Hotel vs Airbnb/ Vrbo

There are 20 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 1,256 times. The latest Post (July 13, 2024 at 4:06 PM) was by aficionado.

    We’re taking a couple of trips in the coming weeks, and are starting to look at lodging options. Here are a couple of articles of interest to others who are looking at travel possibilities.

    This one explores areas where hotel rates are cheaper than Airbnb or VRBO, and where they are more expensive.

    Hotels Are Actually Cheaper Than Vacation Rentals on Airbnb and Vrbo, According to a New Report
    A new study says hotels are the more affordable option over Airbnbs and Vrbos — across 50 global markets. Find out where you can save.
    www.travelandleisure.com

    And this one, based in the UK, compares rates in specific cities, finding hotel rates lower in 38 of the 50 properties in their study.

    Are Airbnbs really still cheaper than hotels? - Which? News
    A one-bedroom holiday let is more expensive than a hotel room in 38 out of 50 destinations
    www.which.co.uk

    Where do you usually stay when traveling outside of Argentina?

    I'm going to have a good read of those articles so thanks Rice .

    Personally I have only used AirBnB here in Argentina and am very happy with the one I use here in Olivos for the third time.

    I tend to use booking.com for hotels and in the case of the UK, Bed and Breakfast type places. Otherwise directly with All Accor where I'm a Gold Cardholder.

    Mainly Ibis to me Rice bu other more expensive brands under the umbrella.

    I guess there’s some seasonality aspect that wasn’t properly explored in the articles. I imagine AirBnBs of a certain type in certain locations will command a higher price in Summer. Corporate level hotels like Hilton perhaps don’t suffer that seasonality the same way.

    Quote from Rice

    Still Greek to me; perhaps we don’t have it in the USA?

    I have never seen Ibis in the US. In Europe, it is sort of Holiday Inn Express. One in every city, hotel providing accommodation and conference halls. Nothing fancy, but the job done. They are cookie-cutter hotels, so you know what to expect.

    I use Ibis when I travel to Rio de Janeiro on business. Hotels there average 140/150 USD. Ibis have a couple at 50/60. Clean, good shower and 4 blocks from my main customer.

    Honestly the Ibis Obelisco on Corrientes is my favourite Ibis anywhere.its next door to Pizzeria Guerrin. Always consistent with everything and I’ve never had a complaint and usually about £45 a night

    Then there’s an Ibis styles the other end of Corrientes towards Puerto Madero. Different style but a cheaper bar than Obelisco and free coffee and water all day

    I always stay there on my last night for easy access to the Tienda Leon bus to EZE.

    And yes Ibis are pretty strong in Brazil.

    I should add I wasn’t familiar with vrbo either.

    Quote from GlasgowJohn

    I use Ibis when I travel to Rio de Janeiro on business. Hotels there average 140/150 USD. Ibis have a couple at 50/60. Clean, good shower and 4 blocks from my main customer.

    We've stayed in a few and never had a problem. If the location suits then I'll book it. Always found the the Novotel brand good as well.

    Funny enough the Novotel on Corrientes is literally next door to the Ibis. But it is considerably more expensive. I think the Novotel in Nottingham is the only one I’ve stayed in and I didn’t find much difference to Ibis. But yes a safe and reliable brand under the All Accor umbrella.

    Quote from GlasgowJohn

    When I lived in Madrid, there was a Novotel right next to my office. But it was totally without atmosphere...maybe it was too big . The Ibis tend to be smaller.

    I used to be with the Accor loyalty pogramme so used to use their hotels quite a lot especially in Europe. I think we might even have stayed in one while in New Zealand.

    Quote from Rice

    Where do you usually stay when traveling outside of Argentina?

    Hotels can be boring for stays which are longer than 2-3 nights. For shorts trips they are worry free booking when I do not have time for research. Like a chain restaurant, no surprises as well as nothing exciting you talk about later. Great to dump the bags and experience the vacation you want outside the hotel. Perhaps a resort- hotel has more, with high quality service from the staff. Not our type of desired vacation.

    VRBO was several years before Airbnb existed

    In the late 90s we used that for 2-3 month seasonal rentals or 1 week trips. At the time I feel they were only disrupting the business of realtors who dealt in the STR market. Even now, owners I know in USA would rather deal with stable clients thru VRBO instead of Airbnb. Though I mostly do Airbnb rentals and only hotel for reasons I stated above.

    VRBO did exist years before Airbnb, and we used them extensively in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa, North & Central America, and Pacific Islands. We were always very pleased with the properties and the straightforward arrangements.

