|
Hello, welcome to the definitive SA AirBnB thread! This OP was updated as recently as Sunday, June 22nd, 2014. Help me keep it up to date! For anyone who has yet to set up an account and use it, you can use my referral link for a credit: $25 towards your first stay! Full disclosure. I'll also get a kickback ($25 for a stay, $75 if you host)! http://www.airbnb.com/c/mbaudendistel What is http://www.airbnb.com, you ask? Think eBay for short term housing with a yelp! like review system. I’ll let Wikipedia explain the basic premise: Wikipedia posted:Airbnb is an online marketplace for vacation rentals that connects users with property to rent with users looking to rent the space. Users are categorized as “Hosts” and “Guests;” both of which must register with Airbnb using a valid email address to build a uniqueuser profile on the website. Profiles include details such as user reviews and shared social connections to build a reputation and trust among users of the marketplace. Other elements of the Airbnb profile include user recommendations and a private messaging system. Why on Earth stay at an AirBnB instead of a hotel, etc? Good question. It certainly takes a certain type of person to stay at one of these initially. However, after your first stay or two, the “trust” issue is long forgotten as the network offers a great opportunity to: a) Stay with locals who enjoy representing their area, can recommend worthwhile (and lesser known/niche) attractions, and have a vested interest in your general satisfaction with your stay. b) Stay in comfortable accommodations generally much less expensive than a hotel, motel, or resort. c) Keep money out of Paris Hilton’s grubby paws, and share it with the local community! My wife and I have used the AirBnB network for a while now, utilizing hosts in Asheville (North Carolina, USA), Nashville (Tennessee, USA), New Orleans (Louisiana, USA), Amsterdam (Holland), Köln (Germany), and Brussels (Belgium). Our list expands continuously. Each stay was incredibly convenient, and much less costly than a commercial accommodation. Each has had their own experience completely original to the area, impossible to parallel otherwise. Let’s offer up our stay 3 day stay “splurging” in Amsterdam on a houseboat as a brief example.https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/579851 For $180 a night, my wife and I shared in a 2 year old, custom built houseboat on the North Sea of Amsterdam, resulting in a five minute walk to downtown activities. The hosts provided bicycles, obviously making travel in urban Amsterdam that much easier, and had an impressive layout of local food (homemade butter, jam, artesian bread, cheese, champagne, water, beer, coffee, stroopwafel & more) ready for our consumption. This impressive spread was so generous it actually provided us with more than enough food for 2 whole meals (and we’re not small people)---saving us a little bit of cash on the side. By the listing, you can see how obviously gorgeous the place was, and it might as well have been a spa, as far as I was concerned.   Now, that was the extravagant. Alternatively, this was our Köln stay: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1291382  A cozy, one bedroom apartment all to ourselves, away from the tourist sect of the city yet in the heart of the downtown happenings (right on the tramline) for $70/night. There’s not a hotel in the universe that could have offered that value. A few quick notes on optimizing your stays: 1) Make sure your profile has a legit biography w/ basic information; nobody wants to rent out to the bionic man. 2) Make sure you have a good picture, one that doesn’t make you look like a troll goomba. 3) Contact the host prior to booking. Let them know why you're coming, why their place in specific is the one you're interested in. It never hurts to butter anyone up (with due reason! E.g., those Spiderman sheets looks wicked awesome). 4) If you're a host, ask if there's a host discount. If you're a multi-night guest, see if there's a multi-night discount. If it’s a place you could be traveling to regularly, see if there's a returning customer discount. (Smart) hosts are open to wheeling a dealing a little bit to keep business rolling! It truly is to both of your advantages! Why host? Money, dummy! My wife and I rent our entire 2nd floor (bedroom, full bathroom, and gym) for $55/night just to have someone occupy that level and not waste it. We’re using the irregular extra income for home improvements to improve our guests' stay. Plenty of paint, furniture, bricks, etc can be purchased with an additional $40 a week profit! We’ve officially had one long term guest (3 months), and have been solicited by several others for potential long term stays. With this more consistent & substantial money, we’ve prepaid our mortgage, maximized our retirement accounts, and done all sorts of other fun things, e.g. funding our own fun excursions via AirBnB to nearby, and not so nearby, destinations. So far, the guests have been great. I've enjoyed the different sorts that have walked through my door, and appreciate being able to recommend to them "MY" Knoxville, TN. Ribbing a competing teams' sports fan as I cook him/her breakfast is a uniquely interesting experience. To our tiny little city of Knoxville, we’ve had people visit from as far away