by Rebecca Morgan
Airbnb has many options for lodging. Some people like sharing a home with a host, others like their own space. Some listings offer a blend of both with a private guest house in the back. Some hosts rent their whole house when they are gone. Others have second homes they rent. The range of lodging is varied, from a home or apartment, small boutique hotels, B&Bs, houseboats, tree houses, tents, RVs and yurts!
Finding one that meets your needs can be daunting. I find it helps to start a Word table or Excel spreadsheet to track your options and the details of each. This will aid your decision making as it’s hard to remember the details on each one.
As you find ones that meet your criteria, click the Wish List button on the right and save them to a Wish List for the area you’re wanting to stay. You can make notes on each one and share the Wish List with your traveling buddies and they can vote on their choices.
Before You Begin Your Search
Upload to the Airbnb site a recent photo of you, up close, with no sunglasses or hat. Upload several photos if you want. Flesh out your profile, saying a bit about yourself, your work (if applicable) and hobbies. Verify as many parts of your ID as possible, but especially your government ID (upload a scan of your driver’s license or passport). The more verifications, the more hosts will accept your booking. They like to know the person making the booking is who they say they are. And they want the photo to match the person who shows up at their space. (if you aren’t already a member of Airbnb, use this link to sign up and we’ll both get a small travel credit: http://bit.ly/RMreferral/.)
Start Searching
To find a great place, you first have to make some decisions:
- Where do you want to stay? Not just what city/town, but in what neighborhood. In the heart of tourist attractions, or in more local neighborhoods? On the beach or a few blocks away from the noise? Identifying a general location is important before starting your search. If you haven’t a clue, look on TripAdvisor to see where you’ll want to spend the most time. Also, if you won’t have a car, being near public transportation makes life easier.
If you want to be near a relative or convention center or art museum, look up the address on Google maps to determine the neighborhood. You can also try searching for places near the venue on the Airbnb site, but if nothing shows up, search by the neighborhood and city.
You can zoom in or out of the map to get a sense of how close the listing is to the airport, train station, downtown, beach, etc. When you have your bearings, zoom in to show listings near where you want to be.
- Do you want to stay in the home with the host or in a private space?
Shared Home
Staying in the same home as the host allows you to see how locals live and get to know the host and/or the family up close. You have someone to ask questions about getting around, or they may drop you at your destination if it’s near where they are going.
You may be one of several guests, which can then feel like a mini-United Nations and you can have some interesting conversations. This is especially nice if you’re traveling alone and would like to have someone to talk to.
But staying in someone’s home can mean you are subject to their noise and routine. You may (or may not) share a bathroom and common areas like kitchen and living room. Sharing a home is usually less expensive than a private space.
Whole Home
A whole home gives you privacy and you don’t have to be considerate of anyone but the neighbors. However, if you don’t know how to work the shower the host isn’t always available to answer questions. I was at a flat in Turkey and couldn’t find the wifi password so couldn’t communicate with the host to find out the password! Luckily a local friend was with me and contacted the host on his phone for me.
Most whole-home listings don’t allow parties and some don’t allow guests other than those spelled out on the reservation.
- How many bedrooms do you need, what number and size of beds, and how many bathrooms? I’ve looked at some listings with 5 beds in one bedroom! I’ve also stayed with 3 gal pals in a 5 bedroom flat with 4 bathrooms. Decide on what meets your needs so you can search by those parameters.
Make sure to read the description carefully and/or contact the host to find out how many of the bathrooms have showers. Some older homes may say “4 bathrooms” but only one of them has a shower which makes it bothersome if you have a bunch of people all wanting to take a shower in the morning.
- What amenities are important to you? Mark them in the Filters list. I mark “Wifi,” “English” for host language, and check the most important ones from whatever is listed in Filters. Some offer additional items that aren’t in the Filters but are in the description or under Amenities. Some hosts provide a basic Metro pass to which you add funds to make getting around easier. My host in Tokyo lent guests a pocket wifi to have free wifi all day as well as in the apartment.
I want to know on what floor the space is, and if higher than the second floor, does it have an elevator. “Elevator” may be checked in amenities, but I once rented a space on the top floor of a building in Istanbul where the family was in the same apartment, but a floor below connected with a narrow staircase. The elevator went to their floor, but not to mine. The husband helped with my luggage (thank heavens), but if he wasn’t there it would have been a pain. So clarify that the elevator actually takes you to your space. I once forgot to ask what floor I was on and ended up in a flat with no elevator that was 86 steps up. It gave me pause when I thought about going out for an errand.
