Booking travel almost every week I am constantly faced with the “where to stay” scenario. I check the standard TripAdvisor rankings, I look at deal sites, I look at the hotel chains and then I check Airbnb. In the past few weeks I’ve ended up forgoing the points and miles and room service in favor of Airbnb, and each time there was a very good reason. In my opinion, Airbnb makes total sense if…
You Don’t Have Elite Hotel Status…
No elite status with a hotel chain often means no free breakfast, no free wifi and an early check out. Since eggs and toast are cheap just about anywhere you go, and the thought of paying for wifi is ridiculous, Airbnb offers a more cost effective and customizable alternative.
You Need More Space…
More and more, hotel rooms are marginalized, with even the fanciest hotels offering extremely small rooms. In many cases Airbnb rentals are full on apartments, townhouses, or even actual houses, all of which border the largest suite in the best hotel. Sure, you won’t have the butler or the room service, but if space for extra people, things or work is big, Airbnb is pretty clever.
You Need Location, Location, Location…
In major cities and destinations you’ll find hotels in a variety of neighborhoods, but even then there may not be one precisely where you need it. Since most Airbnb’s are private residences you can often find something closer to the precise location you need, or better yet, you can find something away from “main street”, especially in tropical destinations.
You Have Friends That Use Airbnb…
Airbnb’s referral program is extremely valuable. You can get $35 in Airbnb credit for every friend who signs up via your link and books a stay. If you had just ten friends choose Airbnb over a hotel for any one of their trips, you could have $350 in free hotels. Of course if you haven’t signed up, we’d be excited if you used our link!
You Want To Save Money On Daily Expenses…
You’ve gotta eat, and if you’re traveling, drinking can be quite fun too. There are few places on earth where food is more overpriced than in hotels, so if you are capable of boiling some pasta or shaking up your own negroni, it’s hard to justify the expense of eating out and paying hotel bar prices (unless someone else is paying) when you can do all of the above on your own for less…
