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Comment by paulgb | Hacker News Reader

> Even as Palm Springs' tax revenue from home bookings has dropped by about 13% over the past year, hotel tax revenues are up by about 1.5%. Combined revenue from the two types of stays — known as transit occupancy tax — is down by about 3%.

This backs up anecdotes I’ve been hearing about people going back from AirBnB to hotels. The consensus seems to be that the price difference is diminished and the high variance in quality is not worth whatever discount still exists.

I have some good memories from the early years of talking with hosts and even having them show me around, it’s a shame that it’s become so transactional but I don’t see how it could have scaled any other way.

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I listed a house recently and have been checking all my guests reviews before accepting a stay. I always look at what the hosts that reviewed them have listed. It is almost never a single or even 2 or 3 properties. Almost everyone had at least 10+ properties listed. Most have more 20+ or even over 100. I feel like that really changes the dynamic and foundation of Airbnb. Since I started hosting I've now heavily prioritized being a guest of hosts with a single property or small number of properties. It's a much much better experience by far.

I have had this backfire on me when booking with a host with 3 listings (DADU in their back acreage and two rooms with seperate entries in their house).

Booked the room with a King bed, ender up in the 2nd room with a small futon. Took pictures and the host was a ghost over messaging till after we had left, when he left us a negative review. AirBnB was useless when I called their support line that night, meanwhile the host left a negative review and AirBnB was unwilling to remove it despite the host leaving the platform a few months later.

At that point, I would've considered involving the credit card company with a charge back.

You didn't get what you paid for, snd they ghosted you instead of taking care of it.

I've considered a charge back over a similar egregious experience. The problem with that is that you risk getting banned from Airbnb, which seems like an OK result given you probably never want to use them again, until you consider that in some markets they are the only or main provider of non-hotel stays and you just might need that at some point when hotels are booked out. It's frustrating.

Oh damn that sucks, I never book anything except a whole private house honestly. If I'm doing anything remotely shared I will book a hotel. If you work loyalty points well they can be a better value if your not travelling with a lot of people.

The best deals and service is Vacasa though in my experience. The actual properties may not be that great but the descriptions are accurate and they all have a full 3d / 360 walkthrough thing. And if you have a problem or need something it's more like a hotel you can text 24/7 and someone is on call that will show up or answer your questions.

As a nomad I do spend more time in hotels - maybe 70% hotels, 30% AirBnBs. I generally spend more time in hotels because 1. I book last minute and hotels offer maximum flexibility and significantly greater possibility to extend my stay, whereas an AirBnB will generally only be open for the time I booked and full afterwards 2. hotels are generally cheaper than AirBnB these days 3. hotels have more consistency in quality

That being said I still check AirBnB because sometimes there are great deals there. Also the longer term I'm booking, the more I'm going to prefer an AirBnB-type apartment or house accommodation - though AirBnB will likely be at least 2-4x more expensive than booking the same place through local sources - though the latter will probably require a minimum stay of at least 1-3 months (which still can end up cheaper than AirBnB for short-term stays).

What have been the highlights of your nomad journey?

I've seen this rhetoric only in tech circles that people are "moving back to hotels," and I don't understand it. Last time I checked, hotels still don't offer kitchens. Hell, most of them, disgustingly, don't even provide a toilet brush. A hotel is not an alternative to staying in a fully furnished home with complete amenities.

Isn't the reason Airbnb bookings are down because interest rates are sky-high worldwide to combat inflation? Travel, in general, should be down if the reserved banks worldwide are doing their job.

I think most people on vacation would rather not cook, and therefore don't value kitchens. There are some long-stay brands that cater to people who want kitchens but that doesn't seem to be the mid/high-end leisure travel market.

Toilet brush, I mean, they have people who will clean the toilet daily. Not a perfect substitute I agree, but also not something I've ever really thought about.

[edited to add] > Isn't the reason Airbnb bookings are down because interest rates are sky-high worldwide to combat inflation? Travel, in general, should be down if the reserved banks worldwide are doing their job.

Other way around. Prices are high because a lot of people are traveling, which is being folded into inflation numbers. Prices are high because demand is high relative to supply, for lots of things, but especially for travel where the market is still riding the post-pandemic rebound.

You are right that reserve banks are hoping to reduce demand for things like travel, but that will yield lower prices. Consensus is that rates at current levels are not doing that yet, and I think in past recessions, layoffs led demand drops.

