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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 6, 2015 - 09:40am PT
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Saw this ST banner ad today:
I learned about them about a year ago...they've been in the media lately...wondering about other people's experience with AirBnB...?
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this just in
climber
Justin Ross from North Fork
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We have a pretty cool placed booked next week in Tahoe using it. Three couples at 200$ a piece for two nights at a huge house with pool table, three bed/baths, spa, and no hotel environment. Some good deals, there is a usual cleaning fee, but if you have some friends to go with it's worth it.
VRBO is another good site. Same thing.
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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I got a place down in Troncones, Mex for a surfing vacation. Price was good and it was very nice. Based on a sample size of one, my experience with AirBnB was great.
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John M
climber
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From the perspective of the owner..
I have a friend who is renting her cabin in Wawona through them. So far mostly good experiences. But people are just nuts. I used to believe that the crazies were few and far between, but the more I learn, the more I believe that way too many people are just nuts. She had to institute a security deposit because some people just don't seem to get it.
This experience is from another friend who rents their cabin. One person tried to build a fire in the gas fireplace because they wanted an authentic wood fire and wanted to roast marshmallows. Almost burned the cabin down.
AirBnB does have an insurance policy to protect owners.
I have no experience from the other side of the equation.
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab or In What Time Zone Am I?
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Yes. Both Air and VRBO
Used Air for a place in Hawaii. Was as promised
Used VRBO to rent out my cottage in Bozeman. Excellent middleman.
Susan
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2015 - 10:01am PT
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I've used VRBO a few times in Santa Barbara & Kauai...it worked out well both times.
AirBnB is different, though...isn't it?
There is some recent legislation in Santa Monica that creates the most restrictive laws in the country around AirBnB....
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anita514
Gym climber
Great White North
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I've used AirBnB a few times - as described, totally legit.
My sister uses it all over and was actually renting a room out of her house for a year or two. In the summer, they'd be booked for weeks straight.
We recently rented a house in the country for my birthday, complete with outdoor hot tub (this was in February) and a nice fireplace. It was pretty sweet.
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John M
climber
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the world is changing. Imagine if your neighbor decided that they wanted to start renting their place out on a nightly basis. party every night.. Of course the upside is that that crazy person who moved in next door is now likely only staying one night.
I used to like these kinds of things. Now I better understand why there are zoning laws.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2015 - 10:23am PT
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Yep, that's the nature of the recent laws passed in the People's Republic of Santa Monica. They make sense when those rentals become revolving doors of partying stoooopidness, affecting the living conditions (and property values) of local residents.
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paul roehl
Boulder climber
california
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Outside of Cortona, very reasonable, very nice. Try it.
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab or In What Time Zone Am I?
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Many "resort" towns have zoning ordinances that restrict "overnight" rentals. Moab has many neighborhoods that do not allow "overnight" rentals. Usually the restrictions are for stays of 30 days or less. If a neighborhood is getting blasted with short term tourist stays I would suspect they need to approach their zoning folks.
Cities also don't want to miss getting their "transient" tourist tax if folks are renting out their homes for vacationers.
Susan
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Last summer my two daughters and I stayed in Paris for 4 nights in a flat I booked through AirBnB. It was 100 percent legit, safe and awesome. We had everything imaginable, even a washer and dryer, balcony, full kitchen, and dishwasher. We were a 10 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower, and surrounded by cafe's and stores. Cost for 4 nights, including a cleaning fee, was about $500. I'll definitely use it again.
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roy
Social climber
NZ -> SB,CA -> Zurich
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I've used it for renting in the Berkeley Hills. It worked out very well - a complete little apartment underneath the main house with views of the Bay and the Golden Gate.
The arrangements and payment are easy. AirBnB takes your credit card details, then sends you an email after the first night. If you reply that everything is as expected then they transfer the monies to the owner.
I stayed 2 weeks. I'll do it again.
Cheers, Roy
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nita
Social climber
chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.
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I think airbnb varies a little bit, depending on total amount of rental charges, but generally they charge 6.5% of the total to the >guest.
VRBO does not charge the guest any fee. The Vacation home owners pay >VRBO an annual fee.
Vacation owners usually advertise their places on both sites......IMO, AB&B & VRBO are a WAY better option then a Motel & Hotel...
If you get a bigger house, you can divide the cost with friends & family....
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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We used it for a one week stay at a gorgeous modern flat in downtown London. Fantastic experience! He employed a local factotum for transport and key exchange. It worked great.
