re: The AirBNB experiment may soon be over

fwiw...capitalism still works as they (AirBnb and owners)are reading the headlines too

Going on a vacation soon and rented AirBnB exclusively over VRBO this time because they were significantly cheaper. None of the 3 rentals had a cleaning fee and all 3 had "reduced" pricing. Probably 15% less expensive than last year, all cheaper than VRBO.

Maybe they are returning to their roots given all the bad publicity.

We were lucky to get a place in Perdido in 2020. Glad to have enjoyed it while we could.

I'm sure I'll catch some flack for this but I'm kind of hoping the SCOTUS decision on student loans finally gets some prices under control. Specifically for hotels/vacations and maybe even lower some car prices.

I'm not expecting 2020 or prior prices for anything but hopefully with the decision a lot of Americans will have to tighten up their wallets.

I mean I routinely see hotel prices for $200/night and up off the interstate in the middle of nowhere. Just pathetic. I know travel demand will stay high during the peak periods (summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break) but I hope we go back to more traditional travel where there are down times in between.

I've used Airbnb twice and enjoyed it but with the cleaning fees it's usually no cheaper and a lot of times more expensive than a hotel. Unless I'm renting a condo or vacation house I can't see going the Airbnb/VRBO route in the future.

I’ve got 3 in Hot Springs and they have a great occupancy rate. All 3 are on Lake Hamilton and 2 are 2BR 2BA with 1 being 1BR 1BA. The 2 BR are really a great price for 2 couples or a family. The 1BR has a fantastic pool and almost 800 sf with a balcony and It’s cheaper than the Staybridge in Hot Springs.

We aren’t trying to make a killing, just building up good reviews and repeat renters. Once they book the VRBO or AirBnB I offer them a chance to book direct with me and avoid the fees they charge. They like it and we are doing pretty good on rentals.

AirBnB is hand down better for me than VRBO. The app is better, the fees are less.

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AirBnB is hand down better for me than VRBO. The app is better, the fees are less.

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Are you doing under $10k on VRBO? Anything over $10k a year Airbnb is incredibly more expensive. Same thing for guests, fees are much less on VRBO and that’s not up for discussion. The only way they wouldn’t be cheaper for guests is if the owners are adding fees.

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I manage one. I actually lose money on my $200 cleaning fee. My cleaner charges me $250 each clean. She’s great but that shits expensive and I don’t want to stick that on my guests or I’d never get rentals.

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Why don’t you include it in the cost upfront instead of hiding it in extra fees?

Just makes the renters seem shady like Ticketmaster.

$80 is reasonable.

Some areas are seeing a wave of air bnb development as large corporate interests are capitalizing on the concept by building and buying properties en masse to run as air bnb. They’re run by one large corporate manager just like a hotel.

In some cases, the large hotel chains are involved. They manage and/or own the properties.

Seeing it a lot out west in areas like Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

We rented a house in Orlando for a week. It was with a company that had a ton of houses they do which I think has become the problem. All the personal rentals are crowded out by commercial deals. Basically blackrock types that are like locusts.

It was a decent experience but it wasn't without a problem. We get a knock on the door one morning at 8am and someone with an inspection company wanted to come in and do a fire alarm/hvac inspection. I was like... Hell no. Called the company and next thing I know there is one of their reps there demanding to go through the house. Unsure if they do that to all the properties to keep tabs on them during rental or if it legit was a scheduling problem. But I felt like it was something that could be rescheduled when it wasn't being rented. I escorted them around and told the owner I would reflect my displeasure on my review.

I did, but it probably made zero difference. They're moving people in and out at record rates in that rathole Orlando. Eff that place and all their idiots. Plus the downtown looks like Mogadishu. Hotels have doubled in tourist areas as well though.