We live in remarkable times. Travel is more affordable than ever, largely because there are more ways than ever to go about it. We've already taken a look at how Airbnb stacks up against hostels and against VRBO. But not every traveler is weighing such eclectic options. Many people default to hotels, but as Airbnb becomes an ever more common option, more and more people are checking it out. So how do those things stack against each other?
Stability vs. Variety
"Hotel" can mean a lot of things, from a Comfort Inn to the Plaza. Still, unless you're a reporter for the Olympics or something, you know what you're going to get in a general sense. Your worst experience might involve bedbugs and your best might involve a hot tub, a personal shopper, and a view of the skyline. For the most part, though, a hotel room is a known quantity.
On the other side of the coin, you have Airbnb—a service through which you can rent anything from a room in someone's home to an entire beach house or airstream trailer. That's either a plus or a minus, depending on who you are. Airbnb has been around for some years now, but it's still uncharted territory in many ways.
Customer Service
Again, hotels vary widely in customer service. But in a world where a handful of chains own tens of thousands of hotels around the world, there's usually someone further up the ladder to complain to until you're taken care of. The fact that these hotels run such a massive volume of businesses means that they can usually afford to be accommodating when you've had a bad experience.
Airbnb is in a pretty weird position. For their business model to work, they have to be able to protect both property owners and renters, offering customer service to both. They used to be sort of terrible at it. But after some high-profile incidents, they acknowledged a need to offer more protection to their property owners, and they have some pretty generous policies towards their customers, as well. That said, not everyone is happy with them, from the perspective of owners and renters alike. Their blanket customer satisfaction surveys leave a lot of room for owners to get run roughshod over. At the same time, their development of a customer service department has been a long, painful process that's still ongoing.
Safety
Part of what factors into the stability and customer service of hotels is that there are laws governing your hotel stay. Airbnb hasn't really given rise to a great many customer protection laws just yet. A person's house is expected to be clean, but it's not like a safety inspector is going to come around and fill out paperwork every year. If your Airbnb isn't up to scratch, you're entitled to a refund. And the owner doesn't get paid until you've been there for 24 hours, anyway.
And of course, Airbnb offers "verified profiles" with professionally-photographed accoutrements by photographers who verify that the living quarters match the description the owner gives. Still, the protections offered are fledgling and far from comprehensive. That's worth noting. Even if you do get a refund and leave an unacceptable accommodation, now you're just stuck in an unfamiliar town with no place to stay.
Price
Airbnb is generally cheaper than staying in a hotel. But that "generally" is a very important word to note. It's not hard to find websites comparing the two across various cities, but one recent example found that in a survey of 22 cities across the world, the average hotel price was cheaper in 6 cities while the average Airbnb price was cheaper in 16. The differences were widespread, too. In San Francisco, hotels were cheaper buy such a thin margin it almost didn't matter. Likewise, Los Angeles Airbnb will only save you about $5 per night. But in Barcelona, Spain, and Austin, Texas, a hotel can save you over a hundred dollars a night. The reverse is true in London and Paris.
The bottom line? Airbnb will usually save you money. But it's worth checking every time you're looking in a new city. If you really care about getting a good deal, never just assume that what saved you money before will still work.
Who wins?
Ultimately, it comes down to the experience you want. Airbnb offers more adventurous experiences. Sometimes those adventures pay off wonderfully, and sometimes they're more like misadventures. You generally save money with them, but it's not guaranteed.
In the end, your best bet is to do the research on each trip you go on. Airbnb is a great option for those who open themselves to it, but it's not the be-all, end-all of vacation lodgings.