The owner did ask us to describe ourselves, for some background info. I'm glad we passed the test.
But then he sent us a link to his son's uTube video and invited us to come and stay at his house in Indonesia, rent-free, as his guests, anytime we want!
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Someone's charging $1000 a night on AirBnB for a room in my hometown, Belmont, California. Wonder if they're getting that very often since other people are charging $100-200 per day for a room. Must be some kind of famous old mansion.
Would love to rent my house out for the summer for $3000 a month while I take up residence at Tioga Pass. Any takers?
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2015 - 12:57pm PT
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For those of you who have used AirBnB...
What kind of personal information did you have to share to set up your account?
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dindolino32
climber
san francisco
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We have rented a room at our place a handful of times so far. We are super close to SFO in Brisbane, so most people sleep here after landing or before taking off. All encounters have been great so far. We do provide a little breakfast food and coffee, so it is a BNB. Definitely helps us with cash since we have a baby on the way. +1 for AirBNB. They do background checks etc, so I'm not too worried about the creepers.
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Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
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I wanted to swim in a pool with no kids this weekend. Sonoma pool house? Yes, please!
Our place on Yosemite is on the third party sites too:
http://www.sierrahaven.com
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crankster
Trad climber
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Pretty simple to set up an account, basic personal information. No deposits like with VRBO. It's like staying at someone's house.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Dingus, did the bad places you stayed at have previous reviews? I'm not sure I would stay at a place that had not been reviewed by other renters.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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I don't have any experience with it yet, other than having booked three weeks worth of places to stay while my wife and I drive all over Ireland this June and July. The interaction has been really good: quick responses, lots and lots of reviews to consider (including how the proprietor responds to them!), and very welcoming attitudes.
I'll report back mid-July!
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susan peplow
climber
Joshua Tree, CA
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AirBnb is a brilliant concept. Unlike Craigslist, VRBO or other vacation rental sites AirBnb works much like a Broker. All monies are handled through AirBnb then distributed to the host after the guest checks in (via PayPal or oldskool check should you choose). The host doesn't pay to list but the guest is charged a small % for the secure service.
With so much fraud out there I can see why AirBnb is popular (Valued at like 20 Billion). Takes the risk out of it for guests. If you were a small operation with only a single vacation home, seasonal rental or even a room for rent it could seem "sketchy" to the renter. Someone without a legit business, website or reviews.... I wouldn't rent from them either. Using an outfit like AirBnb takes that risk out of the equation for the guest. The guest/inquiry is completely secure with no direct email or contact until after an agreement is struck. This protects your privacy as well as keeping the booking "in house" for AirBnb.
Security for the property owner/host is equally as good. No mystery checks floating around or credit card charges later disputed. When it pays, it pays like magic... you don't' even get dinged for PayPal transfers. As a host you also have the ability to set guidelines for cancellations, cleaning or mystery fees, set deposit criteria or even provide "special offers" with potential guests.
We've used it before as a host and it works great. All we get charged is the 3% for credit card processing which is how AirBnb receives the fees. Note, this would be the same should we process ourselves.
Cool concept... so much so TripAdvisors ripped the idea off and spun a similar platform with FlipKey.
As for the name.... AirBnb is huge in Europe where most nightly rentals are true B&B's. Love me some fresh eggs, french press coffee and pastries :)
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2015 - 01:44pm PT
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"No mystery checks floating around or credit card charges later disputed."
Really? If a rental is significantly misrepresented for some reason, the renter could still attempt a chargeback with the issuing bank for their credit card, and that bank could easily dispute or recall the charge. Who takes that hit...AirBnB, the rental, or...?
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Jun 29, 2015 - 06:47am PT
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OK, so just FYI...I'm a little less than half way through my journey through Ireland, and Air BnB has been fantastic!
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Jul 11, 2015 - 04:41pm PT
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OK, just got back from three weeks in Ireland, and had a fantastic time--a big part of which related to the fantastic hosts through AirBnB. Here's the setting of one of 9 beautiful places we stayed:
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Oct 18, 2016 - 04:16pm PT
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Maybe people who have had positive experiences (or negative, for that matter) can post their stays here. I'd guess most of us take trips in many of the same locations -- e.g. Moab, Bishop, El Portal ...
I'm looking at places to stay in Park City right now. Really like the idea of having a decent kitchen (as opposed to a mini-fridge and Mr. Coffee), so that I can buy groceries in town and dine at the kingly standard to which I am accustomed.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Oct 18, 2016 - 05:25pm PT
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I've had a few decent experiences with AirBnB, and one funny one last year...