as Russia, Israel, Switzerland, France, and Columbia. That's kind of cool for a hillbilly! As for security, have no fear. AirBnB has a good model to ensure it, in my opinion: Wikipedia posted:Airbnb user profiles contain recommendations, reviews, and ratings to build credible online reputations within the platform. Additionally, the site provides a private messaging system as a channel for users to message one another privately before booking and accepting reservations. Hosts are never required to accept a reservation. After the guest has checked out, the parties review one another to build website credibility similar to online marketplaces like eBay. As for the money staying local, quote:In November 2012, Airbnb commissioned HR&A Advisors to conduct a study which measured the market impact of collaborative consumption by users within urban populations. Specifically, the study measured the impact these companies had on the economy of San Francisco. The study found that from April 2011 to May 2012, guests and hosts utilizing the service contributed $56 million in spending within the San Francisco economy, $43.1 million of which supported local businesses. Over 90% of hosts surveyed rented their primary residences to visitors on an occasional basis, and spent nearly half the income they make on living expenses. The study also found the average guest stay was 5.5 days, compared to 3.5 days for hotel guests, and the average guest spent $1,045 during their stay, compared to the $840 spent by hotel guests. A few quick notes on optimizing your hosting: 1) Again, make sure your profile has a legit biography w/ basic information; nobody wants to rent from the bionic man. 2) Make sure you have a good picture, which looks decent. 3) More importantly, have GREAT pictures of your place in the listing. Make sure windows (blinds) are open, light is plentiful, and floors are freshly swept and vacuumed. Beds made, toiletries put away, etc. Nobody wants to stay in a place that is obviously not kept up. Apply for the professional photographer in your area. It is free, paid for by AirBnB, but don't rely on it. I'm the #1 listing in Knoxville currently, and have not heard back on the photographer in MONTHS. Take decent photos yourself, the pro may never come! 4) If your place is outdated---do what you can to spruce it up. Paint is relatively cheap, outdated furniture can be youth-enized by the use of strategic furniture covers. Instagram projects (or better yet, the SA DIY forum to set your place apart are plentiful. There is NO excuse. 5) Look at your competition, see what they offer. Then steal it (the wording, that is)! Our biggest competitor looked at our description and took it almost verbatim. Was I mad? Yes. Was he smart? More yes! Don’t ramble, but let your potential visitors know what you have for them. Netflix, check, amazon prime, check, hulu plus, check. Oh, that listing has a fire pit? I built one of those! This other one has a hammock station out back? Guess what I did! 6) If you're not getting guests, you're priced too high. Its that simple. You need to look at your local competition to see how best to remedy, most likely via a) drop the price, b) validate the higher charges w/ newer pictures, updates, etc. The best scheme is to price low, get some great reviews, then skew higher. Now for the database! Gooncribs  USA California, Tahoe City jvick - 10% discount for goons! North Carolina, The Triangle Email "Rurutia" at sa.rurutia@gmail.com for the link and a discount. Tennessee, Knoxville Dead Pressed - Contact prior to booking w/ details on stay for discounted rates! UK England, London tentish klown - 10% discount for goons! Recommended Stays (non-goon)  France, Paris Practical 1 BR downtown near metro Holland, Amsterdam Gorgeous houseboat on North Sea This is a working thread. Please ask questions, recommend joints, let me know what I can do to improve it! Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 14:51 on Jun 22, 2014 |
#
¿
Nov 10, 2013 15:53
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 9, 2024 16:03 |
|
|
Aliquid posted:A fantastic service on both sides. If you're in a downtown area and your city has a once-a-year event that sells out every hotel, it's a real way to make excellent cash. People in Austin rent out their apartments for SXSW at over $500 a night. And for us cheapos, always remember https://www.couchsurfing.org and if you're a badass bicyclist, https://www.warmshowers.org This is a really good point to make, so thanks for making it for me! A big thing to realize is that it is beneficial to get a few reviews prior to requesting the big bucks in situation like this. Its hard to gather buy-in on how sweet your place is if no one has stayed there, even in the case of high demand. So, if you want to take advantage of major draws liek SxSw, make sure you're not hedging your bets that someone will be willing to take a huge risk on where they're staying for a major event. Saladman posted:I find it kind of stressful if I'm only going to be somewhere one day, or if I'm somewhere for work, but yeah, for stays longer than 3 days or so I don't know why anyone in their right mind would go to a hotel, unless it's an all-inclusive resort or something. I can understand the weariness towards using AirBnB for a single day (though, I'd say that concern