fees” now that make the total price too high unless you’re renting for a week or more!
George mentions it at about 14 min
I used to work at Airbnb rental apartments and we used to charge like 50 usd for cleaning and it would go directly to the cleaners and the laundry, I think it was fair.
@@costi101 we rented a cabin over the summer. It wasn’t a big place, but the cleaning fee was over $300. (Same as VRBO) that’s too much.
It’s Vee-air-voh!
Cleaning fees are charged directly by the host and can be set and changed at their pleasure.
I travel for work weekly so I build up a lot of hotel points. When my wife and I travel, we never pay for rooms. It's my favorite perk of my job.
We did a AirBnb like rental last year for my Uncle's funeral. He lived in a small town in Wisconsin and the closest hotel that could fit a family of 6 was 45 minutes away. Instead, we found a cabin for rent through AirBnb on the lake in his town of Burlington. It had room for 13. So, my family, my sister's family, and my brother's family all stayed together for cheaper than a hotel would have cost. We also had a kitchen so we could bring food. It's so much cheaper and easier to feed 5 adults and 7 kids when you have a kitchen available.
And since it was our Uncle's funeral, it was nice to be with family, and when we checked in, there was a sympathy card from the owner on the table. It was a great experience. I would do it again with a big group or even with our family of 6.
This is typical--AirBNB hosts give you something extra.
One time I found an “extra” pair of thong panties under the bed that were not mine. 😂. I’ve had some good stays, and some really comical yet really off putting experiences.
With a larger than average family size (8 kids), Airbnb has been nicer because my kids aren't down the hall in another room of the hotel. They are still down the hall, though.
I've called hotels when booking, explained my situation (usually traveling to family for Christmas while hubby is deployed), and why I need joining rooms. They promise they can accommodate, but when I arrive, that's not what's available anymore.
We've got 7 kids. We much prefer Airbnb when practical.
My kids are younger and renting an Airbnb is so stressful, because the kids are hard on the house (especially if it's not childproof)
I had a really bad experience with an airbnb in Orlando. The super host had figured out all of the legalities in her favor with airbnb. After I let the host know that the fridge door handle was broken, there were crumbs all over the kitchen counter, and the walls were highly scuffed up all over so that she didn't think we did it, and would know that if she had a cleaning service it wasn't clean. She immediately offered to refund me and let me go somewhere else. I told her that weren't looking for a refund, just wanted to let her know, and that there was no way we could find a room or house on such short notice during a holiday. At this point we hadn't gone outside or tried to use anything. Something told me to take lots of photos and it saved me. The hot tub was broken. The whole reason we booked that place was the hot tub. The lounge chairs were duck taped EVERYWHERE. they were held together with it and that's what you were laying on up of, even though the photos showed them in pristine condition. She left insane instructions to reduce the hot tub temp to 65 when we left which meant we had to turn it up when we got there. After a half day, it still wasn't warm. We let it sit over night, went to the parks, and came home ready to soak our feet and it was ice cold and smelled of mold. There were no chemicals in the container that floated around. I texted her asking if she knew what was wrong with it. She asked me to unplug it and leave it. It didn't work the whole time and no refund was even offered or an apology. We had 6 people for 5 nights and she only left 6 total wash clothes. When I asked for more she said I could wash them with the 2 laundry packs she left... like I want to wash wash clothes every day of my vacation, and there were only 2 Detergent packs. After asking nicely multiple times and explaining my point, she finally told me where a hidden key was and where more were in a locked closet. It still wasn't enough. There weren't enough towels either... for us to use the same one all week. We had to use the pool towels. There was only 1 flat, worn out pillow per person. I found one in the top of a closet that had a pillow case on it. It was late and I just grabbed it for a knee pillow over night. When I woke up and made the bed there were huge, yellow drool spots all over it.... that were CRUSTY!! this was a themed condo and all of the stickers on the walls were peeling off an the owner had scotch taped them everywhere. One of the