In our experience, how much trouble you’ll likely have renting a place for the short term using Airbnb will really depend on the host in question. We’ve had some absolutely marvelous hosts who go the extra mile to make your stay comfortable.
They even give you awesome recommendations on what to see and do in the local area. (Not to mention that they’ll make a map of the nearby grocery shops and delicious restaurants, too.) The human factor really makes all the difference for us because we appreciate the effort. However, that’s not always the case.
Some of our worst experiences with Airbnb have come down to poor communication and incredibly different expectations. We can’t tell you just how disappointing it is to open up the door to your apartment and realize that it’s a dungheap, nowhere near what the photos (and sometimes even the positive reviews) promised. But maybe you’ve been there, too?
It doesn’t matter if you’re renting out an apartment, providing a service, or selling a product: one of the worst things that someone can do is promise their customers something that they then don’t deliver. It’s a fantastic way to damage your reputation and ruin someone’s day.
Founded in 2007, Airbnb has welcomed 1.4 billion guest arrivals around the globe since then.
Somewhat ironically, despite the problems some of its customers run into, the company itself appears to be doing pretty great. At least financially. Airbnb just reported its earnings in 2022, which stood at 1.9 billion dollars. That stands in stark contrast to the 352 million dollar loss it had in 2021.
CNN notes that Airbnb’s earnings in the fourth quarter of 2022 were 319 million dollars. That was nearly twice as much as analysts predicted the earnings would be (184 million dollars).
The rebounding travel market drove Airbnb’s shares to soar by a whopping 13.4% on Wednesday. It was the biggest one-day increase since December 2020, when the company went public.
It’s quite likely that Airbnb will continue to be more and more popular in the near future, as people are starting to travel more again. However, travelers are left facing higher airline ticket costs, as well as paying more for car rentals and hotels. So they’re looking for ways to save cash.
Many think of apartments and rooms rented out by companies like Airbnb as a cheaper alternative to hotels. However, others point out that hotels aren't that much more expensive than Airbnb rentals, and don't have a bunch of rules regulating how you behave.
Meanwhile, more people might consider renting out their own properties or rooms in order to create an additional stream of revenue.
In other words, if someone has an issue with how Airbnb conducts its business or what its hosts behave like, it’s essential that they give them the proper feedback and vote with their wallets. Otherwise, not much will change. For instance, hosts need to realize that double-booking their rooms is not the way to go.