I had to travel for work to Denver area, and normally stay in mid-range hotels in the typical $100-$250/night range. But during this trip, it was a perfect storm of some national convention of teachers and some kids baseball championship and basically there were no hotel rooms within a 50 mile radius. Not even Motel6 or similar.
The ONLY thing I could find was an AirBnb listing with a cute girl and "couch to crash on" for like $40 per night. The place had no reviews. I exchange some screening type texts/emails with the person, and it is booked. She also offers to give me a ride from the airport! Bargain!
Only problem is my flight is late, trams at DIA are broken, and I wish I had just paid for a taxi or used Lyft/Uber, but now I think they are "almost there" so I have to wait. But it ends up taking another hour of me sitting on the curb at 2am. I was exchanging texts with the girl, but she was saying her boyfriend was on his way.
The guy seems nice enough, but he drops me off at the house, saying he doesn't live there. Neither does the girl, who I never actually spoke with if she exists. There is a "caretaker" couple who sleep on a bed on the floor in the living room. There is a bedroom where I am supposed to sleep, with 2 sets of bunkbeds and 3 strangers snoring- I can't turn on the lights. I keep my possessions close to me and bumble into my bunk, facing the wall, so someone will have to crawl over me to take my stuff. The air is heavy and sticky with marijuana.
I'm supposed to be dressed nicely wearing pressed clothes and meeting people to give a business presentation in about 3 hours... ha! An iron was not part of the amenities of this residence. I was a bit delayed in the morning because I missed my window to get in the bathroom a couple of times. There was a lake of water in the bathroom that I wasn't sure whether it came from the shower or the toilet, so I wore my shoes. My presentation went ok, but I was pretty darn wrinkly. It's a good thing I'm not a sales or marketing guy these days.
As much as it sucked, I was thankful I had something. Other people in my group were staying 75 miles away.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 18, 2016 - 05:43pm PT
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I've had a few decent experiences with AirBnB, and one funny one last year...
^^^ I'm glad you thought that was 'funny'.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Oct 18, 2016 - 05:57pm PT
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Nutagain, that sounds dreadful!
I used them again last April for 3 places in Italy. It was great!
I did have a friend tell me that her friends had all their stuff stolen at an airbnb place and that sounded like an organized scam not a genuine robbery. But I think if you use a place with lots of positive reviews it's a good and safe option.
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Randall_C
climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Oct 18, 2016 - 07:23pm PT
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I've used airbnb and other vacation rental sites repeatedly in the last six years and have never had a bad experience. Last summer stayed at a super cool airbnb stand alone cottage in Soquel up in the redwoods. The price per night was cheaper than the Motel 6 in Santa Cruz. Another bonus was the property owners were not on-site and lived in San Jose.
Other positive experiences: Kailua Beach, Bend, Vancouver, Bisbee, Scottsdale, Mammoth, Lost Wages (Summerlin), Oceanside, Santa Clarita and Napa to name a few.
With that said, my sister has had a few shitty experiences, but continues to use when it fits the bill.
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Bluelens
Social climber
Pasadena, CA
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Oct 18, 2016 - 09:31pm PT
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Stayed a couple nights in this furnished AirBnb Lakota teepee in Ranchita, CA on a trip to Anza Borrego State Park. The location is just off the PCT. Hikers can camp on the lawn or rent the glamping teepee. Washer, dryer, kitchenette and invitation to yoga classes in the yurt. No power in the teepee.
Had a great time! Owner was on the premises.
I rented an AirBnb bungalow in Ojai for a week for out of town guests for my wedding. The place had a professional manager who manages nearby resort properties. Good experience. Lots of warnings about the old plumbing and parking restrictions.
AirBnb does take longer to orient yourself to than a hotel, as each property has its quirks. You will have a better time if you take time to read the information about the quirks you are going to encounter.
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JC Marin
Trad climber
CA
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Oct 18, 2016 - 10:39pm PT
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Stayed at an AirBNB in J-Tree earlier this year--caught the flu and about 2 days into the worse sickness I've had in 20 years, the wind picked up and literally blew the roof off the house--I really thought I was going to die at a couple of points. Got of bed the next day, got in my truck and drove home...def not going back to that house + AirBNB is literally changing our little town in West Marin.
Though I have stayed in a couple of nice cabins over the last few years...