should be tempered dependent on the host); however, I like it for work circumstances. I've gotten several complementary comments from peers/supervisors for being thrifty with funds on overnight stays. That said, my accommodations have been superior to that of hotels at every place I've stayed, and have worked out better for me anyways. Saladman posted:I'm listed on CouchSurfing, but 90% of the people who have contacted us have either been (A) creepy North Africans or (B) flaky as hell. We've been contacted maybe 12 times in the past year, confirmed 4 people, had 1 actually show up. Seems to be a pretty average experience. (Responders from Group (A) disappeared after we changed the account name from my girlfriend's to mine.) Been considering switching to AirBnB—not for the money, but just for the better average users. eviljelly posted:I've used AirBnB in Lyon, France and Chambery, France, as well as Zagreb, Croatia. Superb experiences all around. I booked all of my AirBnB stays in ridiculous short timespans - booked for the next day or for 2 days ahead - and I've always found a place, which is impossible on Couchsurfing. I'd rather pay a little bit for the certainty and to not have the obligation to hang out all day with my host, which some 'snobby' Couchsurfers want you to do. Personally, I would 100% never use couchsurfers. There's something about having to put a minimum amount down that really drowns out the majority of creeps. To this point, every guest of mine has been really stand up, as has each of my hosts. For the $45 we ask, its a mutually beneficial agreement that's not putting anyone out of anything. Couchsurfers seems to put a lot of onus on the host, for which I don't care. Saladman, no better place to start hosting than via SA Travel (no pressure, but really)!
|
|
#
¿
Nov 19, 2013 03:47
|
|
|
I don't find there is any pressure to reciprocate. People often do, but the two experiences are separate as far as I am concerned, and I wouldn't worry about it. It's different from couch surfing in that regard. With AirBnB, the reward for the host is ultimately cash, and there's no ambiguity about it. While I don't couchsurf, I feel as though there must be some pay it forward sentiment there. Additionally, the user reviews are broken up into two categories: host and guest. It takes a few clicks from one to see the other, so it's not readily apparent that you don't host if you're requesting a place to stay, if that would weird anyone out in the first place, which I don't think it would for most.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 25, 2013 14:54
|
|
|
Had some Asian transplants who came to the States to study at Ohio State come and stay while they toured the area on their way to Atlanta. Nothing too interesting there, but the second they left our next guests, our first International couple who happened to be from Switzerland, arrived. My wife went bar hopping with them unexpectedly last night, as she unknowingly bumped into them while out with her group. I cooked a nice southern scrambled egg breakfast this morning. The Swiss LOVE apple butter. Love hosting guests.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 1, 2013 19:07
|
|
|
Haha. Don't hold applebutter to a standard set by a three year old jar!  Review left by the Swiss. They left a signed picture telling us we need to look them up if we ever go to Switzerland, "even if it is in 20 years". That's kind of cool. On an unrelated note, we just booked three continuous months with a lady transferring offices within her company. The three months will pay two whole house payments of my 15 year mortgage! Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 03:01 on Dec 13, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Dec 5, 2013 03:59
|
|
|
Sub Par posted:Great thread idea. I don't have a place to rent out on AirBNB but I use it all the time. One place I recommend is this 1 BR in Paris, where my wife and I stayed for 4 nights in 2012. Excellent location directly across the street from the metro, walking distance (15 mins) to the Notre Dame and other similarly-situated tourist stuff, quiet, and cozy. I see the price has gone up - when we stayed it was $89/night. Still a bargain, I'd say. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll add it to the OP.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 5, 2013 22:31
|
|
|
That's interesting, Optimus. We've actually got our first guests tonight who happen have two kids, 4 and 2. They're running around going nuts one second, playing chess in the living room. Out of the 12 guests or so we've had thus far, this marks the fourth group doing a cross country trek from LA/SF to NYC. I'd love to get your recommendations. Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Dec 16, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Dec 13, 2013 02:53
|
|
|
