An Indian startup called OyoRooms has a much better solution to this problem.
As someone who lived in socialism it's hilarious to see how socialist values are now being marketed and sold as a business, without wanting to be responsible for it by the company who sells the idea.
I use airbnb to see how locals live, when they wake up, how they get to work, what kind of breakfast they eat ect.
The few times I've tried it, the host was either non Internet-savvy or seemed to have regretted the too low a price they set, cancelling and putting the place back in the market for a higher price.
Airbnb has an instant book feature that obviates this process