Harry Potter decorative pillows has crusty spots on it, too. The kids' room has a broken door handle that locked my kids in the room and we couldn't get to them. The doors had springs on the hinges so that they would automatically close and they got locked in the room. We were able to mess with the handle and get it open finally. When I left my review, i just left a pros and cons list. No emotion. Just listed the issues and the perks. She has my review removed because airbnb said there was no she could have known about the door handle being broken (which was bs). The rest of the review didn't even matter, they removed the whole thing. She obviously had a another account and was able to see my review before she left a review about me. It was completely negative and she flat out lied. I proved that she lied with copies of text messages and they removed her review of me. But this is what she did to anyone who left a less than perfect review. I noticed that all the reviews were one sentence and that was it. She turned in a claim against me for stealing a tiny fake plant and breaking the hot tub. She wanted almost 1k from me. It didn't even cost that to stay there all week. I went through her reviews and found a really old one from at least 6 months before where someone had said the hot tub wasn't getting hot, turned in all of my photos and threatened airbnb with legal action if they pursued me for any damages because I didn't steal and plant or break the hot tub. They paid to fix her hot tub, but didn't come after me for it. I deleted my account immediately after the decision and will never use them again. Look up how many people have dealt with crazy hosts. It's a thing. I only stay in hotels now. A similar thing happened to my aunt and she ended up just paying the guy 900$ for wine she didn't drink. The guy even admitted that his brother in law was staying there before, but wouldn't believe my aunt even she told him dirty dishes were left in the sink.
You’ve been through it yikes. I’ve had some weird experiences with AirBnBs but have gotten lucky. We stopped doing them (except in very specific circumstances) as they aren’t really cheaper, such a hassle, less convenient, and we do t want to support the flip-investor culture
We have a 2 bedroom house as an Airbnb that we paid cash for. I had a wonderful time decorating it. I love having a furnished place for my parents to stay when they come to town. It’s been such a blessing. Also there is a tax consideration that makes sense for us.
On the flip side, we love staying at Airbnb if they’re not too expensive. I do all the footwork to compare to make sure of the cost including the cleaning fees. Many times we can get an Airbnb for same price as a hotel and have more space. It’s especially nice to have extra beds when kids are teens and no longer makes sense for a male and female sibling to share a queen sized bed in a hotel. Or when someone snores and you don’t want to be in the same room because you’re a light sleeper.
Or for us, we have 6 kids and have to get a minimum of 2 hotel rooms and have parents sleep separately and hotels don't always have adjoining rooms.... So airbnb and VRBO "used" to make sense for us. Lately though I have been able to get a double hotel room for mess money than either of the others after all the fees and crap. 😢
Yep fees are out of hand!
Airbnbs are perfect for families! I have a family of 4 and was told to book 2 rooms because of the 3 person hotel fire policy, mom with 1 kid and dad with the other A JOKE! …. Great to put one kid in a room to nap and the other can be playing in the yard or living room… a full kitchen for making baby bottles 4am and making everything from oatmeal to Thanksgiving dinner! Thank you Airbnb for helping this traveling, anxious and over thinking mom. ❤
Agreed! Not to mention the hotel amenities Rachel is talking about were pre Covid. Hotels are no longer clean, they don’t do room service half the time and they cost more or just as much as Airbnb without the perks of Airbnb. Hotels are outdated and run by skeleton crews who don’t get in a hurry if you need more towels or other services. If you pick your Airbnb based on solid reviews you’ll likely have a great experience. Can’t say the same for hotels today unless you break the bank and go 5 star resort.
You can book connecting rooms at Hiltons. Or Embassy Suites and Homewood Suites (if you need a kitchen) are also good for families. Many timeshare properties are often full condos with the amenities of a hotel/resort.
Especially in Europe (I name there because that’s the only other country outside the USA besides Mexico where I’ve rented one). They have very different hotel concepts the that do not suite my typical family of 4, let alone larger families.
