Booking accommodation on Airbnb.

Why I use Airbnb

I use Airbnb as a host because otherwise I would find it difficult or impossible to attract guests. Also it must be said that, unlike other websites such as HomeAway, a host doesn't have to pay anything up front, so if you don't get any bookings there are no costs. Especially at the beginning Airbnb made the difference between renting or not renting at all. Now, fortunately, I have some regular customers so I don't depend just on Airbnb.

I use Airbnb as a traveller because I can find accommodation which is usually a lot nicer than what I could find on traditional channels or through booking.com at the same price, I can find an apartment within my (generally low!) price range wherever I want to go and because Airbnb's feedback system makes it unlikely I'll find unpleasant surprises when I arrive. If I do have a really unpleasant surprise when I arrive (not happened so far), I must contact Airbnb immediately. When you book Airbnb takes your money immediately but pays the hosts only 24 hours after you arrive, which is why you have peace of mind when booking but in case of serious problems you must contact Airbnb immediately to try to resolve the situation.

I am not an Airbnb rep and sometimes I wonder just how rich the people behind Airbnb must be and  I think Airbnb take percentages which are too high both from hosts and guests but it must be said that Airbnb, discount airlines such as Ryanair and the availability of information on the Internet have made it possible for ordinary people to travel more cheaply than ever before.

My opinions here are based on using Airbnb in Spain, Italy, the Uk and France. And the photos are unashamedly of the apartment we rent on Lake Iseo, the only advertising in the entire blog!

The view from the living-room of our apartment on Lake Iseo

How to use Airbnb

First of all you have to enter the dates you want to travel, your destination (approximate because you can then use the map to move around) and the number of people staying. It's important to enter the number of people staying because while some accommodation is the same price regardless of number of guests, other apartments can vary drastically in price. If you don't put the number of guests the default is one.

You can also select other facilities you require such as WiFi, AC, central heating, parking, etc. You can also select your budget per night and whether you want just a room or the whole apartment.

You can then choose to visualize the results as a list or a map. Be very careful if you use the list version. In its enthusiasm to provide you with exactly the accommodation you want Airbnb sometimes includes solutions miles from where you actually want to go, so do check exactly where the accommodation is on the map and the scale of the map! If necessary put your desired destination and the apartment location (approximate) on Google maps and check the distance between them.

The display varies a little according to whether you are looking on a computer or Smartphone. If you can, it's all a lot easier on the computer.

So choose the map option and you will get a map with a list of possible accommodation. Click on the points on the map or on the list to get further information. Look at the photos, the information the host provides and of course the feedback, and check out the House Rules for any hidden extras. 

If you have any doubts you can contact the host to ask for information. In this case when the host replies he/she will send you PreApproval. This is not the host being pushy, Airbnb obliges hosts to refuse dates or send preapproval even if you only want to ask a question. Once you have PreApproval, if you decide to go ahead you can book without waiting for a further reply from the host. You cannot include any contact information such as a telephone number or email until you have the booking confirmed. Airbnb will elminate such information. This also means if you forget to put a space after a full stop.like this Airbnb will think that stop.like is a website and will cancel the words! This can create confusion!

Feedback

Airbnb feedback is genuine, in the sense that to be able to leave feedback you have to have completed the transaction through Airbnb and stayed in the apartment. What can stop a new host from getting a friend to book and then giving them money to leave good feedback? Theoretically, nothing. But if the apartment has lots of reviews it's unlikely they've been invented. If there are just one or two, click on the customers to get some idea - are they from the same or a different country, what other reviews have they left/been given etc etc.

The vast majority of people find it difficult to leave a bad review, especially if they have had personal contact with the host, so sometimes reviews can be a little generous. Read between the lines a little.

For example "Good for a short stay" could mean "I wouldn't want to stay for long!"

Having said that I wouldn't take any notice of one really unpleasant review amongst a lot of good reviews, people can be odd, or in a bad mood or just grumpy and difficult for their own reasons so look carefully at what the complaint is about. If it's to say there were no windows it's something to take seriously, if it's that the host wasn't there to welcome them (and nobody else complained) it could be that they didn't communicate their arrival time or there was some type of misunderstanding.

Reviews from seasoned Airbnb users are likely to be more useful because they are people who travel a lot, believe in Airbnb and want to be sure fellow travellers know what they're getting. You need to click on the picture of the reviewer and will be able to see what other reviews they've left or have been given.

Personally I would not stay in accommodation with less than four full stars as an overall rating.

Garden and terrace of our apartment on Lake Iseo

IMPORTANT READ THE HOUSE RULES BEFORE DECIDING TO BOOK

Before sending the booking request, or actually booking in the case of immediate booking, it is essential to read the house rules section. You have to check the box to say you have read them before your booking continues and this is not the usual terms and conditions section, there can be important information that your host wants to be sure you are aware of, from 3rd floor with no lift, to no smoking allowed, to 50 euros surcharge if you arrive after 10pm. READ THEM!!!!!

Choosing an apartment or room: some things to watch out for.

- The first thing you will see of the listing is the photo the host has chosen to represent it. Often, this will mean the photo of one of the rooms of the apartment which should already give you a good idea. Obviously, you have to like the look of it, and when we talk about personal tastes it's difficult to give advice.

Some hosts aren't very good at taking photos, or the apartment itself is not photogenic, so don't automatically dismiss options with gloomy photos. Check the feedback, whether there are comments such as "a lot better than in the photos" (good news). Hosts can put whatever photos they like so some hosts put a photo of the destination, for example, a sea-view. However, don't presume that that's the view from the apartment unless it's specifically stated!