Mortley posted:Dead Pressed, I think it'd be interesting for you to challenge your own assumptions about the unpleasantness of Couchsurfing. The onus is not on the host at all, for one thing: they're not being paid! As Aliquid hints, the pressure is more on the guests to be ''interesting'' or helpful in some way. When requesting a couch, you're always supposed to write about something that caught you eye on the host's profile, for example, as a starting point for a good conversation. It can be cheesy but you have to use your sense for people: a genuine, warm message often means a really fun intereaction. I understand your point, my point is that the "risk" of hosting on AirBnB is mitigated by getting paid (and the million of AirBnB funded insurance--I don't know offhand if couchsurfing offers anything like that, or how they would). For some people, myself included, having an "interesting" guest isn't enough to open your house to strangers. I understand how people could enjoy that, its just my wife and I don't, especially when we have the AirBnB alternative. That's why I won't be a proponent of couch surfing personally within this thread. Its just a little bit TOO much of a stretch for some people, as I can't get my wife (or myself) to bother washing the sheets or cleaning the toilet for less that $45 a stay... As far as getting "interesting" people, we've had our fair share via AirBnB, adding Russian & Israeli nationals to the Swiss in our international portfolio last week. quote:The ''little minimum of money down'' chases away the true vagabonds: you're much less likely to get a touring rock band or people on a very long bike tour (who aren't all creeps!), since they can't afford $45/night for 3 months. If you were to have the same room listed on CS and AirBnB, I bet you'd find that there was little crossover and a contrast worth seeing between the groups of guests. Yeah, I understand not getting bikers or a rock group---but that's not really the market we're looking for anyways. We've already found that there is a little crossover between couchsurfing and AirBnB, however, I appreciate the input nonetheless. . As one of the more fairly priced units in the area, we've been a first choice for several couchsurfers who could not find an abode in time via couchsurfing (lack of prompt response via the host, I'd figure). The guests have been pleasant, but again, that $45 a night really helps things our my end.  Anyways, we just started our first long term rental via AirBnB. Have a lady coming to live with us for 3 months during a 3-month training session at her new employer's local corporate office. She arrived last night, seems real nice. Here's to hoping she won't burn the place down!
|
|
#
¿
Jan 5, 2014 16:51
|
|
|
You could always try AirBnB over a few months and if it doesn't work out, work to rent it to a full time occupant. Vice versa would work well, too, if you're having trouble finding a tenant. Personally, if it were a full unit, I don't know what I would try myself first. I am a big proponent of AirBnB, but don't know that I'd want to struggle to keep occupancy rates high. Remember, that's furniture you have to provide, sheets that have to be washed, etc. It can be done, but you'd have to work at it. Renting out a room in your own place is most certainly an easier call.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 7, 2014 16:59
|
|
|
I could be wrong, but I believe the fee the host pays is just for the card transaction. The guest pays the AirBnB fee, which is a percentage of the rental rate. For my place, we currently rent out at $45, guests pay $50 to AirBnB, and we receive $44 all said and done. On a different note, my wife and I are fixing to run an interesting experiment. Long story short, we undercut the market by $10 to start getting reviews. We got a few hits and our main competitor matched the rate. Our success continued, and now we're the top result in the Knoxville area with 20 positive reviews. As we have a long term rental for the next three months, my wife and I are considering upping the price up to $65 or so. This will show in the listing for the next bit, but won't effect our bottom line if it doesn't stick, as we're locked in for now. I am hoping it does stick with our competitor matching the higher rate, putting us all on a more profitable fair playing field. If they don't raise, we put ourselves back at $45 before returning to semi vacant. Will report the pricing results!
|
|
#
¿
Jan 11, 2014 17:21
|
|
|
I'd say it depends on the area and the hosts in specific.... How "in tune" they are with the local market if you will. They've got to answer to supply and demand too, and if someone else drops price they are less competitive, yadda yadda. That said, I've never really looked at a seasonal place for comparison.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 22, 2014 03:59
|
|
|
I just purchased tickets to a concert in Nashville in late April. My wife was talking about just driving back to Knoxville after the concert (3 hour drive) and I literally laughed in her face. Booked a place downtown with 150 reviews for less than 40 bucks for the night. Totally worth it. What a deal.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 24, 2014 01:30
|
|
|
Baby_Hippo posted:I was just reading up on AirBnB the other day and happy to see this thread! Yes, we are pet friendly. We actually have two rescued rat terriers ourselves! We have a pretty large 100% fenced in backyard (s)he'd love, I'm sure. To where in the south have you transplanted? Jeoh posted:Yeah, there's a big film festival going on here right now, so I've moved to the couch and just used my bedroom to host people. Threw up my price by about 25% and I'm fully booked for the next two weeks. It's great. I'd certainly love to have you listed as a host in the OP!