- Note the cleaning fee. Some charge nearly as much for cleaning as for one night’s rental. As you shop around, note this on the chart as it will obviously affect your total bill. One listing that is more per night may be less money overall when the cleaning fee is factored in.
- Look at the photos. Yes, they are taken on a good day, likely by a professional Airbnb photographer. But if a place looks ratty in the photos, it will look much worse in person. Most listings photograph much better than in person, so prepare for that.
- Note the cancellation policy. Airbnb charges you as soon as you make a reservation, which may be months in advance. So be clear that you will lose at least their fee (around 10%) if you cancel, and maybe more, depending on the listing’s cancellation policy.
- Strict: No refund if you cancel within 30 days of the reservation start date.
- Moderate: No refund if canceled within 5 days of the reservation start date.
- Flexible: Full refund if cancelled before 24 hours of the reservation start date.
- Read the reviews. Pay special attention to how the host responds to reviews, if at all. If s/he does, it shows s/he is paying attention and actively caring about the guests. If a guest states in the review that there was a problem and the host responds defensively, avoid that listing as if there is a hiccup the host may not be easy to deal with.
- Look for Super Hosts. If you are overwhelmed with listing options (there are 40,000 listings in Paris), go back to the Filters and check Super Host. Only 8% of hosts have earned this designation through a high percentage of 5-star reviews, consistent quick response rate and no cancellations. They know what they are doing (generally) and are guest-focused.
- Check the check in/check out times. If your flight is getting in at an odd hour, make sure you mention that to your host before booking as some will not allow it (if they don’t live nearby and have to come in the middle of the night.) There is a designation on qualified listings called “Business Travel Ready” which means you can check in 24 hours.
- Make an inquiry (not a booking request) with the host. Tell them you love their place and would love to stay there. Tell them why you’re coming to the area, how many in your party (you should have specified this under “number of guests” but some people forget to change it if more than one). Be friendly and forthcoming, not evasive and terse. This is not like a hotel.
Ask a question. See how long it takes and the tone of their response. If terse, ask another question. If terse again, pass if you have other equal options. You can make inquires with multiple hosts. Bookings are you saying “I want to rent your place” and you can’t make more of these at once for the same dates. The host has to accept or decline within 24 hours or the booking doesn’t go through.
However, if the host has set up Instant Book, you can book it immediately without any interaction with the host as long as you meet their requirements. I sometimes Instant Book when my travel is coming up soon. But generally, I like to get the feel of the host by sending an inquiry.
Make a Decision
Now you’re ready to look at your spread sheet, then relook at the listings you’ve saved to your Wish List and make a decision.
Once Booked
Copy the host’s name, email address, phone number and the listing’s address into your calendar. If you put this info in your phone’s Contacts, you can then easily call or WhatsApp the host if there’s an issue. By having the address at your fingertips, it’s easy to show the taxi driver or find the route on Google maps.
A few days before your trip, review the listing again so you can refresh yourself on what is included and what isn’t, as well as remind yourself of the check in time and house rules.
After Your Stay
After your stay, leave an honest review. If there’s something you think the host can improve, leave that message in private, not on the public comments. In reviews, I try to leave information I think other guests should know that isn’t disclosed in the listing, like how the Istanbul apartment was up a flight of stairs, as I’d want to know that if I were looking at booking that space. Most hosts want to do their best, so give them a chance to improve via your private message.
Airbnb allows you to experience a place like a local. So don’t expect it to be like a hotel — no daily cleaning, no room service, no bellman or concierge. However, you’ll get to see what life is like in a way that is usually more fulfilling by interacting with the people who make up the area.
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Rebecca Morgan is one of the top Airbnb hosts in Silicon Valley. She’s one of the 8% of hosts who’ve earned the designation “Super Host.” She’s been hosting since Sept. 2013 and has spoken at all three Airbnb conferences helping hosts be more successful. She also uses Airbnb extensively in her worldwide travels, so understands how to find a great place to stay. Her listings are at www.SiliconValleyAirbnb.com.