Air B&B's

R

rgp

Well-known Member
Location
Milford,OH
Are they in your area ? How do you feel about them?......

As I see it, they are a replacement for hotel/motel rooms at some level. I do not think my neighborhood is fancy enough for them at this time. If the idea spreads [across a broader financial spectrum] then they might start popping up ? Right now [I think] they are more popular at the higher end.

The topic on talk radio this morning, about how they are becoming "party" houses on weekends. My thought is that they will turn quiet , peaceful, residential neighborhoods into commercial neighborhoods . I mean, if the law, & the ordinances are that easily overlooked for this. What is going to stop the next guy from opining an actual "party" house/bar ? Backyard BBQ, on a [pay-per] format ? Maybe even in bad weather, open up the kitchen....a restaurant of sorts.

It just seems like something that it is getting 'out-of-hand' and could get much worse, if it is not stopped now...........jmo
 

The house across the street from us is being used as an Air B&B until the woman who bought it can actually relocate here from Hawaii. Thus far we have not had any problems with the people who have stayed there. The last group were all from the same company here on a short term contract and were quite pleasant.

The owner's parents and grandparents live in the area and keep a pretty close eye on things. They come and cleanup after each rental.

I raised this topic at our last homeowners board meeting and we are taking a "watch and see" position. We are sympathetic to the desire of the new owner to keep her costs in check.
 
I have never used an Airbnb but they do have them in my area.

A couple of the tonier villages in the area have adopted ordinances that severely restrict the operation of Airbnbs. One such ordinance requires an owner or his agent to be on the premises 24/7 while a guest is under contract even if the guest is off the premises.

They remind me of an updated version of the old tourist homes that my grandmother and my aunt used to stay at when they traveled years ago.

Personally, I would prefer to stay in a conventional hotel/motel when I travel.
 

There was an incident in an upscale neighborhood near San Francisco on Halloween. An AirB&B was rented for a huge party-over 100 people,I believe-and 5 people were shot and killed. I think that incident is going to curtail many from renting their homes on a nightly basis. Certainly AirB&B is going to make some policy changes. There are a number of them where I live,as we are a tourist area. But most are on the lake and I am blocks away,so not a problem for me. But I have seen posts on a site from the town where I grew up-which is actually the town where San Francisco Airport is located-and they have quite a problem with them. Parking is difficult on many of the streets in the first place,and the addition of people renting the homes adds to the problem. Of course,the biggest reason for the parking problems are the fact that the homes are so expensive that most now house 2 or 3 families. It`s crazy-the street I grew up on was all just single families-now I see that there are 6-8 adults living in these homes. I can only imagine how bad the parking is!
 
I've had good and bad with them. However, the same can be said for hotels.

On the whole, I'd prefer a hotel. Usually, you know what you're getting.

One of the problems I've seen with AirB&B's is that often the owner is three states away and not available when a problem arises. In a hotel, you call down to the front desk and usually someone can address the problem right away. Sometimes not.

Also, other people tchotchkes make me nervous. One place we stayed had enough knick-knacks covering every flat surface that I was afraid to turn around. The owner could have opened Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe with what was in there. I doubt anything was valuable but I was skittish fearing to break something. Stuff in a hotel room is pretty tough and sparse, to boot. You get a TV, a chair, a bed, dresser and desk and a couple of lamps. Unless you invite a rock band in for a drunken orgy, you can't do much damage.....
 
I have used Air B & Bs for many years in Europe, Mexico, USA & Canada. I never had a problem. They are much better value than a crumbie hotel/motel room. Of course, being who I am I take good care of the place, go to bed by 10 pm & never use them for parties. Those party animals should be arrested & made to pay big money for damages. I keep my hands clean so please don't judge all people using Air B&B by a few rotten apples.
 
I have a friend who has a large, full basement lakehouse who has had some success renting out the bottom quarters. They built it that way for relatives to live with them short term, which has been the case. They do it right by cleaning the apartment thoroughly after each guest and keeping everything in tip top shape. They also have a pool and hot tub for guests to use.
My brother and his family have used Air B&B's in Europe and were happy with their experiences.
I personally have never had the desire to share my living space with strangers. Give me a hotel room or condo instead.
 
Well, I've never used one, and there doesn't seem to be any in my neighborhood. But as per the radio talk show discussion, they are starting in various places around the area. Some that called in said that they have been outlawed , by specific law in certain neighborhoods.

I can see potential problems that might pop up , but like most things of course it all depends on the folks involved.
 
We have a few here in Independence, MO but I don't think people come here to party. Mostly they come for tourist attractions like Harry Truman's house and presidential library. There is one two blocks away and I have never been aware of any problems.

I haven't stayed at one but would definitely look into it. When considering booking I watch out that the owner/property manager is located nearby so them would be available if any problems arose. Personally, I don't especially like staying in hotels or motels. Too many other people have used the facility and sometime the cleaning is not very thorough. If you really want to check, use a blacklight on the bedding and floor!
 
The city I live in is making an effort to collect lodging taxes from the Air B&Bs. The hotels consider them a threat to their businesses. Since this is a college town, it is probably a very good place to set one up for visiting families of the students, as well as for those attending football games and other events.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
Duh. Got to admit that I'm not really familiar with "AirB&B". I gather you rent your house out, but what's so special about them?
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I was told sometime back that they enjoyed a surge in popularity due to the bedbug scare in motel/hotels??

But they're actual beginning was due to long term residence by larger corporation executives , and their desire to avoid hotel/motels for , whatever reason. I suppose for long-term'rs it is a bit more like home ?? But, no obligation , next promotion/re-location.....pack the toothbrush & go.
 
I don't think I'd want to rent someone else's home for the night as a means of having a place to stay. Too much could go wrong with that.
 
We have some in our area in fact my son's in-laws stayed a few blocks from us when they were here in February. I don't mind having them here and haven't heard of any problems here in San Jose from them.

We've used them a few times and usually had good experiences but one time the woman running it didn't disclose that her cats were allowed in the room when there weren't guests using it and we ended up having to leave in the middle of the night because I got asthma from the cats.

My wife has had some wonderful experiences with them. We also had a good experience at a timeshare in Maui that allowed the owners to rent it out an Air B&B.

We usually check what's available and will choose an Air B&B or a standard B&B if it's reasonably priced and in an area we want to stay.
 

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