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Decko
Trad climber
Colorado
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Oct 19, 2016 - 08:42am PT
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I have two bedrooms on Airbnb and have had them listed for over a year and I have ZERO complaints about the site, or anyone who has stayed.
It has given me a great second income and I've met some super nice people some so nice we invite them to have dinner with us.
I have stayed as a guest as well and I highly recommend staying in someones home over a loud, and noisy and usually more expensive hotel.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Oct 19, 2016 - 01:24pm PT
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wow, Melissa's place looks divine!
link is broke though, manual search shows it.
All Yosemite properties that much a night?
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crusher
climber
Santa Monica, CA
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Oct 19, 2016 - 02:24pm PT
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I use VRBO all the time, for all different size rentals and in multiple states. Haven't used it for out of the country (yet). I read the reviews posted by other renters - sometimes they're spot on sometimes not. Make sure you pay through VRBO though - not directly to the person renting the place out, etc. I find that these rentals are usually peoples' own vacation homes or investment properties and have never been cancelled on by a VRBO host. Many rental companies post their properties on VRBO as well - so sometimes you will be re-directed to their sites.
Air BnB in concept seems great. However my experience has been that the likelihood of the host cancelling on you is greater, as is the chance the place could be dreadful once you get there. We had a brownstone home rented (far in advance) for our daughter's wedding in New York. Had the entire immediate family of 9 set to stay there. The host cancelled on us 3 weeks out, leaving us in a giant lurch. Air BnB says they will help you find a new rental on their site - in our case no luck. We were refunded right away (good service from them). You're mostly dealing with people renting their OWN homes (i.e. not necessarily their investment or vacation properties) so probably more of a chance that they can cancel you right up until the day you arrive.
As for Santa Monica and some other cities putting in regulations or stopping Air BnB altogether - the nightly rental thing occurring in established non-commercial neighborhoods has been a problem in SM for many reasons. For example, we live next door to a property where the absentee owner was renting several units on Air BnB before he was stopped, primarily for other reasons and not by us.
With transient people there we got excessive people noise, car noise, smoking, parties, doors slamming...the property owners on the other side of the property were constantly having the Air BnB guests come to their door asking for towels or keys and so on, even though it was clearly next door (different property, different address).
This was our experience. It's not to say that all people who stay nightly behave this way but it's certainly worth regulating and possibly coming up with a plan in various cities for where this type of lodging works and where it doesn't work, neighborhood-wise. Plus a lot of the Air BnB hosts were getting away with not paying their nightly rental taxes which of course the city was unhappy with!
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Oct 19, 2016 - 03:01pm PT
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Have used a few times...for both Vegas (ok spot, in an strangely quiet tall apartment building probably being foreclosed on) and internationally (recently in Croatia).
Hit or miss. Some fab, some not.
Read a hilarious review of a place we thought about renting where the person have a mostly thumbs up review, but, had to go to the hospital as the bed bug bites were horrible. WTF?
We bailed on a place on Hvar (Croatia) a couple of weeks ago. Partly my fault for not doing the due diligence I should have done prior to pulling the trigger (didn't see that smoking was allowed and the place smelled of it). Most of the light bulbs didn't work. Sink leak was repaired with masking tape and dripped into a tub below. Electrical outlets were shot. Place was drab. Rentals above and below were full time, low budget deals with messy tenents (didn't see that in the on line photos!). Drive way and off street parking nearly unusable as it had rained and created a mini dirt swimming pool. We stayed a night then bailed. Oh well. It was cheap and maybe we got what we payed for.
Two days later we hit our next scheduled lodging which was another airbnb property. Fantastic. Great location. Well appointed. Owner was there but her parents let us in and helped when a couple things didn't make sense to us. As advertised and better than expected.
So...I'd continue to use AirBnB. But, I've also found that by searching through Trip Advisor or Google I can usually locate a rental property in the area I want to stay and book directly with the owner. Or, just use a local travel agent nearby.
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Oct 19, 2016 - 03:38pm PT
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Could i offer another take? i live in a residential neighborhood in SF, I'm a long term home owner, picked my house precisely because it is in a quiet corner, with great neighbors-but in the last few years there have been a lot of airbnb units developed here. I know of 4 in 2 blocks. It sucks! The guests seem nice, but clueless-they ring the wrong doorbells, they park across driveways, they litter(really, seen it, seen em coming form a rental unit) and they (well not the guests, the owners) remove housing units from the market. I have stayed in arbnb units, but now i feel like a hypocrite-um not sure i can do it anymore. And ill certainly never take an uber again, hearing tales of woe from a buddy cabbie. The arrogance of silicone valley and the "sharing Economy" is staggering-just do what you want, don't give a sh#t about established businesses or neighborhoods, just take the money and run-oh, forgot cloak it in the guise of some new save the world bullsh#t.
i just wish the airbnb on my block would shutter up. Would i be a dick for reporting them because they lack the appropriate certification to the city?
