OT AirBnB or TimeShares | The Boneyard

OT AirBnB or TimeShares

DaddyChoc

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used either while traveling? where, cost, discounts etc.
 

Bigboote

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We've done air BnB or HomeAway probably a dozen or more times in several states and also once in Costa Rica. It's generally worked very well. It works for us because we have a teenage daughter, and it works better for all involved if she has her own room. The cost of a two-bedroom AirBnB is often just a little more than a single hotel room. We've also used it for large family gatherings -- a four or five bedroom house that sleeps 15 or so is way cheaper than a large number of hotel rooms, plus we can eat and prepare meals.

The main drawback is if you're on the road, they usually have a two- or three-night minimum stay, so they're not a substitute for a motel.

One of the services, whose name escapes me right now, but is not one of those mentioned above, will not put you in direct contact with the property owner no matter what. So once, at Thanksgiving in Maine, the house had no heat, and it took an entire day to get it turned on because of poor communication.
 

ochoopsfan

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I did Airbnb in Australia about 5 years ago, in Perth and Melbourne. It was easy and worked out well. Much cheaper than hotels.
 
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I did Airbnb in Australia about 5 years ago, in Perth and Melbourne. It was easy and worked out well. Much cheaper than hotels.

Read the Airbnb reviews of the homes you like. It's time consuming but it'll give you a better understanding of the place. Many airbnb have become little hotels lacking the human interaction with your hosts. For instance, I've had great airbnb experiences in Chile but not in Perú. I think different countries impose different regulations.
 

psconn

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used either while traveling? where, cost, discounts etc.

I've used Airbnb in several states, Canada and in the UK. Never a bad experience, and typically cheaper than hotel/motels. I also used Booking.com and direct internet searches for accommodations in a certain area. Like everything else in life, take the time to do the homework and the comparisons, read the "fine print" and choose wisely. We have an mountain cabin in Colorado reserved through AIrbnb in June even as we speak. :D
 

HuskyNan

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thanks... I'll be looking
You should know some areas are clamping down on AirBnB. In at least one county in Florida, they aren’t allowed, mostly because the county sees them as hotel rooms and it isn’t getting its $$ from taxes. So, some AirBnB’s are requiring an actual short term lease to get around it. I’ve heard a few other places in the US do the same.

Having said that, I stayed at an AirBnB in Kissimmee until I found a place to rent. The first one I looked at was run by a couple scam artists. I reported them to the administration at AirBnB and they got rid of the scam artists and gave me a $200 credit for my trouble. They were very responsive to my complaints and very professional
 
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We did an AirBnB recently in Orlando and it was fine, but, I've shopped for them in a number of places recently, and I've found something interesting. When AirBnB first came out, it was billed as an opportunity for folks to invite people into their homes and expose guests to the experience of their home town, all while making some money. Guests, in turn, would be able to have the experience of living in a home instead of a hotel, sort of living like a native.

Sometimes that's true, but it is not how things have worked out in many cases. Instead, a whole new non-hotel industry has sprung up. Companies have formed to acquire condos and rent them to tourists at rates that are better than hotels but not quite what Mom and Pop would have charged, and without having to follow the regulations that hotels are subject to.

So when we used Air BnB in Orlando, we were dealing with the owner, whose name appeared on some documents, the real estate management company, which took the money, and the resort company, which took the deposit and set the rules for when we could arrive, etc. It was more corporate than a Hilton.

Now, all that is not necessarily bad if the place meets your needs. It's just important to know what youi're getting and what you're not getting in any one of these deals.
 
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Lots of great comments and observations above! Not only am I a big Airbnb user, I never even look for hotels anymore. My wife and I love the unique properties we find using this service, whether its in Barcelona, Norway or while XC skiing in the Yoop in Michigan. We already are booked for Albany and Tampa for the next month:)

Here's the thing-it's not for everyone. Some folks are more comfortable with getting the same product over and over-think chain restaurant or chain hotel operator. However, if you have even a modest sense of adventure Airbnb can be a wonderful thing. The model includes the ability to completely vet the property via the travelers reviews. We have had nothing but amazing experiences with these properties and their owners. With Airbnb, often your interaction with the property and the owner becomes a much bigger part of your trip instead of just being a base of operations. Enjoy:)
 

RockyMTblue2

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You should know some areas are clamping down on AirBnB. In at least one county in Florida, they aren’t allowed, mostly because the county sees them as hotel rooms and it isn’t getting its $$ from taxes. So, some AirBnB’s are requiring an actual short term lease to get around it. I’ve heard a few other places in the US do the same.

Having said that, I stayed at an AirBnB in Kissimmee until I found a place to rent. The first one I looked at was run by a couple scam artists. I reported them to the administration at AirBnB and they got rid of the scam artists and gave me a $200 credit for my trouble. They were very responsive to my complaints and very professional

Bozeman is one place cracking down on AieBnB for exactly the reason you mentioned. Our family experience with AirBnB and HomeAway has been uniformly very positive, with one exception. You best check weather and roads for out of the way places. We got absolutely mud bogged in southern Utah in late April 2 years ago, caught by late snow storms and blazing sun in a very nice, rustic place on a gravel (at least 2 pieces of gravel) road.
 
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Used AirBnB a several times including a couple stays in Venice

Smještaj za odmor, domovi, doživljaji i mjesta – Airbnb This most recent one was probably best ever in terms of price, value, location and the charm (of propery and owner).

Our Rome (Trastevere) stay Elegante Appartamento in Puro Stile Trasteverino - Apartments for Rent in Rome, Lazio, Italy was more of an apartment (I'm pretty certain our - off premises host managed several). That said, still a wonderful location and bargain.

As others have said, review the reviews (and don't expect Ritz-Carlton-style service - in many personal ways it's better).
 
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Used Air BNB and Homeaway (VRBO) several times and all good experiences. Fees can add up but if you are staying somewhere for more than a couple nights, it's way better than a hotel. One thing to look out for is if a realty company is posting on one of those sites since you will pay the fee instead of just going with the realty company. Read reviews and research and you will have a great experience. Good luck!
 

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