Have you stayed at an Airbnb? I’d love to hear about your experience, because I’m on the other end of the situation.
My husband and I moved into an interesting house in 2017. It consists of several detached buildings–a caboose, a workshop, a two-bedroom house, and a building that once housed an artist’s office, studio, and a place to stretch his canvases. We bought it because it was artsy and because I wanted to use the art studio for my photography studio. It had been unoccupied for nearly NINE years before we moved it–it was a little too “interesting” for most people.
Pretty quickly we realized that this older wooden house was going to need some repairs–a LOT of them. Wood–especially if it’s in a forest by a creek in Florida–tends to rot over time, and our wood was rotting–the wooden decks, the wood on the exterior of the house, even the support structure. So we’ve been replacing and repairing wood ever since.
To help offset the cost of all that wood–and the carpenters who install it–we decided to use the “stretch canvases” room as an Airbnb. We redid the bathroom, spruced up the attached laundry, and put in all the furniture that had been in our family room at the old house. It turned out pretty cute and comfortable, if I do say so myself. 🙂
And then came the adventures. Let me assure you that 95 percent of our guests are wonderful, nice, normal people who are a pleasure to host. It’s the other five percent that make life a challenge. The twenty-somethings who have never washed a dish in their lives, the folks who rent the place for the afternoon only, the photographers who rent the place to take photos, etc.
I’ll never forget one day when my daughter (she and her family were living upstairs in the photo studio at the time) called to say there was a naked woman on the swing in our backyard.
I ran out so fast I probably set a land speed record. The photographer and a young lady (wearing a crocheted sort-of coverup, that didn’t cover anything), came around the corner. “NO,” I told him. “No, no, no.” They left, thank goodness.
Then there was the young man who asked if he could have a few family members over. I said, “Sure,” and then he and his girlfriend went to the beach. While they were gone, an entire family reunion came walking down the driveway, so many I lost count. They came, some of them stayed, they smoked (against our rules), etc. I was fit to be tied.
But we’ve learned a lot as we’ve been hosting. I’ve learned to set reasonable rules and listen to my gut instincts. And, as I said, most of the folks have been great. Some have been so wonderful we wanted to adopt them. A couple from Europe saw an alligator swimming by, something I have yet to spot in the creek. They asked me–LOL–if the gators were dangerous.
One of my 2023 books, What a Wave Must Be, features a frazzled grandmother with a caboose and an airbnb at her house. 🙂 (Hey, we write what we know . . . )
So if you ever want to consider staying in an Airbnb, I would urge you to look at the ratings and reviews by previous guests. Just like guests, most Airbnb places are great. But occasionally you encounter a stinker.
Now we have two units (we turned the upstairs studio into another one), so I spend a LOT of time doing laundry. But the added income has helped pay for all the carpenters, and we enjoy exercising the gift of hospitality. And when the experience isn’t wonderful, God gives grace.
And scrubbing toilets keeps life real. 🙂
Have you tried an Airbnb? How was your experience?
~~Angie
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I LOVE this post, Angie. I cracked up at your “NO! No, no, no!” Ha! I often dream about owning an Airbnb. I have no doubt you are a FABULOUS host and someday I’d love to come stay in your place! But I’ve decided it fits me better to remain a guest in Airbnbs and write about owning one in my novels (the research scared me off!) In the meantime, when we aren’t in a camper, we love staying in Airbnbs. We’re staying in one the next two nights, in fact, on a little research/work vacay, and we already have our reservations for a week in North Carolina at an Airbnb—also a research trip. We’ve only had one “bad” experience, and even that wasn’t awful. (Let’s just say when you book your Airbnb, you want to be sure your bathroom isn’t a shared one.)
Oy! Amen to the “no shared bathroom.” I wouldn’t host Airbnb if I had to have people actually inside my house–too many complications, including my giant dogs. (Plus, while I take pains to keep my rental units spotless, I don’t care so much about where I live, especially if I’m on a deadline. I figure the dog hair can wait until vacuuming day.) But we’ve met some wonderful people while hosting, and had some “adventures.” Hoping you have safe travels and nothing but 5-star rentals in your future!
