full disclosure: the startup I work at uses AirBNB when we bring in potential new hires, unless they insist on a hotel. We have never had anything but the absolute best experience, and I haven't spoken to anyone who has used it that didn't become an evangelist for it. But I guess paranoia and hypothetical boogy men trumps empirical data over at tech-crunch.
If I were planning to interview with a company and they suggested I use the service, I would get the impression the company is cheap beyond practicality, and find a way to politely back out of the interview.
There's obviously a market for people who don't mind sleeping with strangers but I'm definitely not in it. I'm way too paranoid that I would get robbed.
The credit card cloning example from the original article would probably be my biggest fear. I'd be checking my credit card purchases multiple times a day for weeks I'm sure. While actually there I'm sure I would put my wallet, phone and anything else that's valuable in a bag and sleep on top of it. It wouldn't be a very relaxing night's sleep just before an interview.
On the other hand, hostels tend to be cheaper than AirBnB and I have no problems sleeping there.
I'm just as paranoid about the dorm option.
I'm used hostels (& couch surfing) quite a lot and never really had problems, but I guess it depends on the region you are traveling in.
Tallanvor's approach seems unnecessarily paranoid to me, but I don't know where he travels too.
I just moved across country. I stayed at 3 different places of Airbnb over the course of 2 weeks while I looked for a place with roommates off Craigslist. Each host was great and I never felt anything but safe. The only reason I stayed at multiple is because they had other bookings coming in so I couldn't extend.
I have stayed in 100s of shared hostel rooms, never had a problem. I have heard stories, we all have heard stories, but they are so minor to be negligible. You are in more danger getting to the hostel/house than you are once you are there.
I suggest you actually get out more and experience people, share a room, it is a great way to stop your foolish attitude. If you have a car, then you are already way to cut off from the real world.
I considered using AirBnB for a trip I just booked to Greece, but I decided against it. For several reasons:
1. I don't know how clean the place will be. With a 3 or 4 star hotel with good reviews online, I can be fairly certain I'll get a place that is clean. 2. I don't know how secure the place will be. The rooms I booked all have in room safes, so I can leave my netbook in my room and be fairly certain it will be there when I get back. 3. Getting a private apartment on AirBnB isn't that much cheaper than a hotel. No offense to the hosts offering a room in their place or their couch, but when I'm on vacation, I don't want to share a place with people I don't know. I'm just not that type of person.
All of that adds up to general uncertainty over the use of AirBnB. And if a company I was interviewing with wanted me to use AirBnB to find a place to stay, well, that would give me serious reservations as to whether or not I'd want to work there. The possible exception would be if I were interviewing with AirBnB themselves.
I agree that suggesting airbnb would be a turnoff. But this is not why, at least not for me.
Frugality: "If at all possible, I'd prefer if you used airbnb. If you don't want to, that's cool."
Cheapness: "We won't spend more than $50 a night in San Francisco."
Frugality is better applied to ink cartridges than employee comforts, IMO.
Choosing functional real estate can certainly be fine. But what would you think of a startup that chose Oakland over SF to save even more money?
On the other hand, when he's hired, he should expect to be made comfortable: don't skimp on chairs, displays, airconditioning, etc. Whether that's the case should become clear during the interview: it's also about "do I want to work here?"
My salary? No, I don't want the feeling that they're going to knock me down to as low as I'll accept, I've worked hard to develop my skills and I deserve a paycheck. The OP's company could spend an extra 100 bucks per interview and have way higher odds of a good impression from the interviewee. It's like tipping really well when you order your first drink and getting good service for the rest of the night, first impressions matter.
The OP's company could spend an extra 100 bucks per interview and have
way higher odds of a good impression from the interviewee
I'd rather see them save 12*100 bucks, so they can buy me a decent chair when they hire me.
The issue isn't even the 100 bucks, it's the fact that they're telegraphing that they don't know how important first impressions are, and they'll cheap out on me given the first opportunity.
As far as my sense of entitlement, well, what the market will bear and all that. It's not that I insist on 4-star lodging, it's that the company is sending a message by asking me to do AirBnB or couchsurfing or whatever. If this is a scrappy pre-funding startup with an awesome idea, ok, if I like the idea, I'll play ball. If it's a business that wants to hire me as an employee, that's different.
You have to wonder how many of your interviewees were thinking along those lines when you made the offer.
Cheap: "We won't pay you overtime for business trips."
I think that services like that are important right now, and I'm glad that they exist.
There's nothing wrong with being cheap. That's why I included the phrase "beyond practicality."
How much are you spending to fly out the applicant? How many man hours will be spent on the interview process? If you're willing to risk these investments to save $50, I consider that impractical.
Of course, this is from my point of view: I presuppose that 'where you stay' is irrelevant, because I consider it irrelevant. If I have to sleep on a couch in the founder's living room, so be it. Perhaps you are right that one should best err on the safe side of caution by providing a hotel. Nobody's ever been fired for providing a hotel room :P