I rent, never used Airbnb to more than a few days
this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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I try to find hotels with suites, and I've found they often offer a long stay discount. My fallback is still Airbnb unfortunately
There’s not much out there apart from airbnb because they’re a monopoly and hosts would prefer higher rates that they get on airbnb vs doing it privately
I would love an alternative but there isn’t a good one yet
What would I good one look like that Airbnb isn't able to offer?
Yeah I really want a good alternative. My last airbnb was an absolute nightmare. I complained to airbnb and they refunded me the princely sum of 3.34. I didn't want to have to fork out for another place so I just had to stick it out for 3 and a half weeks as they wouldn't give me any more money back. The host just denied all of my complaints. Then when I left he wrote a review calling me a "dirty liar who asked for dirty liar money" and accused me of breaking a shower rail (it was held together with tape when I arrived) and breaking a lamp (there was no lamp in the room). I complained to airbnb about the review and they refused to do anything about that either so I don't know how that's going to affect me if I have to book through them again. Nothing but good reviews for years but that's the one a host is going to pay attention to if they see it I guess.
Ask for review removal due to host retaliation, this is against their tos. They may give you a canned reply - ask again. Repeat until removed.
Thanks, I had considered that but hadn't been sure if it was worth trying. I might give it a go. It was very much a canned reply, saying that their reviews allow both parties to express their experience.
As anywhere, persistence is the answer
Hotels. Airbnb tends to be drama. Hotels actually train people to do their jobs.
I don't need trained staff, daily cleaning etc. I need a 2+ bedroom apartment with a kitchen.
Fair enough. But after booking a few smelly airbnbs I went to hotels and never looked back. I'd love a kitchen, but I love a clean place with no damp smells and no suprise charges more.
I refuse to live in a room for more than a week that is my bedroom, living room. Office, etc. Airbnb gets me 1 orb2 bedroom condos or homes. I only rent non-shared.
I would go crazy in a hotel room for a month. Do you work in your hotel room?
Yes. I don't really have a problem with working and sleeping in the same small room, I get that some people hate this.
Can you negotiate price if you stay 1 month in an hotel?
Yes. You can always ask for a discount. You won't always get it but asking costs nothing.
I rarely book for a month at a time though. I usually book for a week or two and extended if I feel like it.
I guess my main issue will be about foods. It will be to costly to eat out 3X times per day
Only if you eat cooked meals at sit down places three times a day. And even if you do there are usually reasonable options about.
Unfortunately I'm stuck in the Airbnb monopoly. I've tried other sites but they are just outside of my price range. But if someone has a good one, especially for Belgium or the Netherlands, I really don't wanna spend more than 1,300€/mes 😒
Many European locations: https://housinganywhere.com/
Netherlands only: https://kamernet.nl/en
I'm not a promoter of either site, but am nomading around the world right now (mostly Europe) and came across those.
Housing Anywhere has scammed several folks in Germany. Head over to r/Germany if you are interested or just check reviews online. Not everyone had a bad experience but many did.
Airbnbs are very pricy to the point that it doesn’t make sense to me anymore.
Depends on where, but yeah. With the discounts, sometimes, it’s the only way.
Yes
I have found that if you contact an AirBNB owner, especially for a property that isn’t marked as “usually booked!” or whatever, they will reduce their rate quite a bit for a long-term stay.
I am currently in Panama staying in a cabin in a beautiful national park, up in the mountains, an hour from Panama City - for $650/month. Typically the place I’m staying rents for $80/night. The owner averaged his bookings during this time of year and offered me a great deal to stay here for two months.
You just messaged him on the app and asked for a long stay rate ?
Really? In Europe anyway I found exactly the opposite. Attempts to negotiate a price were met with scorn and sometimes insults. Even at the height of COVID people were willing to leave their rooms empty than reduce their price.
Interesting! I have only really stayed in Panama and Costa Rica, and have had good luck in both countries. The Central American people I’ve stayed with are amazingly friendly and kind.
Do you visit Panama city often?
I’ve gone down to the city a few times, as there’s nowhere up here to get fresh groceries (only a mini market that has packaged items/pantry staples.) I rented a car for a week at one point also so I could explore a few different areas. You can go from the northern beaches to the Gamboa rain forest to the city and back up into the mountains in one day! It’s been a cool place to explore nature.
Nice one! Been to Gamboa forest a week ago, nice place indeed.
especially for a property that isn’t marked as “usually booked!”
That's just a marketing gimmick that hosts pay for. It has nothing to do with the actual number of nights booked. I've seen it plenty of times on brand new listings where no one has ever stayed.
If I am traveling somewhere new and it's international then yes. When I stay somewhere regularly I usually try to befriend the hosts and either book directly with them next time or possibly rent from a friend of theirs. I hate how much money Airbnb has made off of me over the years and with the way they have treated me I don't feel like they've earned it.
How much lower can you get dealing with hosts directly? Say, the average daily price on the platform is $100 - that would include long term discount, cleaning and airbnbs fees. What if it’s $60 (it’s the price point at which I start considering switching to a hotel).
I'd say you save around 25% or so usually. I'm not a fan of hotels because I do like to cook at home the majority of the time. Some hotels I have stayed at will have a kitchenette, but not too many pots and pans. Meanwhile every Airbnb I've stayed at usually has a decently stocked kitchen. The essentials are always there at least.
I see. That’s the opposite of me: I never cook and only have a coffeemaker in my kitchen. Airbnbs kitchens mostly gross me out with all the strange food leftovers (I mean half bottles of olive oil, weird herbal teas and sugar packets or what not).
I finally was able to deactivate my account today aftet not using it for 90 days
I envy you. I hope to get to that point one day.
Yes, if you book a few months in advance for a month+ stay you can often find some nice hidden gems. I would never use airbnb for something less than a month though
In many countries where short-term renting is not a thing Airbnb is your best bet. I have tried a few alternatives, booking.com can be decent, the rest was useless.
I notice if I do the monthly bookings the host will get the people who work at the condos to try and push you out and cancel so they can book the room at a higher rate and or for free since you left. That happened a lot in the Philippines and Indonesia. Mexico will do it as well but not as common. Worst hosts in my experience are the Filipino hosts. I stayed at quite a bit. Don’t stay somewhere there’s a lot of staff working. Apartments or homes are better. Don’t book the condos. Malaysian hosts could use some help.
Wait, what? How do they try to push you out? Asking because I'm visiting the Philippines in a few months.
Never seen it happening. Don't worry. Nobody pushed me out or even tried to. Had to leave one place on my own as advertised internet really did not work, but that's different story.
I hate airbnb but stuck in that monopoly when traveling. Wish there was a better option for nomads.
Unpopular opinion: I love Airbnb.
I just looked at that Nomadstays site. Grand total of one shitty hostel room in Colombia for a month lol.
Anything with the prefix "co" is usually ghastly, so I won't bother with that one
Check out https://thewirednomad.com. You can find listings from Airbnb and other sources like Flatio and Nomad Stays which cater to 1+ month bookings. And all of them have verified, fast internet speeds.
In the U.S., no. Way too high for that now.