|
|
#
¿
Jan 25, 2014 19:11
|
|
|
jvick posted:I have a question for other hosts. I listed the place on my own on AirBnB and got a lot of traffic initially with 1 picture of the view. Now that I've added pictures of the interior, inquiries have dropped off. Any recommendations? The pictures are not that bad. "Not that bad" is pretty subjective. Are the rooms in good shape, no need to clean, pick up clothes, etc? Could it be that they are outdated, room needs paint, etc? Is the furniture older, maybe ratty looking? Remember, you're selling this place, make sure it looks great, not just good, or "not that bad". Look at comparable places near you to see what they offer how their pictures look. It could be that someone near you is offering a better deal at your price point, or someone else is undercutting your price for a similar offering. Also, how have your reviews been? All 5 star or have you lapsed in an area? Be cognizant of stuff like that.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 29, 2014 13:27
|
|
|
Just a quick note while I'm at lunch...don't expect the professional photographer to show up any time soon. We put in months ago and have yet to hear anything. Pretty sure there is a price threshold to which they limit it. Take the time to make it look as good as you can ASAP, even if it takes a while for you to make improvements. Update as you go!
|
|
#
¿
Jan 30, 2014 18:47
|
|
|
Congrats...Just be wary of any funny stuff. Make sure they are reviewed well and don't want to do anything under the table...remember,a large part of the airbnb appeal is their insurance coverage. That should be of interest to you with young uni students!
|
|
#
¿
Jan 30, 2014 21:38
|
|
|
jvick posted:Have a look for yourself: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2094435 Some constructive criticism: the place looks outdated. Anything from furniture, to bed comforters, to lighting fixtures, to wood paneling. Anything you can do to try and spruce it up a little bit could make a big difference. Example: hide the outdated dining chairs that appear in a couple of the photos, except a photo of the dining room. Paint (if you're not opposed) the paneling to lighten the room. Paint the rooms to non-white neutral colors (white is too boring, use a solitary "accent" wall if you don't want to invest as much on paint). If you're willing to drop some cash, update the lighting fixtures. Invest in covers for your purple chairs. All in all, the "style" kind of looks thrown together and old, but from differing styles & design eras. I understand we all work within a budget, but you're asking almost $500 a night for the place (and a $200 cleaning fee, gosh)---make it look a little newer than the 90s. I apologize for being harsh.  That said, the best way to get more reviews is to have a few to start. People are going to be somewhat wary of a place with no history. Drop your price to be OVERcompetitive with the market. Bend over backwards on your first few bookings, get 4-5 reviews, then reset the price to market value. At that point, you'll have the leverage you need to get consistent bookings. There doesn't seem to be much "incentive" for anyone to stay with YOU in specific right now. Frost000 posted:I'm happy to have found this thread! I did AirBnB exclusively in Europe (as discussed in OP) for a week. Stayed multiple (2-3) days at each place, and I didn't find communication via AirBnB particularly difficult. As long as you work to schedule in advance with the host, and let the know of any changes in your plans, it shouldn't be bad trying to get things under wrap. Typically, a credible host will have friends or family meet with you if they can't make your scheduled arrival time. That said---you need to make sure you've got a worthy host that is obviously flexible (review count matters on this, from my experience). All-in-all, I don't know that'd I'd bother with AirBnB for a single night in another country, but I'd say its worth the "hassle" if you plan on staying 2+ nights at each place. One thing to note, is if you're going to stay in one town for a prolonged time---contact the host way prior to booking. See if they'd be willing to cut the price for an extended stay. If both sides are agreeable, they can offer you a specific "discounted" rate of their choice. We've offered such a deal to people who were looking to book for 2 weeks+ (this discount was on TOP of the displayed week/monthly rates that we had already dropped the price from). The best way to get a good standing account is to stay in a few places. Take a weekend trip or two before the mediterranean and get a few reviews before you go. This will make