    Because of constant business travel (hotels), for over 10 years we didn’t travel for pleasure much, and hadn’t used vrbo for awhile. Last week, I went to their site and reserved 2 nights in a fishing cabin in a national forest. Not The Ritz. No mod cons, just a 1950’s bare bones cabin on a river, which seemed more than fully priced at $150/night. When I proceeded to “reserve,” I was surprised to see that the total price wasn’t $300, but nearly $600!

    To the $300 charge were added a $50 booking fee, a $150 cleaning fee, a mandatory $59 “damage insurance” fee and taxes.

    Vrbo used to post a price, and that was it. No added charges. Owners paid their own expenses (tax, cleaning, etc) out of the fee they charged, and took chances with the renters, some of whom undoubtedly left damage or a mess.

    The company must have changed hands, but at the very least, the business model has changed. Had I not seen this with my own eyes, I would have been more skeptical of the article about hotels often being cheaper than Vrbo or Airbnb. But I’ll have to say that we’ve never paid $150/ night for a hotel that then added on a booking fee, a cleaning fee, or a damage insurance fee.

    Booking fees and cleaning fees are a pain in the proverbial...

    We are off for a few days in Chile next week. Regular hotel this time

    I now only tend to use AirBnb or similar when I land at on a town with a conference.

    I was an Airbnb enthusiast for a while, although the limited check-in/checkout times can be a little off-putting. I never had a bad experience as an Airbnb guest, myself. I find that right now Airbnb properties are nicer and more expensive than hotels, so they feel like a luxury and not a basic accommodation - which would be enough for me (I spend out all day and go there just to sleep).

    Basic accommodations on Airbnbs can be tricky, as likely they are not kept properly and rely on high volume/low rates.

    With basic hotels, if you are not satisfied with a room, they can probably offer you a better one. Whereas with Airbnb, you are stuck with what you get (yes, you can open a ticket with Airbnb and they will relocate you, but this is a stressful process and you have to pay yourself to go to another property, where you have to arrange the check-in check-out).

    Since we only do short trips, and never spend more than 2 nights in the same place because we like to explore an area rather than settling in a specific location, I feel hotels are easier to handle than Airbnbs.

    I don't value hotel amenities as other travelers, so cheap hotels can fit my bill easily. The only few times where I was staying at a resort/hotel, pool aside, the other amenities were meh. Yes, maybe there was sauna, but smaller than a real sauna. Or a spa, but the service was not up to par to a proper beauty/health center. Games area, but I have no one to play with.

    It felt to me that they were offered just to check in one more box in the amenities column in their listing and inflate the price.

    In fact, we too used Holiday Inn's and Ibis during our travels. Basics, but not bare, predictable, cookie-cut hotel with no surprises.

    We are using booking.com for most bookings in Argentina and in Europe.

    Good insight, serafina . Airbnb started as a network of mostly B&B’s, hence the name, and the properties were priced as B&B’s.

    But now, it sounds as if the properties are more often apartments and houses than actual B&B’s, and they compete with hotels more often than offering a B&B style basic lodging.

    Vrbo, for its part, has elaborate tv ads suggesting that choosing one of their listings will transform an ordinary vacation stay into a luxury dream.

    Perhaps these two companies are creating an opportunity for a hotel chain like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt to start a line of clean, nice, but basic hotels.

    If I am not mistaken, VRBO was acquired long ago by the same group that owns TripAdvisor. Some properties are offered on both platform. However, I think they cater to a different crowd. VRBO has been around forever, so users using VRBO tend to be older. Airbnb was made popular a lot later, so it attracts a younger crowd. TripAdvisor seems catered to hitchhikers/budget travelers.

    The apartment where we live was offered on VRBO by the former owners, a couple from California, and was doing pretty well. Guests were mostly adults-seniors, so reliable and tranquil guests vs. Airbnb where you can get spoiled younger guests, party-goers etc.

    I think that if I had to stay longer than 4-5 days in the same place, I'd probably look for an AirBnb/VRBO property.

    Exactly. Especially if with a group. People tend to book Vrbo for destination weddings, as we did for a family group a few years ago, in a ski house in the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. (Maybe 2017; no booking etc fees, so perhaps the Trip Advisor acquisition was after that)

    Vrbo now seems to be marketing to families with young children who are looking for very upscale houses. At least their tv ads all depict beautifully behaved children dressed like young Royals, having the vacation of a lifetime, and thrilled with their parents for booking the dream house!