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kief
Trad climber
east side
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Oct 19, 2016 - 03:58pm PT
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You're mostly dealing with people renting their OWN homes (i.e. not necessarily their investment or vacation properties)
"Mostly" is correct, but in NYC for example 30% of all the listings are by commercial hosts who rent out multiple units for brief periods for at least four months out of the year. The social cost of the AIrBnB business model in cities with high rents and tight housing markets is a reduction in the availability of housing for residents. A report by housing advocacy groups in NYC claimed that if AirBnB apartments were on the market instead, the city’s vacant rental stock would increase by 10 percent. The city's Public Advocate (highest ranking elected official after the Mayor) said that “Airbnb’s practices are swallowing up affordable housing units, forcing New Yorkers from their homes and precipitating a spike in homelessness."
AirBnB dismisses this kind of talk as exaggeration, which in some ways it probably is. But as someone who has struggled to find even marginally affordable housing in both NYC and San Francisco I'm sympathetic to folks who want existing laws enforced to keep things from getting further out of hand.
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nita
Social climber
chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.
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Oct 19, 2016 - 05:43pm PT
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Airbnb’s practices are swallowing up affordable housing units That is one of the downsides to Airbnb..
Two friends of mine have airbnb's...One is a family vacation home @ Lake Almanor that was used too infrequently by the family members..
My other friend bought an old house the was divided into 4 units.. 5 people got displaced when she turned the units into an Airbnb......
As people have stated before.... it's quite easy to fine a good Airbnb rental...Check the reviews, and look at Airbnb's top rated places....Guest rate the vacation rentals..
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Oct 19, 2016 - 06:04pm PT
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Would i be a dick for reporting them because they lack the appropriate certification to the city?
Absolutely KNOT. Report them!
I'll never use commercial "ride sharing" either. Uber and Lyft drivers need to be regulated - they double park, stop on corners and block traffic, increase congestion, and don't employ professional drivers. Any yahoo with a car and license can do it, and many of them do drive like yahoos.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Oct 20, 2016 - 11:47pm PT
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I use Lyft about 6-10 times per month getting to and from airports. I used to use SuperShuttle before that. Overall I'm much happier with the service. Mostly it leads to interesting conversations with people that have a wide variety of backgrounds. Seldom had a bad driver. A few times had people not paying attention and drive me in circles around the Burbank Airport because Google directions don't take you to the passenger pickup/drop-off area.
I did have a wonderful experience using VRBO for renting a house on Pine Mountain Lake for my wedding. Had family from my side and wife's side stay there together for a week getting to know each other, rather than spending the money on a big reception that's over before we have time to hang out with anyone. Had a big dock to go swimming, a little paddleboat, and a great setup for kids to adults.
Edit: Congrats Melissa and J, I just saw the pics of your place. It looks fabulous! FYI your booking link is 404 Not Found.
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BuddhaStalin
climber
Truckee, CA
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Oct 21, 2016 - 03:14am PT
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Used airbnb in Croatia, Slovenia, and the US. All were great, only one fell through in Slovenia, had nothing to do with airbnb. All the apartments we stayed at in Croatia were excellent, the hosts were on it and were available and patient and honest. Most hosts abroad gave us snacks, or booze, one even hand washed our laundry! Its been reliable and more trustworthy than VRBO with better listings and a better site. We've been pleased with all the hosts weve used, probably 20 by now and will continue.
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Hoser
climber
Vancouver,Rome
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Oct 21, 2016 - 05:12am PT
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I use it all the time all over the world. There is no comparison with hotels, I can bring my family put the kid to bed, have dinner, watch TV, wake up have breakfast, buy groceries, or get a bigger place and have out of town family stay with me and have a way better time and avoid eating out for every meal.
Hotels...havent changed their business profile in decades, and I am supposed to feel bad that their business plan is failing? Same goes for UBER. Figure it out hotels.
Dunno, I never stay in dirty over priced useless hotels if I can avoid it - never had a AirBnB cancel, the number of times they cancel is clearly available in the comment section.