hosts more agreeable to letting you stay... also, fully verify your ID, and write a nice "bio" of you and your girlfriend. In your host contact before booking, explain why you're interested in traveling there, what you'd like to see, and why you'd like to rent their place specifically. Never hurts to butter someone up! I don't have too much experience with the recommendations. I recommended one friend for his use in future bookings as a guest---but its never been a deciding factor in who we allow as guests in our home or who we stay with---deferring explicitly to hosting/guest reviews. That said, I might be extreme, because we've had 5 or so people stay with 0 reviews on the site----and the lady staying with us now (3 months) had NOTHING before we accepted her. This goes back to the "preliminary contact" statement, though, in that she and my wife communicated via several emails back & forth before we allowed her to book. We gained comfort with her, and she's since been an excellent guest. Blah blah blah----recommendations certainly don't hurt, but I wouldn't rely solely on that if you could book one or two in the meantime. Also----sorry for the confusing wall of text. I'm usually asleep 4 hours ago! EDIT: Tentish Klown & jvick, do either of you mind if I place you in the OP as hosts? Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 07:58 on Feb 1, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 1, 2014 07:47
|
|
|
If you look in the description on any listing, you'll see a table with some more information past single night stays. This includes any charge for extra guests, a weekly price, monthly price, security deposit, etc. For our listing, we ask: $45 a night (0% off) $300 a week (5% off nightly stay) $750 a month (40% off nightly stay, 37% off weekly rate) When contacted by a few specific people we were extremely comfortable renting to, really long term (4+ months), we offered $600 a month---but this was when we had several less reviews and we're looking to build up our "reputation". My wife is seemingly less willing to go below $700 or so nowadays as we usually get at least a stay or two a week. It really just depends on the host. I'm sure some would come down more, and there are those that will come down less---if at all, as some people don't WANT a long term renter. For us, we're not really inconveninced by a guest, and $25 a day for not really doing anything is always worth it---especially since we're not washing sheets everyday like we would with a new night by night guest. Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Feb 1, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 1, 2014 17:17
|
|
|
Those pics are super better. I wouldn't get my hopes up on the professional photographer just yet. They want return on money. You're going to need are garner some reviews to show you'll be a draw before they throw down the cash for a pro.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 4, 2014 03:27
|
|
|
Yep. We are the number one listing for the Knoxville area, filled that out 4 months ago, and haven't heard anything back yet.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 4, 2014 03:50
|
|
|
Will add you tonight!
|
|
#
¿
Feb 5, 2014 18:51
|
|
|
Not odd. Every place in the EU I stayed at was this way. Some of our local competitors set up keypads with alternating codes and entrance cameras. To me, it was not worth the investment as my wife works from home....but I don't think remote or surrogate hosting is weird at all.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 6, 2014 17:23
|
|
|
Reviews hold greater weight than references. That said, references help if you don't have any reviews.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 14, 2014 18:23
|
|
|
Well, AirBnB is now offering free CO & smoke detectors and first aid kits for all hosts in 2014. Check it out! https://www.airbnb.com/home-safety
|
|
#
¿
Feb 21, 2014 22:48
|
|
|
Morans, most likely.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 1, 2014 22:23
|
|
|
Yep. Always contact the host. We usually try to get at least approximate age, what you do for a living, purpose for travel, and why our place before accepting guests. We do allow instabook but that requires all positive reviews and some other criteria my wife set up (minimum of 5 reviews, maybe) and verified identity. Still a good idea to contact prior to stay, even if you could instabook, as a sign of good faith. Saying you don't drink or smoke displays that you have at least some modicum of responsibility, so I'd put that in the bio for sure. Also, put a good bio together for the profile so they don't have a ton of questions to ask...