Note also that Airbnb bookings are down but hotel occupancy is right below its 2019 peak. [1]

[1] https://www.ahla.com/sites/default/files/SOTI_report_Oxford_...

Nearly ever time I see a comment that I think “that’s just what I would have written”, I see that it’s you, arcticbull.

I think we probably have similar interest areas, haha.

Speaking as someone that currently spends ~10% of their days in some kind of short-term housing or another, neither of the things you mentioned are something I care about in a hotel room.

Toilet brush? Maybe I'm a weirdo, but if I see a problem with the toilet, or any other part of the room, I go down to the front desk and smile a nice smile and say, "hey, can you send someone up to sort this out?", and then they do -- for free. I also get infinite towels, a pool (often), a gym (sometimes), access to people who are familiar with the area, no hinky cleaning fees or other surprises on my bill, points and rewards, and a reasonable certainty that there are no hidden cameras in my room and anybody I have to deal with is sane enough most days to keep a job in hospitality.

Aside from people who are traveling in groups of three or more or just have a desire to set some money on fire, I don't understand why people use AirBnBs.

For me and my family, we only use AirBnbs when we’re traveling with another family or friends and we all want to stay in the same place so we can hang out and carpool easily. It can be cheaper compared to getting separate hotel rooms and if we’re traveling with another family with kids we’re much more likely to eat at the house 1-2 times a day.

If it’s just me or just me and the family, we’ll typically just get a hotel for all the reasons you mentioned. Less hassle about cleaning, points and such, no dealing with wacky policies from an over zealous host telling you how to use the A/C unit or something like that.

As far as the toilet brush, I think that maybe more a region or cultural thing, but I’m only kind of guessing. I saw a Reddit thread asking Americans why there aren’t toilet brushes in public restrooms (I believe the OP was Spanish) and they said it’s common courtesy to scrub away anything that may not have been flushed away. Again, only a guess.

Wait...in the USA you just leave waste at the base of the toilet bowl? Even if you're sharing a toilet with friends and family?

Most toilets in the US, especially commercial ones, flush with sufficient water and power to remove any residuals from the bowl. Depending on circumstances, a second flush is occasionally necessary. I have monstrous digestion and have never needed a brush to finish the job; toilet brushes here are just used for periodic maintenance, to keep things shiny.

Interesting! This article confirms what you're saying: toilets in the USA generally use higher water pressure, making residual less of an issue. The more you know...

[1] https://newyork.forumdaily.com/en/pochemu-amerikancy-ne-polz...

And likewise, your comment about toilet brushes was bizarre until now. TIL, indeed. :-)

Yea I'm mow super confused as to Why there is a difference.... it seems so illogical to have a toilet that can't empty itself completely when flushed...

Why do you need a toilet brush for a bathroom that should be cleaned before your arrival?

To clean feces off the base of the toilet post-defecation.

Plenty of suite style hotels (and even motels) that have kitchens.

Why would you need a toilet brush?

These days is t feels like Airbnb is MORE expensive most of the time, and that’s before you get to the like $100 cleaning fee

But please take the trash out back and strip the beds, thanks!!!

And wash the dishes and water the plants and run the vacuum and clean the toilets.

I once had a checkout list that was 40 items long or so, and for each item, it was a $25 fee if I didn't do the requested task.

This on top of a $200 cleaning fee (for a small 1 bedroom cabin).

I complained to AirBNB, nothing happened.

Have also had hosts cancel on me the DAY OF my stay, after I already arrived at my destination with no other place to stay, and very limited options.

Will not stay in an AirBNB unless it's an absolute last resort. And I'll usually just avoid the area if AirBNB is the only option.

The only time I use it now is why I can split 2 or 3 ways... having seperate bedrooms make that possible.

As a solo traveler? NFW

You hear this so often. I can’t imagine why anyone books AirBNB.

>I have some good memories from the early years of talking with hosts and even having them show me around, it’s a shame that it’s become so transactional

This is an example of how different people can be. To me, the ideal experience is to never see or hear the property owner. I just want a nice place to stay that’s not just a door, a bed and a bathroom. I grant that AirBnB can be a bit of a crapshoot, but our experiences have been largely very positive.

I can imagine Airbnb is losing a big chunk to Booking.com which now offers people's apartments and homes, too

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