Everything you need to know about Airbnb
(Before making your first booking!)
22/07/2018
Last night, 2 million people in 65,000 cities all around the globe stayed in an Airbnb home. There are more than 4 million listings in 191 countries to choose from. Airbnb has grown to become the worlds largest hotel chain, without owning a single room.
So, what is Airbnb?
Airbnb is an online marketplace which lets people rent out their properties or spare rooms to guests. It is a home sharing platform, similar to the Uber business model. Instead of just renting a standard hotel, you can rent spare bedrooms, full apartments or houses, and other unique accommodations from real people.
How does it work?
It essentially works the same way you would book a hotel online. Once you have created a profile on www.airbnb.com and it has been approved, you can start searching and booking! Narrow down your options using the filters, and there will be pictures of the properties and information, host profile, reviews from past guests, and maps so you can pick out the perfect stay.
When you are ready to book, use this trick to get the price on your Airbnb stays!
I’ve often found Airbnb to be cheaper than hotels, or similarly priced, but more bang for your buck. You may not get the same amenities as a hotel such as a bellboy or room service, but you get things like kitchens, washers and dryers, unique locations, and the feeling of home.
Use this link to sign up and get $35 off your first booking!
Money:
As a guest, you pay in full at time of booking, through a secure platform provided by Airbnb. Airbnb holds that money, and hosts will receive payment 24 hours after guests check in. Airbnb takes 3% commission on every booking from hosts, and between 6-12% from guests.
Many hosts will also charge a cleaning fee, the total including this fee will be shown before you complete your booking.
Tip: Never leave the Airbnb site. Process all payments and chats through their platform. Yes, you will be charged a fee and Airbnb takes a percentage, but they also protect you from scams. If a host asks you to pay cash, or through another payment site, walk away and report the host to Airbnb. Airbnb cannot help you with any transactions that happen outside the platform, so it is a small price to pay to be protected.
Refunds and cancellations:
There are different levels of cancellation policies depending on the individual host. Generally speaking, you won’t get a refund for cancelling a trip at short notice but you might if there are extenuating circumstances or if there is something wrong with the property that wasn’t made clear in the description.
See Airbnb Cancellation Policies. The cancellation policy is determined by each host, so make sure to look at which policy applies when making your booking.
Once the lodging has been booked, Airbnb offers a 24/7 customer service line to resolve any disputes and will provide refunds if one of the following three categories are met: (1) the host cancels the reservation shortly before check-in or fails to provide access to the listing booked, (2) the listing booked is misrepresented or lacks promised amenities or items or (3) the listing is not generally clean or as described.
Policies and rules:
Make sure you read the host’s cancellation policy, check-in times, and any other house rules.
Generally, Airbnb will hold a guest’s credit card details to act as a security deposit for the host. If there is an issue, the host has 14 days after check-out to make a claim, which will either be accepted by the guest or will need to be mediated by Airbnb. The company has a “resolution centre”, which seeks to resolve disputes between hosts and guests over damages.
What types of Airbnb are there?
The options are endless!
Want to immerse yourself with the locals? Stay with a local or a family in their spare bedroom! Want a nice quiet place at the end of the day? Get a private apartment! Traveling with family or a group? Get a whole house! Want to bring along your furbaby? Find a property that allows pets!
Or maybe you are interested in somewhere unique. You can book yourself a stay in a castle or chateau, a houseboat or yacht, a tree house, a tipi, an igloo, a private island, or even in a French windmill, a Thai house on stilts… check out this list of 21 crazy but amazing Airbnb’s around the world!
Search for the perfect accommodation using filters to narrow down properties:
Room type – entire place, private room or shared room
Price – range from minimum to maximum
Size – the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and/or beds
Amenities – wireless Internet, TV, kitchen, pool, Washer & Dryer etc.
Property type – Apartments, houses, bed & breakfasts, rooms, as well as non-standard accommodations such as castles, caves, igloos, and tipis
Host language – English, Spanish, French, etc., including sign language
Keywords – if the traveller is looking for something specific, such as “oceanfront” or “close to Le Louvre”
Location- You can find an Airbnb option in almost any town or city.
You are no longer limited to staying in the tourist centers. Entire cities, in fact, entire countries, are open to you. That cool neighborhood with the small bars? You can stay there. That tiny village in the middle of the countryside? You can stay there too.
If you need help narrowing down your options, try out the Airbnb Trip Matcher! Take a quick quiz and answer some fun questions to find out your ‘travel personality’, and Airbnb will suggest some properties and experiences for you!
Experiences:
The company is expanding their reaches, and now offer experiences and events! Again, the options are endless, and include unique experiences you may not have ever thought of! They offer exclusive concerts, create your own coconut oil, cooking experiences, hire a photographer to get the perfect Instagram shot, or take a photography tour and take your own pictures! You can go hiking, surfing, wine tasting, beer tasting, horseback riding. You can search by activity, or search by city and find new and interesting experiences.
Reviews:
Only guests who had a verified stay at a Airbnb property can leave reviews, so you can trust them. As a guest, you leave a review for the host, and hosts leave reviews for guests as well, so keep that in mind during your stay. Once a stay has been completed, you will be sent a request to leave a review for your host/guest. Neither the host or guest can see the review left for them until they have left a review first, so they are leaving their honest opinion. Reviews are then listed on the account and cannot be taken off.
You can also leave private messages for the host or guest while you are finishing your review.
Make sure you read the reviews, and scroll down further than the top 2. I made this mistake booking an Airbnb in Bangkok… in the listing it said ‘great location’ and the most recent review mentioned it as a great location as well. Turns out it was a 35 minute walk (in Bangkok heat) to get to the train station, and quite far from all the cities attractions. Had I read more reviews, I would have seen the ones that mentioned that.