I've done the Priceline hack, but with multiple browsers...going back and forth between amenities and I figure out what the hotel is. Works every time! Now that I know there is an extension, that's going to cut out a lot of work 🤣
Totally
My first Airbnb was in Seattle for $35. It was a “room” that turned out to be the living room separated by a large IKEA bookshelf. Nothing like waking up in the morning with people literally around you on the other side of the shelving unit. Freaked me out. 😂
Interesting, there was a VRBO ad preceding this show. The ad pronounced it verbo.
It was always pronounced Verbo, except when it was pronounced “home away” 😂
V-R-B-O bought Homeaway and they tried to rebrand as Verbo. I own a vacation rental. I was originally with Homeaway and transitioned to V-R-B-O. Originally, when I called the owner line for assistance they called themselves VRBO, but Verb is what you hear from all their updated branding.
@@dynamicdanam3644I definitely remember when it was called V-R-B-O. Change is hard. 😂
I've stayed at AirBnBs in a few countries, including the US.-Before they added on all of the fees, I would regularly find NICE, in a GOOD location rooms for $10-18/night (in the US more like $30-40 range). I loved it because I automatically had a go-to person in that city/country and got to see what a normal house and family lived like. I've also rented a room out at my house (while I lived there). I rented it out for only $13/night (wasn't sure if there would be much demand, so I created it by the low price). Even though I was only charging $13, I was making a profit every single month. Meanwhile, other AirBnBs going for hundreds/night were in the negative. Why? Because it was my home and I was living there and the others ONLY rented it out, had to pay someone to clean since they weren't on site, and many pay to have someone manage it. I had two bad experiences out of around 100 AirBnB stays.
Yes Japan and Bali!!!
AirB&B got started because it was a cheaper and nicer option in traveling in the early days. Then the company got too big and greedy and has made themselves far less the cheaper or even better option for many reasons including the wall of fees.
People used it to just make some extra cash on the side now it’s a whole corrupt industry
Still prefer Airbnb for anything over a couple days or with multiple people. Can usually find them for a reasonable price which is great for a family of 4. We usually bring a cooler to cook breakfast and grill, lots of places have outdoor areas for kids to run around, fire pits or other amenities, usually quieter, dont have to worry about car getting broken into, etc.
Thanks for mentioning that short-term rentals aren't good for neighborhoods either! In some cities, more regulations are being implemented that limit short-term rentals. In my neighborhood, near main hospitals & close to downtown, there have been so many of these that it takes away from people being able to buy a single-family home or rent long term.
Has this theory been proven? I would like to see a study on this.
During my career, I spent 26 years on the road, averaging average 150 nights in hotels. Even in 1991, they had the sign regarding hang up your towel to be green. In all of those years, I always hung up the towel. In all of those thousands of stays, NOT ONCE did they leave the towel. I always got new towels. As far as beds made every day, that went away after covid. Even staying at Marriott properties, they now do at least every other day, but you can ask for new towels. They charge more, but give less service. I used to tip in hotels based on nights stayed. No longer.
My hotel stays are 250+ per year. I’ve not had the same experience for charging more post-COVID. The standard service is less, but I’ve not seen them charge more for daily service if requested.
@@NCalebWard my mistake. By saying they charge more, I mean in general, not for service. The cost of staying in hotels has gone up dramatically, but the service has gone down. I would generally stay in Fairfield Inn or Holiday Inn express. I could stay for $80-$120. Those same hotels are now $150-$190. At best, I get every other day service now.
I love George and Rachel. Its like watching a brother and sister argue. Its a Hoot😅
My cousin has a couple of AirBNBs, but she puts SO much work into them. They look like you’re staying in a rustic little cottage inside an enchanted forest; she definitely found a niche. Her properties are constantly booked which means constant cleaning & maintenance.
Airbnb ruined my vacation, you have so much more control with hotels. Airbnb works sometimes I'm sure but if you have an alternative do it and be happy.
