[ndh2]

It's not about luxury or having a concierge. It's a basic trust issue. You can't trust AirBnB reviews.

We had an issue with a place where we wanted to stay for a week in Italy. There was a very noticeable smell of paint/dust, and we couldn't sleep. What do you do then? The host offered to "fix the problem", but how would you fix that? There's also the issue of proof: You can't take a photo of smell. Anyways, we got a percentage of the money back, but of course that meant that AirBnB wouldn't let us post a review. Basically, they pay you for your silence.

And that's why I wouldn't use AirBnB anymore either. You can't trust the reviews.

[exclusiv]

I'd fix that with an air purifier. I have several at my lodge for keeping dust down and making sure those with sensitive allergies don't have issues. I did use it successfully for a funky odor in a bedroom once too before guests arrived (I think it was originating from a vent).

Anyway, sorry for your issues. It's a big let down especially overseas when you don't get what you think you are getting. Good points in the article. The reviews aren't usually that helpful. My wife would ask me how to rate our guests and I'd tell her "aren't you going to feel really stupid if they rate us unfairly and you let them get away with being a bad guest"?

Hosts and renters need to be authentic with the reviews. If you wouldn't rent to them again - they should not get a good review. If you're a renter and you wouldn't rent there again - unless it was as described and you got what you paid for - that host shouldn't get a good review either.

When I'm renting I make sure they have enough good reviews and I also look for the imperfect reviews and see what the issue was but more importantly how the host responds. If they show good faith and seem reasonable then I like that. If they get all angry and seem like they might be unaccommodating to real issues - then steer clear!

[throwawaybbq1]

I had a huge hurdle using Uber - after trying it once with someone else, I am now am a power user. I just cannot make the jump to AirBnB. I have friends who use it a lot. I found the rates paid by myself and friends are very similar .. when asked why not just use a hotel, my friends point at quaint/unique experiences, etc. I realized that this is not my thing (I don't "get" blue apron either FWIW).

[b_t_s]

This so much. Uber/Lyft were shockingly better than taxis. I tried AirBnB expecting the same and wow was that not the case. Went to a beach and was hoping to have a destination ready _with_ cooking facilities(hard requirement traveling with an allergic child). Arived ther & spent 45 minutes wandering up and down the beach showing the listing/owner photo to everyone in sight. Nobody's ever heard of them. Later that day the owner who lives hundreds of miles away airbnb messages us to say that the name of the beach resort and the contact info aren't what's actually shown in the listing. Of course we don't have internet then & have already given up and chosen another hotel. By the time we got back to civilization/internet we've already missed the window to leave feedback/dispute. First time in my life I've ever done a credit card chargeback. What a colossal PITA. I figure I wasted 2 to 4 hours fighting with their website between signup(reproducible bugs), trying to dispute/leave feedback/contact them(gave up eventually), and the chargeback. Totally not worth it for 30 something bucks but darn they need some sort of feedback, because I really _want_ to like them. They _should_ be uber/lyft for apartments because that would be awesome, but my experience was a million times worse than agoda/travelcity/whatever.

[moftz]

The girlfriend and I wanted a cheap experience in South Beach, Miami. We found a reasonably priced one bedroom (queen bed and a pullout couch) apartment a block from the beach with tons of restaurants and bars nearby. If we got a room in any of the hotels down the street, it would have cost double to triple the rate. We used some of the money we saved from not getting a hotel for a rental car and were able to get groceries and tour the rest of Miami on our own. We were pretty lucky to find the apartment that we did, it was recently renovated, was spotless, and the owner was the nicest person ever. The major selling point was just the price and the ability to have our own kitchen, something you usually don't get unless you upgrade to a huge room. We could have easily split the cost with another couple and saved even more but the place was just right for us. I would get the same place again if we ever go back. My parents are a fan of the hotel experience, they have the money to afford it. We could have too but we valued the "living" experience more than the "visiting" experience.