When it’s time to travel, one of the first choices to make is going to be if you want a hotel or an Airbnb. If anybody is still not familiar with Airbnb it’s a website (and app) that lets you book private homes or rooms in private homes across the world. A brilliant idea, and no wonder it’s so popular.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of each..
Airbnb: The biggest pro for me is that you can rent an entire apartment including a kitchen, you get access to all of the amenities that the building provides and you live in a more local area. Many times it’s possible to find apartments that are far more luxurious than a hotel would be at that price point. In other words, bang for your buck, and who doesn’t like that? I also love the fact that I don’t have to eat out every day and don’t have to see people early in the morning at a breakfast buffe.
Cons: Airbnb does charge you a hefty sum for handling all this, so the end price is always more than you see at first glance. More and more cities are putting restrictions and/or bans on airbnb rentals, which does mean that it’s not legal even if you find an apartment on the site. As an example, in LA any rental under 30 days is not allowed, which is a sad story for those of us that can’t/don’t want to spend a couple of weeks in a hotel. Another con is that you have to pay at the time of booking and not all bookings are flexible. Luckily it’s possible to pay half at booking, the rest two weeks before checking in.
Hotels: Obviously the biggest pro is that there are so many, they come in all shapes and sizes and for every budget. You get more hands on service and your room is cleaned every day.
Cons: I find the prices are often way too high and I miss having somewhere to cook something simple. Many times there isn’t even a fridge.
To sum it up, I personally love staying in a nice hotel for a few days, maybe a week. Any long term stay I want to be able to have a kitchen, have more privacy (no maids going in and out etc) and feel that I live more like a local.
What are your experiences and what do you prefer?