Years ago, a psychotic AirBNB host left me a blistering (and undeserved) negative review. There was and still is no recourse for this. After nearly 10 years of having some of my AirBNB requests refused (because of the review) and having to explain to others what happened, I made another stab at having the negative review removed. Nothing could be done, so I requested that my account be removed. I have used VRBO or hotels ever since.
Whenever I've considered AirBnBs or VRBO, they look appealing until you actually get to checkout and see the pricing after taxes and fees. I picked 3 low cost examples from Nashville in the spring, and the average added cost at checkout was 58% more than what was advertised. An advertised $107 AirBnB was actually $170 per night. I know hotels also have a spike at checkout, but not this bad.
After all the reports of hidden cameras in these short term rentals, we now prefer name brand hotels.
Also with hidden cameras. 🤷🏻♂️
“Baby GI Joe” 😂
“How did he die?” “Gluten?” “No.”
We own a long term rental and a short term and do Airbnb and VRBO. I only made 300 a month off the long term the short term I made over 100,000 gross in Raleigh, NC. Raleigh isn't a destination area! I chose to short term rent out our 5 bedroom home to send my two children to Christian school and didn't want to sacrifice our budget. So we moved in the long-term rental and explained to our children to get out of the public school system, teaching our kids things they have no business teaching. I know Dave Ramsey said no to private schools in financial peace when we took the class back in 2008, so we had to think outside of the box. Our first home is paid for, financed for 15 years, and the Airbnb is killin it only booked on weekends, so less wear and tear on our home. I've met so many awesome people and this experience makes me want to own more! I got into this only needing an extra $16,000 a year and have made way more. Trying to pay off second mortgage now.
More than 25% of the single family homes in our town are vacation rentals… it really doesn’t feel like a home anymore… people drive like it’s a commercial parking lot and even with polite peeps, it is really really disconcerting to have new people “moving in” right next door every single week (or even more often). It doesn’t even feel worthwhile to say hi to people walking, because 80% of the time they are on vacation and just look at me like I’m weird. And the owner lie through their teeth when they buy and prep them. Dude, I’m not an idiot and 4 other people on the street have told me the same lie
A family member of ours used to rent out rooms in his home or a section off half of his house to rent out on AirBNB. They made a lot of money but I personally didn’t think it was worth being uncomfortable in your own home.
Now… they have continued down this slippery path of getting into more and more real estate - sometimes with groups of other people - using multiple mortgages and loans… the risk is just huge. I hope nothing bad happens for them. But it may bust.
I prefer hotels. Although I’ve done all of it. If you book a hotel, with a really good breakfast bar, you can get a nice full breakfast and also pack a sandwich and grab an apple for lunch. You also have a pool and everything is just way more straightforward and I agree with rachael. I think it’s more secure for women traveling alone.
As someone with pets, Air B&B has been so very helpful. Hotels are so anti-pet it’s frustrating to travel. I’d pay just as much for my hotel as I would boarding my pets 😒
So true!! 500 for the week to board my dog and cat! I'd rather take em with me
We paid an extra $75 (!!!) to have our dog with us at a Hampton Inn. We made sure she got her best night sleep on that cozy bed.
The worst part is Airbnb is the all the fees. I would understand a cleaning fee if they also didn't include a 2 page chore list at the place.
We have a cousin who have a gorgeous 3 floor cabin in the Smokies that my SIL rented for our families & grandma to spend the week. It was a lovely week, having nice family dinners at the porch watching a beautiful sunset going down behind the trees… She rents it with AirB&B… It’s a gorgeous place, I hope it works for her financially as much and as long as possible. she’s such a hardworker… 🥰🙏
George’s hotel hack is life-changing. No exaggeration.
Saved the video for this!
watch 13:13 for the deets on saving money on hotels hack
Life-changing is definitely an exaggeration. But it's a handy tip for sure.