Also be cautious of properties who may not have any reviews yet. I had another experience where a great looking property had a inexpensive price, but had no reviews. I decided to contact the host before booking, and they had forgotten they even listed their property on the site.
Location:
Two important things to mention about location. First is that Airbnb displays a map with the approximate location of a booking. Once you’ve made your booking, confirm the address with your host. Never open the map from Airbnb to try and find your place.. it will take you to the area, but not the actual building. I learned this the hard way booking a cabin in the woods… only to get lost with no cell service. I had to drive back to town, 20 minutes in the opposite direction to call the host and get proper directions. Lesson learned.
The other important thing to mention is double checking the location of your property (read past reviews, they will often mention location.) Just because the description of the property says ‘great location!’, doesn’t mean it is a central location. Check how close it is to the city center, or whatever it is your are travelling for, as well as how close the nearest public transport station is.
Instant book vs Approval:
Some listings will have instant book, which means you just choose your dates and your booking is automatically confirmed. Some hosts will take booking requests, where you submit a request for the dates you want and they will reply once they have accepted or denied your booking.
If you only want to see properties with Instant Approval, you can narrow that down using the filters. You’ll see this button, you want to turn it on.
If a booking requires approval first, you’ll see this button instead of the normal ‘book’ button, and you can enter your dates, send off a message to the host, and await your response!
How do I check in?
There is no set, formal check-in procedure for Airbnb listings. Almost every booking is different. Some hosts will meet you at the property and give you a tour. Others will organise for a third party to let you in. Some will leave keys in a lock-box on the property.
Tip: As a guest, it’s best practice to keep in contact with your host and agree on a check-in time. This isn’t a hotel where there is always someone sitting at the front desk, and your host probably doesn’t want to sit around waiting all day for you to check in. Make a plan and keep the host updated if things change!
What is a super host?
‘Super hosts’ are experienced hosts who provide a shining example for other hosts, and extraordinary experiences for their guests. Once a host reaches Superhost status, a badge will automatically appear on their listing and profile to help you identify them.
Superhost requirements:
Completed at least 10 trips
Maintain a 4.8 overall rating
Maintained a 50% review rate or higher
Maintained a 90% response rate or higher
0 cancellations, with exceptions made for those that fall under our Extenuating Circumstances policy
Airbnb Plus
Airbnb Plus is like the ‘crème de la crème’ of Airbnb. 5 star luxury Airbnbs. Every ‘Plus’ listing is visited in person for a 100+ point quality inspection. Every Airbnb Plus home is one-of-a-kind, thoughtfully designed, and equipped with a standard set of amenities. Airbnb Plus hosts are highly rated (4.8+), receive great reviews, and go over and beyond to create the perfect stay. All Plus listing will have the Plus symbol above beside the name.
Here are some of the requirements of a ‘Plus’ Listing:
Well-maintained
Airbnb Plus hosts take the extra effort to ensure the home is extra clean, clutter-free, and fully functioning–from manicured outdoor spaces to tidy bathrooms with strong water pressure. A few of the other things you’ll get:
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All appliances are in working order
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Functional locks on all bedroom doors in shared spaces
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All spaces are neat and tidy
Comfortable
Every detail is considered, from high-quality linens and comfortable beds to privacy shades and excellent bath products. Airbnb Plus hosts go above and beyond to ensure you’ll have a comfortable stay. A few of the other things you’ll get:
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Thoughtfully arranged furniture
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Plenty of towels and fluffy pillows
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Hangers for your clothing and a drawer to store your things
Thoughtfully designed
Airbnb Plus hosts have impeccable style. With elegant design and personal character, the homes are as welcoming as they are beautiful.
Well-equipped
You can expect a consistent set of amenities you need to live like you do at home–from fast wifi and televisions ready for streaming to full kitchens with all the cooking essentials. A few of the other things you’ll get:
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Filtered or bottled water
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Cooking essentials including oil, utensils, and servingware
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Iron and hairdryer
Is it safe?
Airbnb has been designed with safety in mind for both travelers and hosts. See their page regarding Trust & Safety.
Preparedness
They routinely run safety workshops with hosts and leading local experts and provide hosts with online safety cards with important local information for their guests. Hosts can also request a free smoke and carbon monoxide detector for their home.
Watchlist & background checks
While no screening system is perfect, globally they run hosts and guests against regulatory, terrorist, and sanctions watch lists. For hosts and guests in the United States, they also conduct background checks.
Risk scoring
Every Airbnb reservation is scored for risk before it’s confirmed. They use predictive analytics and machine learning to instantly evaluate hundreds of signals that help flag and investigate suspicious activity before it happens.
Scam prevention
Always pay and communicate directly through the Airbnb website or app. As long as you stay on Airbnb throughout the entire process—from communication, to booking, to payment—you’re protected by our multi-layer defence strategy.
Account protection
A number of measures are taken to safeguard your Airbnb account, like requiring multi-factor authentication when a login is attempted from a new phone or computer and sending you account alerts when changes are made.
Secure payments
Secure platform ensures your money gets to the host— Always pay through Airbnb and never wire money or pay someone directly.
How did it start?
Former schoolmates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were renting an apartment in San Francisco in 2007 when they hit on an idea to help pay their bills: they’d put a few air mattresses on their lounge room floor and turn their flat into a makeshift B&B. AirBed & Breakfast was born. By March 2009, 18 months after the first air mattress hit the floor, the website had been changed to www.airbnb.com, and there were already more than 2500 apartment listings. Since then, it continues to flourish and transform the travel industry.
So, are you ready to make your first booking? Use this link to get started and get $35USD off!
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Have you used Airbnb? Did you love it or hate it? Let me know your experience!