I’ve only ever stayed at an Air BNB once. It was during the pandemic so they were going for really cheap since so few people were traveling. I used the reviews to determine if the place I had chosen was the best option. The location was perfect and so was the price so that outweighed the one negative that everyone pointed out: you could hear everything from the main part of the house (the rental was an in-law suite). I’m used to sleeping with headphones in when I travel with others anyway so it wasn’t a big deal for me. What I didn’t realize until afterwards is that the owners can then rate their guests as well. I wonder if some of your guests didn’t realize that until afterwards as well. LOL
LOL–yes, hosts and guests rate each other, so everyone should be on their best behavior. :-). And airbnbs aren’t so cheap these days. Since they are a lot more common, hosts really splurge to make their places attractive, so prices can sometimes be as high as a hotel. But each place is different, and it’s the uniqueness that’s appealing. One thing is for sure–most of them are far more homey than a hotel. 🙂
We stayed at a wonderful Air BNB in Atlanta, GA, while visiting relatives in town. The house on a quiet street was comfortable and clean. While it was our first experience in an Air BNB, it won’t be our last.
Yea! So glad it was a good experience for you.
We have stayed in several. Our favorite was a quaint little house in St. Augustine. We were in town for a wedding and didn’t want to pay the $500 a night at Hotel Monica. The 6 of us adults stayed and it was within walking distance of the fort, restaurants and the wedding venue. The thing that we really look at now-sleeping arrangements. Matthew is 6’4” and the twin bead had a headboard and footboard! Needless to say-he slept on the couch! When the sleeping arrangements are shown-we know we need King or Queen beds! The couple that owned the home was amazing-we had coffee, a basket of snacks and water. It was our favorite little place so far. The negative that the cleaning cost was $150! We aren’t dirty people-but that was the flat rate……still cheaper than the hotel. We love the options-we’ve stayed on the beach also. But parking was a issue with 3 separate cars. I’m a researcher so I look at beds, location, and parking. I’m up for an adventure though!
Airbnbs can definitely be amazing. I’m on a FB group with owners and am frequently amazed at the flare and care they put into their listings. I love fixing our place up and thinking, “If I were staying here, what would I want to have handy?” I love being a hostess to considerate guests.
P.S. Airbnb hosts are required to pay cleaners “a living wage,” which comes out to about $15 an hour (or more, depending on where it is). So the high cleaning fees are wage multiplied by the hours required to clean–and sometimes they can get high! At least you only have to pay it once.
Love your story!
Thank you! 🙂
We’ve stayed in quite a few, and had a wonderful experience each time. Kitchens are a massive plus. There was the one in an ancient apartment building in Colmar, France, that turned out to be bright, airy, and modern. Then there was the lovely host in Stuggart, Germany, who allowed us to use their washer (everyone line dries in Europe) at a time when we desperately needed clean underwear. We visited my parents last Christmas and found a small cottage perfect for six nearby, and it was decorated for the holidays, too!(We are definitely in your 95%.)
I decorate mine for Christmas, too! I put up a small tree in the corner, and leave it mostly bare in case guests want to bring their own ornaments. I know it’s hard to be away from home during the holidays.
My husband & I stayed in an Airbnb for the first time back in March for our 27th wedding anniversary trip to Branson. We were so excited, as we’d not taken a little get-away trip since Covid hit three years ago. It was great!! — minus the fact that he got a bad headache the night before the last day of our trip & we had to leave a day early :'( — Otherwise, we really enjoyed the stay, the place was nice & clean, & the extra space as opposed to a hotel room was wonderful! We’d like to try it again sometime soon. 🙂
Sounds like you’ve had some interesting experiences, to put it mildly. I’m not so sure I’d like to be on your end of the Airbnb experience, but I guess I’ll say I’m glad for those who are brave enough to do it so the rest of us can enjoy staying. And I’ll always be sure we are never one of the negative 5%! 😀
There are some amazing places on Airbnb. We used to rent our caboose until the neighbors complained that we didn’t have a building permit–I countered that it wasn’t a building, but the lawyers argued for 18 months until I simply promised not to rent it. Sigh. Happy travels!
We have stayed in several Airbnb’s that have ranged from comfortable to unique to fun (including one in Prague). Only one was a nightmare and we had our adult granddaughter with us. We got to the house after the required time and after a “tour” we pointed out it was not quite clean and ready. The owner promised it would be when we came back from dinner. Wrong. We should have left then, but we spent a miserable night and left the next morning–the lady promised a refund. Wrong. What I should have done was contact Airbnb that night. As it was, Airbnb paid me their share, but I never got the full refund I would have if I had contacted them immediately. Lesson learned. Still a fan.
Glad you’re still a fan despite a bad experience. Airbnb support is usually pretty responsive, but occasionally they’ve made decisions that leave me scratching my head.
LOVED this post, Angie. Made me smile (and also cringe, LOL). Loved your book too! Come on…Nov 7! ; )
Amen!