[secabeen]

> If I were going to disrupt AirBNB, I'd offer hosts a better percentage with the requirement that the experience is standardized and high-quality.

This is an interesting idea, but it puts the quality level way above what I want to pay for. Hotels are anti-septic and cold. I like staying in an apartment that feels like someone actually lives there. I don't mind a few dust-bunnies under the couch, nor a little dirt behind the toilet. It's even better when the kitchen is fully stocked, including a selection of non-perishable food (think cooking oil, salt, pepper, maybe a bag of ground coffee and a box of pasta.) Sure, the sheets and towels should be freshly laundered, but beyond that, I don't want much.

AirBNB allowed me to pay less to get a more human-feeling space. Hotels are like McDonalds, they are designed for the regular customer who wants to get that Hilton-feeling, regardless of if they are in Wichita or Cairo. I want to feel like I'm in Cairo, and if that means that I'm in a mud brick house with a single bathroom, no A/C, and no daily housekeeping that's great! AirBNB opened those worlds to us as travelers, in a way that hotel chains never did.

[thefounder]

I think that's more common in other parts of the world. (i.e. getting places that people actually live in).In Europe most/all of the apartments I've stayed in are basically business apartments (more or less).

You don't feel that someone lives there because nobody actually lives there. It's like a long term rental apartment that in best case scenario someone is using as a savings/investment vehicle but on short term. "Worst case" it's part of an apart-hotel.

When I travel as part of a large group(i.e. more than 3 people) a short term apartment is great because we need a big affordable space (i.e. someone may sleep on the couch and we don't want the hotel "greetings & house keeping" experience) but nevertheless I don't want or expect a dirty place in any way, shape or form be it in Cairo or somewhere else. I'm pretty sure there are people living in less than sanitary conditions all over the world including Western Europe and the U.S. That doesn't mean I have interest in experiencing that kind of "living/sleeping".

All that being said I've stopped using Airbnb years ago. It seems a broken system. For short term rentals/apartments Booking.com is the only sane choice(IMHO).

[ghaff]

It's not so much for a Hilton-like feeling. In most cases, it's because I'm looking for a predictable place to stay with, often, a 24 hour desk. I just don't care about the room most of the time so long as it's clean and comfortable. I'm generally not traveling for the purpose of staying in a hotel room. I do stay in more traditional B&Bs/inns though very rarely somewhere that's solely an Airbnb.

[secabeen]

> In Europe most/all of the apartments I've stayed in are basically business apartments (more or less). It's like a long term rental apartment that in best case scenario someone is using as a savings/investment vehicle but on short term.

If that the only thing AirBNB offered, I would have much less interest.

> I'm pretty sure there are people living in less than sanitary conditions all over the world including Western Europe and the U.S. That doesn't mean I have interest in experiencing that kind of "living/sleeping".

Thankfully, AirBNB doesn't have to be all things to all people. As long as there are enough people like me to keep them afloat, they can provide a product that I am happy with, and you can stay at hotels that are immaculately clean.

I do hate the way that many AirBNB hosts have made hosting a business, and would fully support a limit on the number of listings per host. People renting out a space in their house, or a vacation rental in a vacation destination that they also stay in too is fine. People buying 3 or more apartments to rent them out (taking them off the long-term rental market) is terrible, and should be prohibited.

[scarface_74]

I just randomly looked at hotels.com for hotels in Cairo and I saw name brand hotels from American brands like Hilton for around $120 a night. Even high end hotels like the Waldorf are $284 a night (I don’t care about fancy hotels personally). Why would I stay in a dirty Airbnb?

Not that I would ever use a third party booking site like hotels.com either…

I want the place I stay at to be run professionally and it to be I give them money and they give me a clean place to stay without having to worry about my ratings, discrimination, etc.

Especially in another country where I don’t know the language and after taking a long flight. I wouldn’t want to take the chance on an AirBnb.

[secabeen]

> Why would I stay in a dirty Airbnb?

Because of what I described above! In summary:

* Desire to have an experience and living environment I can't get at home.

* Desire to have living space beyond 2 beds and a bathroom crammed into the smallest available space.

* Indifference to dirt or wear and tear.

Thankfully, no one is saying that AirBNB should replace name brand hotels, in the same way that no one thinks that every hotel should be a Motel 6. AirBNB/VRBO is just another segment of the industry, and those people who want to stay in an AirBNB can, just as people who want a Hilton can without affecting those people who want to stay in the Ritz-Carlton. This is the beauty of the market!

[crooked-v]

> Hotels are like McDonalds, they are designed for the regular customer who wants to get that Hilton-feeling, regardless of if they are in Wichita or Cairo.

Stop staying at chain hotels. There are plenty of hotels out there that are what you're looking for, and have an actual business to engage with in case of issues instead of some anonymous lister on AirBNB.

[secabeen]

> Stop staying at chain hotels. There are plenty of hotels out there that are what you're looking for, and have an actual business to engage with in case of issues instead of some anonymous lister on AirBNB.

That has not been my experience. It is very hard to find a robust selection of hotels in a major city that has a living room and kitchen. Even when you do, in a part of the city you want to stay in, they are often tiny kitchens, with limited kitchen equipment, and where the cabinets are completely cleared of every food item after every guest. These places also have very antiseptic, uncomfortable furnishings. They are night and day different from staying in most AirBNBs.