We only use it when we go to the outer banks every other year, its around 4k-5k for a week for a 3 story beach house, and we go with my wifes 4 brothers and sisters, all have our own rooms, 2 kitchens etc. And it makes it at or under 1k for each of us. Thats a super cheap vacation
We frequent the OBX too. One tip is to book your house direct through the rental agencies and not through VRBO/airbnb. Saves a bunch in fees.
Watching from lafayette louisiana and the city just banned Air B&Bs. You are grandfathered until the end of 2024 to either sell your rental or turn it to just a long term rental only. No more short term rentals are allowed here anymore.
More areas need to do this!
This will just end up reducing market prices on real estate in the area because everyone who owns them will now dump them.
Airbnb is great for group trips. Our girls trip, we can get a 5 bedroom house with a fenced yard for the same price as a couple basic hotel rooms. This gives us way more flexibility.
Now, if i just need a bed to crash, sure I'll opt for a hotel which is convenient. It just depends on the trip.
We have stayed at Airbnb many times in many different cities around the world.
We have had entire places to ourselves, opted to get just a room in someone's home (while they were also there) and also (gasp) shared an apartment with strangers.
We rented an apartment in Europe and we had half the apartment to ourselves (2 rooms) and another couple (we never saw) had the other half and we shared the bathroom and kitchen.
It makes travel so much cheaper and an adventure. We are in our 50's and on Baby Step #7 so it isn't just for the young and poor.
I would totally do this if I had someone to do it with!
VRBO and Airbnb’s are wonderful if staying for multiple nights and/or with a family or group. Multiple bedrooms, kitchen, lots of room, etc. Just read the reviews and you can avoid the bad ones. We own a rental too. It does not cash flow but we get to use it too.
Agreed. i stay at hotels when travelling alone, for the convenience. I've used VRBO and airbnb for the past 12-15 years for all or my family travel. It's just nicer to have more room and overall cheaper than 2-3 hotel rooms. You just need to be selective and check reviews.
We love VRBO for our family except you really have to watch because some of the properties have crazy hidden fees.
With STR you have much more control over the property. Though have to involve more
I have never had an issue with AirB and actually plan to use it for a short term stay while relocating. But we'd never consider going the 'room' route, entire home only. Fees are high but sometimes convenience trumps saving money.
I miss the golden days when airbnb was a cheaper alternative than going to a hotel
LOVE the show!!! ❤ this combo is such a riot to listen to!!! Great way to start my crazy work day! Thank you for the fun!🎉
We own a property in a touristy area that we rent out when not using it ourselves. Overall, we’ve done well. But it does come with risks and headaches that mutual funds just don’t have. It is anything but passive income.
Yeah, but you make hundreds of times more. At some point I rented out a small apartment and Airbnbed it. My initial investment (first and last month + furniture) was under $3000 and my profit was $500 a month with at most 5 hours of work a month. No mutual funds will ever give you 16% MONTHLY return. I know that there are different properties and some places and situations are more complex then others - but such opportunities should never be ignored.
We stayed in a name-brand big hotel right beside Grand Central Station in NY. There was something large growing on the floor in the bathroom. It looked like something out of a 1950s horror movie. It was kind of coffee-colored, fuzzy, and the size of a small dog. We did not spend much time at the Hotel because we were so busy. We could not wait to get out of there. It probably has its own room by now, and is ordering room service.
My sister in-law rented an AirBnB on a lake and the seven foot tall slide broke as she went down it. The fall broke her hip and she ended up with thousands in medical bills. She contacted AirBnB to file an insurance claim and they sent HER a bill to cover the cost of the broken slide, despite her pictures showing that the slide was broken previously and just fixed enough to barely hold it together. It is a nightmare she is still dealing with…
I loved Airbnb because I could also visit my beach house when it wasn’t rented. However, I needed more income and have since gone long term. But I do believe there is a market for Airbnb because on the location
We went and stayed at a VRBO with another family and we got a house on the lake for a month during the summer and we split the cost and ended up being very affordable split between everyone
This makes me sad! We have 3 airbnb river house rentals that have paid off all of our debt and have blessed a lot of people!! They are still relevant and awesome.
