Will there be Airbnb Plus properties in Argentina?

There are 16 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 3,657 times. The latest Post (May 9, 2024 at 5:07 AM) was by sts.

1st Official Post
    • Official Post

    These properties look amazing! However, AirBnb was born as the smart choice for the budget traveler and is now selling its soul to the devil.

    Having run an airbnb for short time, it looks appealing to buy a property to rent on airbnb but the amount of work required should not be underestimated. A friend of mine wanted to do an airbnb out of her former 1 br apartment after her husband and her formed a family and moved to a bigger place, but she has been struggling despite the good location (next to Milan fair).

    Her naïve idea was to use her nanny-maid to clean the other place whenever a guest was expected, while she would manage the listing and booking from the comfort of her office. But she had a fast change of plans and hired a property manager, except that the property is vacant most of the time and they are considering pursuing a 'standard' non-touristic rental.

    Your friend's experience isn't unique. An apartment close to us is a former Airbnb property that now houses long-term renters.

    The company's evolution has been fast and wide-ranging. I hope they don't spread themselves too thin, as the original concept seemed to fill a real consumer need. Competing with hotels and other apartments is another animal.

    • Official Post

    In Palermo there are many, many touristic rental which are being sold.

    They were bought by foreigners after the 2001 crisis put on the market decent apartment for the price of a garage in the US. It wasn't just the price of property that attracted to Buenos Aires many foreigners for over a decade, it was also the cheap dining and living. However, recently having a second home in Buenos Aires brings a lot of expensas and costs. Many rented their property even back in the days, and some started renting it after costs rose. This lead to a saturated touristic rental market, as more rental properties were made available for lower rates, and less tourists came to Buenos Aires as it became an expensive destination.

    Therefore, foreigner owners took the leap and sold their properties while their property 'holds' decent value. Some have doubled their investment by selling today (in just 10 years).

    I guess it remains to be seen whether the buyers of these recently-purchased properties have bought them to live in, or if they will remain rental properties, in which case rental costs would presumably remain high. If these properties are being taken off the market through buyers' living in them, rental costs could come down.

    Not that the Palermo rental market predicts the future of inflation in Argentina!

    We've booked an Airbnb in Madrid in August for a couple of nights, but I don't get their check-in times at all.

    The earliest time to hand us the keys is 3 pm and if you want them earlier or at any other non-scheduled time, there's a fee ranging from 30-50 euros.

    3pm is ridiculous.

    Hotels have also started changing their check-in and checkout times to 3 pm if you’re arriving and 11 am if you’re leaving.

    I understand their logistics problem when fully booked, but it definitely isn’t convenient for the guest.

    Some flights from Europe get in about 5 in the morning. KLM and Lufthansa for example. It must be hell to not be able to check in to your Airbnb or hotel

    After a 12 hour plus flight

    I was able to check into my AirBnB today at midday up near Alto Palermo but then I wasn’t getting off an intercontinental flight so wasn’t too bothered either way.

    Yeah I’m gold with Accor and always stay at one of the Ibis hotels. It’s worth it just for this aspect alone

    Quote from Bombonera

    Yeah I’m gold with Accor and always stay at one of the Ibis hotels. It’s worth it just for this aspect alone

    Yes it's well worth joining a hotel loyalty programme especially if you often stay in hotels. Years ago I wangled top status with the Hyatt chain and got a free night in the Palacio Duhau as part of the deal.

    But don’t count on the loyalty programs for getting you into a room early. After 27 years of staying in Marriott properties an avg of 230-250 nights per year, and achieving lifetime titanium status, we recently found ourselves waiting until 4:10 pm for our room because of a staffing shortage. Go figger! If I were in charge, I’d have hauled out a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and a couple of glasses at 3 pm if not earlier.

    Quote from Rice

    But don’t count on the loyalty programs for getting you into a room early. After 27 years of staying in Marriott properties an avg of 230-250 nights per year, and achieving lifetime titanium status, we recently found ourselves waiting until 4:10 pm for our room because of a staffing shortage. Go figger! If I were in charge, I’d have hauled out a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and a couple of glasses at 3 pm if not earlier.

    The champers is only for those with Ambassador Elite staus. I trust they at least allowed you to wait in the club lounge instead of the lobby amongst the commoners? :P

    There are buildings constructed just for AirBnB/STR. Yesterday, we walked in Palermo Hollywood and saw one. It had a digital lock on the main door, and then in the building hall a stride of numbered lockers, each with the number of an apartment. They share the main door code with guests, and the 2nd lock code with the guest(s) of each unit, so that they can self-check in.

    From AirBnb groups on FB, I found out that in the US they change the apartment lock code to the last 4-5 digits of each guest's phone number. It is also common practice to change remotely the door lock code so that it switches at check-in time. This is done to prevent people from checking in earlier.