Airbnb’s are typically people’s homes that are rented out on a daily or weekly basis to various travelers. After arriving at our destinations, we have found that most of the Airbnb’s we have ended up renting are actually owned by businesses who have tapped into a very lucrative market–which isn’t always a bad thing. There are a few differences between renting out someone’s home and renting out from a business.
- We have found that when we have come to someone’s home the appliances work like they are supposed to. These are things that the businesses usually don’t keep track of because they don’t know unless a tenant complains and asks them to fix it. Out of all the things that have not worked, there has only been one time where the company never got back to us to fix the issue. That being said, most companies care enough about the flats they are in charge of and their reputation on Airbnb where they will take care of the issues as soon as they are able to.
- We have found that when you rent out a home through Airbnb, staples such as coffee & tea, sugar, spices, paper goods etc are usually provided for you to use. Most business-run Airbnb’s provide these as well, but not always. We have had a few that pretty much provide a roll of toilet paper and nothing else. So, if you don’t mind spending a few dollars on staple-goods to get you through your stay, ask what they provide before you book. Just remember that they are not required by Airbnb to provide anything that they themselves do not list as a provision in their description.
- When you rent out from a business you have access to the whole place. You don’t have to deal with closed off closets, refrigerators, dressers, and/or bedrooms where the owners have kept their things off limits.
- When you rent someone’s home, it is usually more homey. There are usually more pictures on the walls, maybe some throw blankets, rugs, etc–although sometimes they can be a bit cluttered. The homes we have rented have tended to provide us with really nice extra touches such as breakfast for the next morning, or a dessert or a bottle of wine that that particular part of the world specializes in. This is contrasted with the majority of Airbnb’s we have rented through a company where the place has felt a bit stale and sparse when it comes to the homey touches–although there have been a few that have provided snacks and/or wine upon arrival.
One thing to remember is that one is not better or worse than another, we have just found that they tend to be very different experiences. We have really enjoyed staying in some of the privately owned homes and there have been a few that we have really disliked and this has been the same with the company run Airbnb’s.
The Nomad Family 