|
|
#
¿
Mar 3, 2014 12:05
|
|
|
Certainly glad to have another convert. My long term rental with a single guest ends next month. I am somewhat sad, as it's been the easiest money I've ever made as she's been real easy to get along with... :-(
|
|
#
¿
Mar 4, 2014 17:02
|
|
|
Glad it's working out for you. I'd love to put you in the list of goon hosts if you'd be interested. Maybe I want to visit you, IS THAT SO BAD? :-)
|
|
#
¿
Mar 8, 2014 00:59
|
|
|
Don't have any experience with that, fortunately. Sounds rough, certainly not the best luck for you to have a big figure as the unlucky bastard. Not happy, but any unexpected frustration on his end? Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Mar 27, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Mar 27, 2014 22:37
|
|
|
BIG CITY LAWYER posted:I recently booked my first stay (going to Amsterdam for a week!)... Would you be so kind as to link your accommodation so I've got a more reasonable option to the one I used in Amsterdam? Also, I'm looking to improve the OP. Any thoughts?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 29, 2014 15:52
|
|
|
Dead Pressed posted:Well, AirBnB is now offering free CO & smoke detectors and first aid kits for all hosts in 2014. Check it out! Got these today. First aid kit was basically just a (nice) bandaid and gauze pack. CO & smoke detector is a nice Kidde branded unit. Hazard warning provided by voice, rather than beeps....so I guess that's nice. Not bad for free, really. Digger, I don't know of anything offhand. I'll check with some NYC based friends and see if they know of anything...
|
|
#
¿
Apr 3, 2014 01:45
|
|
|
freebooter posted:What ended up happening with airbnb being banned in New York? Did they just admit is was unenforceable? I think they're still going back and forth on it, but there a limits in NYC. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/nyregion/the-airbnb-economy-in-new-york-lucrative-but-often-unlawful.html?_r=0 "In most residential apartment buildings, renting out your space for less than 30 days is illegal, unless you are present when you have that visitor. The restriction does not apply to single- or two-family homes... but zoning laws may still limit the practice. Leases and building bylaws may also forbid it." I think its unenforceable on any real scale, and unless they coerce AirBnB to begin paying those taxes for every city, county, state like Amazon has begun to do, they're not going to get much from a legal effort. Even if they begin to tax it, I think most would continue to host.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 6, 2014 12:52
|
|
|
Sounds great, please do! I am on my way home from a trip to Nashville to see a couple of bands at the Ryman right now. We stayed 10 minutes from Dt on the bus route in a rustic home for $35. The host has been hosting since year one, and they had something like 200 reviews, all five stars. Truly a great deal. Certainly beats the socks off a hotel.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 27, 2014 14:53
|
|
|
Just to chime in and back "Fists Up" up, reviews are like ebay reviews in that you have to complete a transaction to leave one. References are just like your references would be for a job application, anyone could give one. REVIEWS SHOULD ALWAYS TAKE PRIORITY OVER REFERENCES, and references should only really be valid until the guest racks up 5-10 reviews. Personally, I'd probably deny that guy too, Argue. I'm all for foreigners visiting, but there has to be some kind of language understanding for it to work, IMO. I wouldn't accept any old fogie that could have done a better job with a google translator in trying to get the point across. As a host, I wouldn't accept ANY guys without a verified ID UNLESS they have 5+ positive reviews or were extremely good in communicating about their visit in advance of their booking. It's always smart to do what Fists recommended and try to get some information from them, especially with less than 5-10 reviews and an unverified ID. Why your place, what are they doing in the area, etc? If they can't provide that simple of an answer, deny them. If they have a bad review or two and you're unsure, deny them. This is all at your discretion, don't do anything you're uncomfortable with. As far as the hookers deal---someone with multiple positive reviews from DIFFERENT places and a decent story on why they're visiting should be plenty to take away any worry of hooker loving in your place. Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 21:01 on May 6, 2014 |
|
#
¿
May 6, 2014 20:56
|
|
|
Frost000 posted:My girlfriend and I have finished booking all of our AirBnB apartments for our European trip! The only place in which we'll be staying at a hotel (well, 3 in our case) is in Ibiza. Otherwise, we have places lined up for Nice, Marseille, Barcelona and Rome. When are you going on this trip? Be sure to keep us updated when you do! I just arrived to a full basement apartment in the mountains of Ellijay, Georgia for some work I'm doing here. I precontacted a host, let them know I'll be in and out of town over the next few months and want a steady host to get comfy with, but would like a break on price throughout the summer... As such, tonight I'm staying here for $50 in a gated resort community, 10 minutes from work, with a king bed in a cabin in the woods. All to be reimbursed by the company.... Haha wow. Plenty of booze money to blow now. :-)
|
|
#
¿
Jun 3, 2014 01:36
|
|
|
