When you travel to a new place, what’s your preferred accommodation to book? You could stay in a hotel if you’re feeling fancy, a motel if you’re trying to save money, a hostel if you don’t need much privacy, or an Airbnb if you want to take the risk of dealing with an unfriendly host!
Below, you’ll find a post that has gone viral recently from an Airbnb host who was less than impressed with a guest’s back and forth travel plans, as well as some of the replies the host received.
This Airbnb host was annoyed to find that a guest canceled their trip at the last minute
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
But they were even more frustrated to find that the same guest rebooked the stay only a few days later
Image credits: GaudiLab (not the actual photo)
Image credits: CramerTracker
Airbnb has plummeted in popularity in recent years
A decade ago, Airbnb was a trendy site that provided affordable, cozy and convenient places to stay. Today, however, the reputation of the platform has changed quite a bit. Many travelers are now criticizing the site for having greedy hosts who charge exorbitant fees and create unreasonable rules, and it’s become much harder to actually find good deals on the site.
Staying in an Airbnb has also become questionable ethically, as the high numbers of rental properties in cities has contributed to the housing crisis. There are over 7 million active Airbnb listings in over 100,000 cities around the globe. When wealthy individuals who already have homes start snatching up properties to rent out to travelers, there are fewer and fewer places for the locals to live.
These rental properties can also negatively impact the quality of life for locals in cities that have become overrun by Airbnbs. The sense of community in your neighborhood starts to degrade when you don’t have any actual neighbors because there are tourists checking in and out to the apartment next door each week.
It's rare for guests to find deals or discounts on Airbnb
We all need places to stay when we visit a new city, so the original concept of Airbnb was not necessarily a bad thing. But like many other things under capitalism, it’s been tainted by greed. Nerdwallet explains that Airbnb doesn’t have any loyalty program, so it’s nearly impossible for guests to find deals on the site. Prices are left up to hosts, who aren’t usually interested in dropping their rates.
There is no way of knowing whether the guest in this particular story intended on booking the same place or simply realized that the price had dropped and then decided to rebook. But either way, it doesn’t seem to be her fault. The hosts reduced the price hoping that someone would book it, because that surely brings them more profit than an empty apartment would, so why should they care whether the same woman or an entirely different party snatches it up?
The host also mentioned that the woman reduced her stay to one less night, so it’s entirely possible that her travel plans simply changed. She may have just wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t be locked into paying the full price, so she canceled when she realized that she still wasn’t confident about how many days she would need the space.
Often, it's cheaper and less hassle for travelers to simply stay in a hotel
As far as what makes the most financial sense for travelers, there’s no simple answer whether Airbnbs or hotels are cheaper. Nerdwallet investigated and found that it depends on the size of your party and the length of your stay, as well as what amenities you need, whether you have transportation, how much food you need to purchase and what additional fees you’ll face.
If you’re traveling as a party of two, Airbnbs tend to be 29% more expensive than hotels. However, if you have a group of 6 travelers, one Airbnb can be 33% cheaper than booking three hotel rooms. And the nightly rate of an Airbnb if you stay for 7 nights is 32% cheaper than staying for only one night, when you factor in the cleaning fees and potential multi-day discounts.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this guest did anything wrong by rebooking the same space at a lower price? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing Airbnb drama, look no further than right here!
Fellow Airbnb hosts shared advice on the situation, as well as similar personal stories
But not everyone was supportive, as other readers shared criticisms for the host and Airbnb
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