Top 10 Reasons Why Airbnb Has Fallen Off
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Excessive Fees
A lot of these fees are insane, like cleaning fees and service fees and anything else in between. It's almost like you get a fee just for existing normally. It makes an affordable deal cost twice as much. Why do people go back to hotels? Because they don't like getting charged for all these fees on top of the base rate.
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Laundry List of Chores
If you stay at an Airbnb, you're basically going to become a maid whether you like it or not. Mop, sweep, and vacuum all floors, do the dishes, do the laundry, take out the trash, and clean the toilet and showers. If there is even a speck of dust, $200 fine. You didn't clean the room you never used? $200 fine! You didn't strip the beds down? $200 fine!
Also, pay an extra $250 cleaning fee on top of that! What a joke! You do realize most people are on vacation and trying to avoid all the stress of cleanup and chores, right?
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Horrible Hosts
Hosts nowadays are in one of 3 camps. There are the micromanaging ones that have a ridiculous set of rules that you must abide by or pay a $200 fine. They go out of their way to make your life a living hell. Don't use this room or that room. Don't adjust the thermostat lower than 76 degrees! Keep showers under 5 minutes. No music after 10 PM. They also check in with 25 messages in 3 days.
Then there are the hosts who are completely absent if you have any questions or the combination doesn't work. Too bad, figure it out yourself. If a problem arises, tough luck. Then there are good hosts, but they're incredibly rare to find.
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Deceptive Online Images
Same with a lot of other places, what's posted online may not always be accurate to reality. It's something to keep in mind when booking a place to stay anywhere. This isn't an Airbnb-specific issue, but it's definitely a problem worth mentioning.
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Mixed Quality
I wish they had a system to verify that the listings were accurate. Sometimes they're good, and sometimes there are appliances that are broken. Last time I stayed in an Airbnb, the AC was completely out, and I had to open all the windows. The host was, of course, zero help. Hotels aren't perfect by any means, but at least there's a decent chance the quality is good.
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Skyrocketing Prices
As with everything else, the prices just aren't worth it anymore. They used to be more budget-friendly than hotels, but nowadays they're worse than hotels, so people go back to them. A nice hotel is probably $200 a night, roughly, while Airbnb is way more expensive and overall inconvenient.
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Having to Buy Groceries
If I'm staying at a hotel, I at least get free breakfast, and there's always room service, so you're good to go for the day. With Airbnb, you're basically cooking for yourself, so on your first day, you're having to pay for groceries on top of your stay. Nobody wants to buy groceries while on vacation. If I'm on vacation, it's because I'm trying to escape from cooking and cleaning.
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Horrible Customer Service
If you have a problem with Airbnb, GOOD LUCK getting ahold of anyone in customer service who can help you. They're normally pretty slow and unresponsive on both the guests' side and the hosts' side alike.
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Lack of Amenities
A hotel usually includes free breakfast, free cleaning services, and usually a pool, a business room, and a gym. These are all things even a basic hotel can offer, while some even have sit-down restaurants. Airbnbs simply lack the same level of service and amenities.
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Inflated Reviews
Similar to another item on this list, some places may have reviews that look good on the surface, but in reality, it's clearly different. Like anywhere, it's easy to leave fake reviews that can be misleading to people. It's not a problem that's specific to Airbnb, but it's definitely something to be aware of.