- Beware of an advert which says there's a sea view without showing you a picture of the seaview writing 'seaview from the living room' or bedroom or whatever actually on the photo. Once we booked "a room with private bathroom with seaview", only the view was...indeed.... from the bathroom!!

- Never presume anything unless it's specifically stated. Most Airbnb hosts provide towels and bed linen at no extra cost, but not all. Check if they provide 'essential items'. 

- Check if whatever is important for you is specifically mentioned. For example, if you want heating or air-conditioning can you actually see the radiators or the air-conditioner in the pictures? Be especially careful about heating because Airbnb just says some form of heating which could even be a portable electric fire - it depends when and where you're travelling if that's going to be enough.

- Beware of feedback which concentrates on how friendly, helpful, kind the host was but doesn't actually mention the accommodation. Don't get me wrong, it's very nice to have a friendly, kind and helpful host but if feedback doesn't mention the accommodation it could mean that the accommodation basically wasn't up to much but since the reviewers are people, and the host was so nice, they didn't like to mention it!

- Agencies - not all Airbnb hosts are private owners. If you click on their picture it will take you to their profile and on the left you will see how many listings they have on Airbnb. More than one property doesn't necessarily mean an agency. Hosts may start renting one property and realise it's a good idea and then add a room in their house and then convert their garage to a studio flat! Instead, some agencies are hosts on Airbnb and I see no reason to avoid them if they have consistently good feedback or are even superhosts. If it's an agency, be extra careful that there are no extra costs hidden in House Rules (see above), or problems about arrival times etc.

- Check cancellation conditions which can be Flexible, Moderate or Strict - read the conditions and make sure you understand them!

- Check cleaning costs, an apartment which costs 30 euros per night and expects you to pay 60 euros for cleaning a studio flat is doing so to avoid paying commission and tax. Bear it in mind.....

- Some hosts may include direct contact details in the form of an image of their telephone number or other among the photos, or send you their telephone number with spaces when you contact them. This is not correct. So, bear in mind you are going to be dealing with a person who is not honest, without having the protection you have when booking through Airbnb. On the other hand some Airbnb hosts also offer their accommodation on other websites, which may work out cheaper or more expensive. If you are convinced about the accommodation and want to investigate try copying and pasting the exact name of the listing and the location into Google and see what comes up.

- Immediate booking. If the host offers this option you can book immediately without waiting for the host to accept your request.

- Keybox entry. This means that you will find the keys in a box which requires a code to open and the host gives you the code, usually on the day of arrival. It depends what you're looking for. The advantage is that you haven't got to fix an arrival time which can be nice when you're travelling because it leaves you freer and you haven't got to worry about your host sitting there waiting if there are delays. The downside is that it's a bit impersonal and you've got nobody to ask about things inside the accommodation or in the area.

- Windows. Especially if the accommodation is on the ground floor or on the attic floor check whether there are any windows, can you see the windows in the photos? If you can't, and if it's something that bothers you read through the feedback to see if anyone mentions a lack of windows. If in doubt, contact the host and ask.

- Which floor? Is it going to be a problem for you if you are on the 6th floor? If the floor isn't mentioned in the description or feedback and isn't evident from the photos, ask the host.

- Loft. In the UK a loft is situated on the top floor of the house right under the roof. Instead in Italy and sometimes in Spain a loft is one high-ceilinged room, often on the ground floor with mezzanine bedroom!!!

- Ground floor apartments, can often be cooler (good in summer), colder and damper (bad in winter). Could be difficult to leave the windows open for risk of people getting/looking in. Bear it in mind.

- Parking. Hosts can be a bit vague about parking so if this is important for you, check it out. To my mind if a host offers parking it should be exclusive off road parking or garaging for that apartment. Unfortunately this isn't always the case. Some hosts say there is parking because it is free to park in the road outside. If they are in a small isolated village where my car is safe and I can be sure of finding a space right outside the door, that's fine by me, but if I'm close to the centre of town and have to spend 10 minutes going round the block in the hope of a space, that's not ok. When in doubt, check, ask the host.

Kitchen/living-room of our apartment on Lake Iseo

How to spot a bargain

- New entries. Accommodation which has just been added and has no or very little feedback is often cheaper because hosts who are serious about renting on Airbnb need to attract customers and get good feedback so they start off with a low price or a special offer. Obviously, accommodation with no feedback is also a risk. First of all, click on the host to get more information. If the host is already a superhost for other accommodation you haven't got much to worry about. If it's a new host you need to look a bit more carefully at the pictures, at what's provided and what isn't, how much money you'd be saving and also how long you are going to stay. You may feel ok about risking for two or three nights if you're going to be out and about all day but not for a fortnight's stay.

- Bachelor's apartments can be distinguished by the decor - greys, blacks, whites, a functional look, pictures of New York, London buses or workmen sitting on a crane on the skyline. Such apartments are often good value for money because they will be well equipped with everything you need since they were actually lived in, there will also be loads of plugs to charge up your electronic equipment!

- Ask for a discount. If the minimum stay is one or two nights and you want to stay for a fortnight it's worth politely asking for a special offer, especially outside high season. Some hosts have automatic discounts for weekly stays, but it's always worth trying to ask for a discount for a longer stay. Long stays are nice for hosts, less cleaning, less time spent welcoming guests, fewer potential problems.