AirBNB and the like can still have an edge when you want things like a kitchen or a guaranteed fridge.
What’s the fee difference like for hosts on Airbnb vs vrbo?
What’s the fee difference like for hosts on Airbnb vs vrbo?
Also, lots of hotels have rooms with kitchens in them.
At most, all you really need is a mini fridge to store take out and alcohol.
The only use case I can think of for having a full kitchen, fridge, and other amenities is for temporary workers. Maybe a company has their consultants stay at an AirBnB with the aforementioned amenities and in an attempt to reel in the costs, will only approve business meals with clients and personal meal expenses if cooked at the STR (ie, grocery store line items).
Edit: would add, in some places, your takeout/dining choices vapourize on some days of the week or holidays.
I'm not imposing restaurants with my weird dietary restrictions.
- Some people like to cook. I ran into a guy on a recent vacation to Lyon (one of the best cities for restaurants in the world) who was in a rental house because he wanted to cook himself at least every other dinner.
- Some people can't afford to eat out every meal and can save a lot by cooking many of their meals
- As others have mentioned: people with families
- Sometimes you're in an area without good eating-out options. If you're in a rural area, your options might be "drive 30m into town" or "wait 1 hour for the exactly one pizza delivery place."
- Sometimes you're in a place for a specific reason, and that reason's not food. For example, I've visited the Tahoe area in California to ski. I'm not there to experience Tahoe cuisine - I'm happy to make simple dinners every night and spend the rest of my time doing what I'm there to do.
There are a ton of reasons to want a full kitchen, depending on your needs + style of travel.