After more than 30 leases on Airbnb in different countries around the world, passing through Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and America, the bloggers of Universo Viajero bring us their top tips for using Airbnb to make your rental experience an amazing one.
Top Tips for using Airbnb to rent accommodation when traveling
There is no doubt that choosing the right accommodation is a great part of the success of a trip; the comfort of the bed, staying in a quiet place without loud noises, a host willing to help you and a privileged location are just some of the variables that affect the decision behind renting an apartment or another.
Every day there are more and more alternatives, as more and more people put at the disposal of travelers their dormitories or complete apartments. So, how to choose the best?
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1. Read the negative comments
Because the interaction with the hosts is much closer to the one you can have with a hotel, the comments tend to be biased if the apartment owner was good and support you in your questions and problems. Even though maybe the apartment or the room itself were not the best, it is difficult to give less than 5 stars when you made a bond whit him or her. But there are more realistic travelers that put all the information in their comments, the good one, and the bad one. It is always good to read the comments thoroughly with four or fewer stars to understand what went wrong or what they did not like. Maybe an uncomfortable bed or a noisy neighbor, things that for other travelers can be really important.
2. Look at the number of cancellations of the host and its anticipation of the trips
Something that happens a lot on the platform is that the host decides to cancel the reservations days before the tenants arrive. Imagine 2 days before your trip you get an email saying that you no longer have accommodation, and there is nothing you can do about it. The prices have inevitably gone up, you already have the tickets ready and you have to look for something more expensive or not as good. To avoid this, read the comments; automatic messages are generated (without qualification, so maybe a 5-star host has a lot of cancelations) saying that “the host has decided to cancel the reservation with X days in advance of the trip”. If you see one of these, better look for another alternative.
3. Use the filters as much as you need
Especially if you have special needs, read the department description well and use the filters provided by the platform. There are apartments in buildings with no elevator, maybe you need a washing machine and the apartment you book doesn’t have one or maybe you want a pool available. You can find all this information in the descriptions.
4. Always contact the host before booking
Tell him who you are, what is the date of your trip and ask him if he is sure of the availability on the dates. A good host will answer you without problems and without delays. If you do not receive an answer, then maybe is not the best choice.
Final Thoughts
We hope these tips will help you improve your experience. If you want to know more, enter this link where you can find more recommendations on how to rent the best Airbnb.
Love,
Universo Viajero
PS. there are times when using Airbnb might not be the best idea, to know more read this.