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Comment by aianus | Hacker News Reader

You're well-compensated for the risk you take on Airbnb, it's not like it costs the same as the Four Seasons.

And the risk is overrated - if the host seems dishonest or the place isn't as described/shown, you can still check-in to an hotel.

I find it depressing how this will probably go away, and people like me who can't afford to pay for a stay at an hotel will just lose the option of taking the risk. Hurray for the infantilization of society! /s

> if the host seems dishonest or the place isn't as described/shown, you can still check-in to an hotel.

When I am traveling - for business or pleasure - the last thing I want to do is scramble to figure out where I will sleep that night. I value my time too much, especially for a pleasure trip, to go through that kind of ordeal.

Also, you can save money if you pay in advance for your hotel. You won't have time to even comparison shop if you're rushing at the very very last minute.

So, I wouldn't say the risk is overrated, but instead that people can stomach different amount of risk.

I like to be well prepared and have firm plans on my trips, but I know other friends will just book the first things they find and figure out what they're doing when they get there.

So, I wouldn't say the risk is overrated, but instead that people can stomach different amount of risk.

I'd say both are true. In this very thread, a user was saying that one is essentially at the mercy of the host, when that's not true, or at least not usually. Sure, it's still more risky than an hotel reservation, but I'd still say the risk is overrated - it's not that riskier.

Prices for last minute bookings can also be discounted. Check out the mobile app Hotel Tonight.

Aside from using HT when they gave out free credits, their rates have been consistently more expensive than a comparable hotel on Priceline Express and Hotwire.

This isn't always the case. I was heading to Milwaukee for a wedding a few months back and booked an AirBnB a while in advance. My host bailed three days before we arrived and the PGA Championships were in town. There wasn't a single vacancy and AirBnB customer services was completely unresponsive. I had to send multiple emails before they bothered to respond and then they offered a $40 credit toward another booking. That policy is probably fine in NY or another city with adequate inventory but Milwaukee had no downtown options left at any price. I can understand that AirBnB has no control of a host but their complete lack of customer service response was pathetic. I have no plans to ever use them again.

> you can still check-in to an hotel.

That's assuming that you can find a hotel with vacancy easily (not always the case, especially when special events are occurring), then find transportation to get there. That's not always going to be easy if you don't speak the language, arrived to the location late at night, are traveling with kids, etc.

Fine - you can usually just check in to an hotel. And you can usually tell beforehand if that option is valid.

Except prices gradually moved up from "hey look at this bargain" to being at hotel parity. I live in a trendy Chicago neighborhood and have people visit now and again. My spare room is in the basement, which is fairly unappealing, so people try airbnb. The rates they get are comparable to some hotels downtown if you do a little legwork on Expedia.

In places that aren't the middle of nowhere, there aren't a lot of savings, if any. Its a lot of people hoping the hotels get booked for some meeting or trade event and now tourists get fucked and have to use their shitty service, at the same price but no housekeeping, security, etc. In Chicago this happens every so often due to all the events we host here.

I can confirm.

Granted, Manhattan, where I tried to book an apartment, is a bit of a special location, but the pricing was not that much lower from the hotels.

You can get a shoe closet with a mattress on the floor for $18/night in the middle of Tokyo on AirBnB [1]. For comparison, the capsule hotels are $35 a night. Even a bunk(!) in a hostel is more than $18 a night.

[1] https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/6843251

There are definitely still bargains to be found.

Actually, a lot of airbnbs are even more expensive than good hotels

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