I've never rented 1, but I have 7 that I rent out. I leave a welcome basket that has snacks, they have a nice little coffee/tea/hot cocoa center, and bottled water in the fridge. I raised kids, they need snacks when they arrive.
Air bnb was the ad on this video 😂
IRbnn stock is now $160 from $130. The business is growing Rachel
I personally think Airbnb is the new take on renting cabins/cottages when I was a young girl. It was cheaper than staying at a hotel if you had a family. I remember making sure everything was clean and tidy before we left.
Hands down always my favorite podcast of the week. Love you guys.
We (28 & 34 own our home and 2 long term rentals) just bought a duplex in a little vacation town near our off grid cabin. I’m pregnant & our families want to come stay and help us get ahead in the cabin and entertain our 2 year old.
Our plan is to live in the bigger unit while we upgrade the cabin and do an addition. My mom and I can work on our unit of the duplex while the guys knock out big stuff on the cabin.
When it’s all said and done we’ll be into the duplex under 200K and have about $800/unit per month, & a safe comfortable place to live for the time being :)
Lots of vacation rentals around us, but we aren’t into that. I hate the turnover.
I’d rather establish a little farm stand out front and supply all the boat people with goodies!
I've stayed in one and I've rented out a bedroom. I haven't rented it since the pandemic started. AirBNB got weird. First was the pandemic, then AirBNB stopped paying out on the insurance for violations, and that is terrifying. If someone refuses to leave or wrecks something, their insurance was supposed to cover it, but then the stories came out. I rented super cheap in a residential area, so it was mostly people traveling to see family or deal with business. I've considered going back, but the horror stories have me scared.
I used to work for a hotel. I HATED the third party apps much of the front desk does. Most of the time if you book directly with the hotel you cab get the same rate.
Been staying at Airbnbs for years and still do. So much better than hotels. A lot of the complaints you guys are mentioning have not been an issue over all the many Airbnbs I’ve stayed at. You’re taking the generic negatives. You have to book with reputable and highly rated hosts and you have none of these problems.
We prefer AirB&B or VRBO over hotels but it depends on the price. In the last 10 years we picked a hotel over AirB&B only 2-3 times. We like being in a house with a full kitchen and washer/dryer. So nice to cook our own food, hang out in a comfortable living room, and do laundry so that I don’t have to pack dirty clothes. Just pick AirB&Bs with short check out instructions. We only stay where we can have the entire place to ourselves. We have stayed in shared AirB&Bs a couple of times over the years but entire is the way to go if possible. We did stay in an Extended Stay when we stayed in Portland and it was nice to have a pool, hot tub, and gym because it was rainy all week so it was nice to have so many indoor activities
We are AirBnB hosts, but we must charge quite a bit less than most! 😂 Several years ago, we built an addition on to our home, and while doing so, thought it would be beneficial to build a small guesthouse for when guests stayed so our kids wouldn’t have to give up their rooms. Recently (within the past six months), we listed the house on AirBnB and VRBO. The only additional charges we add are if they bring a pet ($20 per stay), and a very low cleaning fee (also $20). We ask them to only drop their wet linens in the walk-in shower floor, and we take care of the rest. It blows my mind that the majority of hosts charge outrageous fees they themselves would probably not be willing to pay! Now, the small house is a bedroom providing all the same things as a hotel room - no actual full kitchen - but we also provide a silo with a fire pit and an outdoor hot tub for their enjoyment. Sometimes I think we are undercharging, but it stays occupied quite frequently, and this is helping fund our son’s college bill, as well as reducing our credit card debt. Also, this small house is owned free and clear.
That happened here in Las Vegas. Some properties were bought up but not many permits were given. Some very large fines have been levied to the owners.
