We are attempting to use AirBnB to get a place for our upcoming trip to Austin, TX. The concept is great. It’s a website where you can list a spare couch that someone can rent for a day or a mansion that someone can rent for extended periods of time.
The actual site works pretty well. They have kept it fairly simple, but some things lack a high level of intuitiveness. It was a little bit confusing to get recommendations from friends. We did it, but it could have been more clear.
It offers you to link with your facebook account in order to increase transparency so that you can build trust. I did that, but see no benefit. I want these folks to be able to see that I have like a jillion friends that love and trust me. But they don’t even see my last name.
We requested a ‘wee cottage’ from a ‘traveling musician’ but didn’t hear back. Now we are upgrading to a ‘bohemian artist’s’ situation on just about the same block.
One strong aspect of the site is the implementation with Google Maps. The rental owner posts pics of the interior with a little spiel and the site loads a street view of the place.
Check it out if you haven’t already.
Rating: 
(Although I will boost that if it turns out well.)
→ 10 comments so far ↓
1
panasonicyouth
// Feb 19, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Kinda reminds me of that couch surfing site from a few years back that’s apparently still going strong. I can’t remember the name of it though. :/
2
Stace
// Feb 19, 2010 at 12:57 pm
So, the people who list things could possibly be totally there while you’re staying there yes?
I’m not sure how I feel about trusting strangers to stay in my home when I’m not there (a la home swapping) and this just adds on to how I feel about this type of thing. A friend of a friend is one thing, a stranger, I just don’t know.
I am curious to know how your stay goes though.
3
DirtyDanSin
// Feb 19, 2010 at 1:12 pm
@panasonicyouth: couchsurfing.com is indeed stronger than ever. I’m too spoiled for that at this point.
@Stace: You can choose to request a present or away rental person. I choose to require an offsite person only, a private bathroom and a real bed. I will check in once the trip is done – early april.
4
Gab
// Feb 19, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Couchsurfing can have AirBnB-quality accommodations, it just takes a long time to sort through all the, well, couches to find the gems. But, it’s free (i.e. not profit-driven on the part of the hosts). Air BnB, in a lot of places, is like $75- $125 for a bed in someone’s home. I don’t know – seems a bit steep to someone on a budget. I guess if you are risk-averse and have the cash, and are just looking for a hotel alternative… Also, there’s a new network called Casa Casa that is similar to Couchsurfing – members both travel and host – and you pay the hosts a gratuity of $15. It’s “B&B” style, so like couchsurfing for grownups. http://www.casacasa.org.
5
maya704
// Jun 16, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Beware of Airbnb!
This site has taken off like wild fire but be aware of the risks. Behind the pretty facade there’s little real structure or organisation. They do not offer any sort of protection and are not interested in helping resolve problem situations. And problem situations will come up believe me, in which case you are on your own. I have had a terrible experience with them. Following a failed reservation I was left out nearly $1000 and Airbnb just walked away. Be aware of what you’re getting into. These people are just out to make money on your back.
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
6
sheilapw
// Jul 5, 2010 at 4:12 pm
I also had a traumatic experience using Airbnb- I booked the Wee Cottage in Austin, Texas- a horror story! Here is my recent comment on Fodor’s:
I stayed at the Wee Cottage in Austin through AirBNB- it was represented as funky and charming- actually a health and safety hazard-mold and rust in the bathtub (unfit for use)- the only source of heat for the cottage was tiny gas heater in bathroom-lumpy, damp bed held up by a cinder block….I stayed one night (slept in my clothes) and went to a nice, clean hotel for the rest of my stay. They refunded me for the other 5 nights- but it was a struggle (lucky, I took pics). Since the accommodations are not checked-and I suspect the “reviews” are edited (they would not let me post my review)- Be Ware!
There are probably some nice places on the site, but since there don’t seem to be any great savings- why take the risk? I’ve used Woogo (they have apartments world wide) and had a great experience in a NYC apartment.
7
phil
// Jul 6, 2010 at 9:58 am
I like this post because it attracts the best comments of any post on the site. I love horror stories about hotels.
8
DirtyDanSin
// Jul 6, 2010 at 3:45 pm
I see above that I promised to post a comment regarding my own experience in April. Better late than never…
Our rental through AirBnB was as advertised. It was the basement apartment in the rear of a home about a mile from the SoCo area. Bus service was available just a short walk away. The day we arrived, the owner dropped off a box of pastries and a bottle of wine. The bathroom had a hysterical disco color-changing light in the shower. It wasn’t the glowing showerhead thingie but a recessed ceiling install. I believe that this was installed without irony. The place was, in fact, not ironic. It was an earnest rental. It was a great value at $45/day.
I respect that the point being made here is that there is a lack of support and possibly a tendency to obfuscate on the part of AirBnB. I am saddened by your tales of woe, but happy with my experience. A friend is going to be renting a Spanish apartment through the site in the next few months. I will be sure that she chimes in here.
For Phil: My worst motel experience is the sole reason for my hatred for Ohio. We were on a road trip stocking up my cd shop and pulled over late one night to sleep in Ohio. They woke us up a few hours later at about 6am by replacing the stupid light fixtures outside our room. These things were admittedly a thousand years old, but 6am? Later that day, we met such nice and thoughtful folks in Indiana that it just underscored the suckiness of Ohio.
9
janii doonberry
// Sep 4, 2011 at 4:36 pm
I would not trust this company. We booked a condo and had to cancel almost 1 month before our trip. They refused to refund
50% of the money we had to put up. They required 100% payment
at time of booking. Too many reputable companies out there.
Avoid this company at all costs.
10
GeneM
// Jan 22, 2012 at 12:11 am
airbnb will encourage anyone to rent out their rat infested crawl space just so airbnb can snatch up a percentage. … And when those airbrushed photos turn out to be nothing more than a wallpapered outhouse, you’ll find how quickly airbnb support team vaporize into thin AIR bnb. keywords: airbnb deceiving pimps of squalor
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