I've hosted a long term stay or two, and am scheduled to host another two longer stints later this year. As a host, just be clean and friendly. If you want to hang out on a Friday night, that's fine... just ask to join in. If that's not your desire, we understand that too. One of the great things about staying with an airbnb host long term is that you 'should' be able to leverage them into a point of contact for the city, at the least. On extended stays we'll take you out to meet a few of our friends while we show you the city at least once. That way, you're not pigeonholed like you would be in a hotel for however long---and then you've got some acquaintances outside of work. I was pretty apprehensive on my first long term guest, but now its just like the others. As mentioned above, I'm going to be a long term guest off/on a weekly basis for some work travel. Its an older couple, and I've found that it helps to reserve at least 30 minutes a day to chat with the retired folk---and hear the same thing twice every once in a while.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 7, 2014 12:55
|
|
|
Rurutia posted:We've been thinking about putting our guest bedroom up on AirBnB but the room is pretty spartan. It has a really nice queen sized bed and a tv/tv stand. Style wise, both are modern and minimalistic. We have wide slat blinds but no window treatments. No paint (well an off white), no artwork, no other furniture. Could I get some advice on what I should buy for the room itself before listing? Being spartan isn't necessarily bad, but I'd try to spruce it up a tad. If so, consider painting an "accent wall" behind the bed. This adds color, but isn't gaudy. Red typically carries the connotation of being more "welcoming" than blue, so try a maroon or something along those lines out as the accent wall. Another option is to do a stenciling on the wall. I really like what my wife did in our master...  A shade of grey would look pretty sharp in a white room, IMO (depending on how "off" it is...) Stencil was ordered from an ETSY shop, purpose made for this kind of thing---and relatively easy for my wife to do by herself when I was out of town. Additional easy ways to add flavor to the room is to go blow a hundo at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, etc. Get a few posters that match an interest (or just fake it), and a few of the nicer poster frames. Doesn't have to be spectacular or anything, just a bit of color goes a long way. Besides that, just make a page or two printout of things to do in the area and put it in a binder with the wifi code, maps if you've got 'em etc. Buy a guestbook to have people sign it (had good luck with TJ Maxx clearance here). Its kitschy, but neat to look back on and remember who all has stayed with you. Look at whats in your area as competition, and see what they offer. Then steal their ideas. Also, for anyone who has yet to set up an account and use it, you can use my referral link for a credit. $25 towards your first stay! Full disclosure. I'll also get a kickback ($25 for a stay, $75 if you host)! https://www.airbnb.com/c/mbaudendistel Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Jun 16, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Jun 16, 2014 22:54
|
|
|
Sheizerbrick posted:Are many hosts reluctant to let people stay for a longer term? I understand it's more of a holiday tourist kind of service. Really depends on the host. Personally, I love it. Competitors in the area are actually referring long terms guests my way---why, I have no idea...Easy money. quote:Planning to move to Berlin in March/April and I was thinking to use AirBnB to stay somewhere for at least 1 month while I start to get things sorted and look for a place of my own. I don't currently have an account either, so I would have no references or reviews. Get one set up, try to arrange a trip to a city nearby to get at least one review if you can. Surely there's a concert or something you want to hit up within a 3 hour drive that would be more convenient to stay overnight... I say this not because its impossible to get a host to allow you to stay on a prolonged term, you just have to really wow them on your initial contact. Also, see if you can get a friend to reference for you. quote:I'll email any hosts I'm interested in beforehand as advised by the thread to make sure we're all happy. If you had someone wanting to stay for a month, how much booking notice would you want, ideally? Not sure how early I can start arranging everything. Definitely email beforehand. Don't be lazy, include plenty of detail....especially if you don't have many review or references. For an extended stay, a I would want a minimum of a week or two, just to make sure we have all our ducks in a row. More time in advance, the better. Of the three long term guests we've booked, I've had at least 1 month of notice before, with several correspondences in that time period to make sure we're on the same page, etc.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 20, 2014 02:19
|
|
|
Rurutia posted:Hey Dead Pressed, can you put me in the OP for The Triangle, NC? I'm not comfortable giving the link to my listing, but they can PM me or email me at sa.rurutia@gmail.com for the link and a discount. Done.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 22, 2014 14:52
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 9, 2024 16:03 |
|
|
I wouldn't worry about it. If he wanted you to provide it he would have asked, before and after, purchasing it. Also, I have so many hangers at this point it's not even funny.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 24, 2014 15:12
|
|