I have booked tons of Airbnb's - very rarely have I had to do chores. Often, the host is helpful with recommendations and reservations, there is a dedicated maid/cook, I love having extra space and a kitchen and washer/dryer. I get up early, and in a hotel room there's no where to go that doesn't wake up my partner. In an airbnb, I can make coffee and hang out in the living room. Our daughter can stay in her own room. You can see the full price w/ fees before booking, it's not hidden. Hotels have tons of fees (resort fee, anyone?) that are not disclosed in the nightly price. Also, be aware that booking with 3rd party sites (like Priceline) you don't get loyalty points/miles and have much less recourse when things go wrong. 3rd party extensions (like Travel Arrow) are just advertising for 3rd party sites.
We travel to Nashville several times a year. We stay at the Hampton Green Hills. They give a discount for parents visiting their kids at Lipscomb Belmont and Vanderbilt. Even with that discount the cheapest we’ve gotten is $179 plus taxes for a night. They do a decent complimentary breakfast and we always pack our own food to save going out.
Great video Ramsey team, love George and Rachael and Skyler. Great tips and discussion on what people are thinking about.
I am a Ramsey guy and these 2 have no idea what they are talking about with short term rentals.
We stayed at an Airbnb in Spain in 2014. The place did NOT look clean when we checked in. Turned out - after we slept there - the owner lived there and stayed elsewhere when he was renting the place and he DIDN'T clean it before we checked in! I am NOT making this up. Sheets were not changed. Not a good experience.
I’ve had only great Airbnb experiences. So much better than a hotel.
I will NEVER spend a dollar at anything faintly connected to disney.
I rented many Air BnBs. My kids and my husband (their step dad) traveled a lot. It would have been really uncomfortable to all be in the same room. With Air BnB, we each had our rooms AND a kitchen. We still use them and love them since my kids are now adults. We each want our room.
We’ve been renting the same cabin every summer on airbnb the last 9 years. I can’t live without a kitchen, even when we’re off grid glamping in Maine.
It’s Ver-Bow … so funny 😂
Boe not bow. Dogs go bow wow.
Yes Rachel. Vacation Rentals By Owner started out as VRBO over 20 years ago, but they have recently started doing TV ads pronouncing it VERBO.
From a consumer point of view, I have to say that we have never enjoyed any of our VRBO or Airbnb rentals. We have had several issues with doors falling off, getting locked in bathrooms because the doorknob fell off the door, beds falling down or being in such poor shape that sleep was impossible. And this is not even addressing the colorful bag that property owners can be.
To add insult to injury we get charged a cleaning fee, but then are expected to clean? I mean, leaving the house reasonably organized is not the same to starting laundry, dishwasher, sweeping, etc.
To me and my family it isn't worth it. I rather get the hotel where I know what to expect and won't have to clean someone else's house under my dime during what is supposed to be my vacation.
George! Did you really say you don't say acronyms by the word they sound like? What do you think SCUBA and SONAR are? Acronyms 😂😂😂
OSHA, NASA,, and many more!
Or even an ASAP as an example of random letters put together 😂
Great episode! Lots of laughs and good info. I am so like Rachel when it comes to flying.😂
Me too!!! Such a scaredy cat.
I have been a landlord for long term rentals for 10 years and then short term rental the last few years. By far, way more profitable to have short term rentals. I had way more problems with long term rentals.
Rachel and George are right, it's VRBO! 🤦🏼♀️ And I'm NOT old... Ive just been using it since it came out (and I dont have tv or watch commercials).
i agree, i've pronounced the letters for the past 10 years of using VRBO. I know their marketing wants you to pronounce it as a word. I refuse.
Still going opt for Airbnb’s over stranger-hair in my bed… I like making my husband breakfast in the morning, no kids asking for ANYTHING and I don’t mind gathering the sheets…. Great episode! ❤
4:05 "you don't say acronyms by the word they spell." Actually, that's exactly what you do with acronyms. Acronyms are defined as "an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word." If you don't sound out the letters into a word then it's not an acronym.