If you are truly worried about the impacts on housing, you can always check the rules before you go for your city - like Berlin which is not the greatest AirBnB city.
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10b4me
Mountain climber
Retired
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Oct 21, 2016 - 08:29am PT
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the world is changing. Imagine if your neighbor decided that they wanted to start renting their place out on a nightly basis. party every night.. Of course the upside is that that crazy person who moved in next door is now likely only staying one night.
I have an interesting Airbnb story. I work as a photographer. I photograph everything from landscape to products to street people.
Earlier this year two Canadian girls wanted some portrait photos done. They were staying at an Airbnb in Venice. We decided to do the Photoshoot there. I brought some lights in and started shooting. We were probably inside for an hour. The girls then wanted to go out and shoot on the beach. As we were leaving the owner comes rushing out and ask about the equipment. He then accused us of shooting a porno, and accused the girls of being prostitutes.
Needless to say, the girls told the guy they were checking out.
Maybe the guy had a bad experience before, but he seemed rude.
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Al Barkamps
Social climber
Red Stick
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Oct 21, 2016 - 09:20am PT
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It's come to the point where I'll do everything I can to avoid staying in a commercial motel/hotel for whatever reason, including work. In my opinion, if you're not staying in a place where the owner is on the premises, you're missing the point of traveling to begin with. It's cool to meet new people and get insider community information and a pretty intimate look at how locals live in their own communities.
We've used Air BnB some 50 times in North America and Europe and have never regretted it. I even stayed in a crappy grad-student place in Texas once with these Indian electrical engineering students. Even THAT experience was pretty priceless.
I avoid the obviously cheapo accommodations and the "mixed bag" reviews, unless I HAVE to be there for some overarching reason.
I avoid the commercial proprietor who has multiple listings; forcing locals out of their own communities is way uncool.
Note that some places will have owners who are better hosts than they are innkeepers. We've never regretted these stays and even returned to some of these places because they were so cool.
....and I've had way crappier experiences in hotels than I've ever had with Air BnBs.
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Oct 21, 2016 - 09:29am PT
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i feel like you guys are missing my point-its cool for you all to have travel experiences of "living" in neighborhoods, but not all the residents want that. i didn't ask for a hotel on my block, and I'm stuck with it. And there are undeniable impacts, on parking, etc. I see it as a subversion of zoning laws.
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Mtbphoto
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, Ca
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Oct 22, 2016 - 09:49am PT
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Here's my Airbnb story as a host and guest; I traveled to Europe last summer and stayed in 3 different Airbnb's, it was great, we got a good deal and loved the places we stayed at. I live in a resort town (Mammoth) and have heard a bunch about Airbnb.
When we got back from Europe we listed our living room as a "shared" space on Airbnb. My living room has this little nook with a built in bunk bed and we have a pull out couch. We really enjoyed hosting our living room, almost everyone was great, easy, and left great reviews. After a few months it got a bit old because we had so many guests all the time and we also shared a bathroom.
We ended up moving and renting out our one bedroom condo as an "entire space" and although it has been busy, profitable, and fun, it is a lot more work. The guests have higher standards, we have gotten only a few "bad" guests that were either dirty or clueless. But overall its been positive and definitely profitable.
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nita
Social climber
chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.
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Oct 22, 2016 - 09:58am PT
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*
i feel like you guys are missing my point-its cool for you all to have travel experiences of "living" in neighborhoods, but not all the residents want that. i didn't ask for a hotel on my block, and I'm stuck with it.
David K, I get that point, but wonder if you can politely discuss any problems with the Airbnb/VRBO owners?..If that does not work.. i suppose you can ask your city council to discuss your complaints on their agenda ?
My friend who owns a Airbnb has a home in a mixed neighborhood downtown and provides a guest parking lot . The students rental are the noisy bad neighbors.. not the Airbnb folks.
On a related subject, not airbnb.. but pot cultivation.
A Yosemite friend of mine bought her forever home about 18 years ago in Mt Ranch, Ca. They had a big fire over a year ago, that basically burned down a big portion of the area. The burned acreage created a land rush of sorts... The City did not deal very well with it's ordinances and ended up with 740 new and large pot farms. The new growers are from out of town and not invested with the locals families & the community . .. ....Talk about neighbors you don't want in your hood...http://www.recordnet.com/news/20161015/cannabis-county-some-see-green-some-see-red-as-calaveras-pot-industry-explodes
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