My wife goes on vacation with her yoga instructor all the time! I am glad she can relax. I work 60 hours a week as a welder.
😂
😂
It’s funny because cheating
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Brrrr....I feel the sarcasm
I really want our town to do something about the short term rentals. All the “starter homes” are being bought up and either rented out short term or long term and the inventory of “starter homes” is depleted drastically.
We have only done AirBNB a few times but the experiences were satisfactory. 2 were a little better than the 1 of them as far as cleanliness but that one also had a clean hot tub, the other two didn’t. All 3 had kitchens and restaurants nearby. 2 of them we left cleaner than we received it. 1 was about the same when we left. But definitely a cheaper option than hotel, and more private.
"You're more secure at a hotel" 👀
I had an employee who opened my room door (not room service), no knocking or warning. Since then, I started putting latch on everytime!!!
Our last VRBO was a large house. Things were not as they appeared. Our 2-year-old grandson was coming and there were China settings on all the tables that I had to wash before putting them away because of the layers of dust on them. We then found a decaying dead lizard in the dining room. We pick this particular house because of the safety features. Unfortunately some of them were not functioning. I like my condos much better
People don't account for the 1 am call with a clogged toilet or the water leak or.....then the mess some people leave - it is not a hands off job unless you want to eat up your profits by hiring someone - then it's another level of trust you have to deal with.
As someone who bought a house in a city where housing prices skyrocketed, I set up 2 airbnb private suites in my house and its been actually great. I need the extra income to cover my mortgage and house repairs. I love meeting my guests and I usually get 5 star ratings.
Instead of hating on airbnbs and why yall dont like them, you should interview folks who own them and live in their houses and why they like hosting. I have several friends who also own them and the income is indispensable to living in our area. Btw, i moved here to be able to take care of my mom the last 3 years of her life with dementia.
My family and I have stayed at airbnbs in the US and Europe. Mostly we've had great experiences. And we've found great deals as low as $ 50 or 60 a night versus hotels that mostly charge $250 to $350 a night minimum. Hotels are usually way out of my budget!!
Nobody is forcing him to stay at a shared Airbnb. The owners don’t like sharing their house but they’re doing it as an extra income. He did it because he wanted to save money. I did it to help our family while I was pregnant and our guests were wonderful. One studied for the MCAT and another was a marathon runner on an internship.
George, my niece stayed at an airbnb in 30A area. It was a huge home and they rented a room with a bathroom, it had its own entrance and the owners were not there. She said it was great. I would never rent a shared space. LOL
Having young kids in a hotel is so stressful. Safety hazards everywhere, the beds aren’t child safe, and there’s never enough storage for all the items you have to bring. I’ve had to stay at hotels with my kids several times, and it’s exhausting. :/
We use Airbnb to vacation with our dogs. We have 3 elderly dogs and do not want to board them. It’s the easiest way we can vacation to the beach and not worry about our dogs.
Hotels can be hard also. Was on a project in the DC area. The project manager works for the company, and I'm just a contractor. She decides she hates our current hotel and when we are returning next week that we will move across the street. I think we were in Arlington. Turns out there is a soccer tournament in town, and we all get bumped up in room level. I have the highest level of rewards, so I end up in a two room, two bath suite on a floor with only four rooms. I thought it was cool, but she was so offended that she wasn't in that room that she eventually had me thrown off the project, and eventually, I was asked to leave the contracting company. It was awful.
I like the puffy shirt- if Rachel would have said “I don’t want to be a pirate” would have been classic
Rachel, as a fellow millennial, it's verbo😂 Also, I worked at a restaurant for 10 years, we definitely appreciate the plate stacking.
And, from a legal standpoint, it's always a liability when anyone steps foot on your property, so airbnb'ing is crazy. No way for me.
It’s definitely not “verbo”. Like even their own commercials say V R B O.
I loved the show! You guys are funny and wise....thanks😊
You two together are the funniest! I love all your content!