Airbnb: Is this typical?

[Deleted]

Good morning from Edinburgh!

I'm using Airbnb for the second time and I think I was spoiled by the first!  It was an apartment in Reykjavik, filled with books, family pictures and original artwork created by the owner.  (Her daughter lived nearby so I suspect she stayed with her while the place was rented out.)   

My place here in Edinburgh is pretty much as described- thoroughly updated and immaculately clean- but it's clear that it was redone as a sort of Airbnb house flip.   (To make me feel even guiltier, there's a small poster asking Airbnb renters to be quiet and considerate because real families live in the building, and pointing out that families were displaced so units could be turned into Airbnb rentals.)  

Examples:  no towel racks in the bathroom.  No hot water in the tub- there's a wall-mounted shower unit you turn on which heats the water instantaneously but only when used.  Bedroom contains a bed.  Period.  No side tables, no chest of drawers.  No microwave.  Not quite enough light (only an overhead fixture in bedroom and I like to read in bed).  Only one electrical outlet in BR- and the heater plugs into it.  I turned the TV on last night and found there's no cable programming- only whatever subscription services the renter has!  (I do have a Netflix account so that worked.)  No electrical outlets in the bathroom.  

I paid $908 all-in for 8 days and it's in a good location so the price is right.  How much of this should I put in my review?  I don't want to be like those people who write TripAdvisor reviews for bed and breakfasts and complain because they expected Hilton treatment and amenities.  I do plan to use Airbnb again but will probably read the reviews in more detail so I understand tradeoffs.  

Thoughts?


 

[Pants]

I would likely call it minimalistic vs. homey.

[wvugurl26]

Minimalistic is probably a good description. Information like that would be helpful to me. I've stayed in two places that were clearly bought to be Airbnb rentals. Both were well setup.

[Gardening Grandma]

I would be honest about what wasn’t there, but also that it was immaculate and the price was right.

It does not sould like the air b&b’s I’ve stayed at, but I’ve learned to read the descriptions carefully. If it doesn’t say “hair dryer” I assume there is no hair dryer.

I also read the reviews and note whether they are recent. If I am not sure, I’ll inquire. The speed of the response tells me something.

Did the photos show the bedroom? 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

$908 for seven nights is a hecka of a low price. I would want to know that the low price comes at an amenities cost. 

[Deleted]

Sept 22, 2018 9:23:36 GMT -5 Gardening Grandma said:

I would be honest about what wasn’t there, but also that it was immaculate and the price was right.

<snip>Did the photos show the bedroom? 

I do plan to list the good points and then list the rest as an explanation of the bargain price.  No photos of the bedroom in the listing, so I WILL describe that.  And I like the word "minimalist".  It describes the ambience without being whiny.

[tcu2003]

Sept 22, 2018 8:25:59 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

Minimalistic is probably a good description. Information like that would be helpful to me. I've stayed in two places that were clearly bought to be Airbnb rentals. Both were well setup.

Ditto this. We’ve only stayed in one AirBnB (or maybe VRBO), and we picked the particular unit we stayed in (3rd floor walk up) over another (ground floor unit) specifically because it had air conditioning. Unfortunately, the A/C didn’t reach the main bedroom. I pointed out all of the good things in my review, but also noted the “reach” of the A/C, as that would have been helpful info to have. It likely wouldn’t have changed our renting the place as we didn’t have tons of other options, but it would have been nice to know that upfront.

[Tennesseer]

Barebones but but served its purpose.

[Deleted]

An update on this:  first of all, I read the previous reviews (should have done that instead of just looking at pictures and overall rating!) and there were some that spelled out the limitations of the place.  Lesson learned.


I posted a Review of the place, using the word "minimalist", specifically listing some of the omissions, but also noting that it was updated, clean, in a good location and a good price.  They just responded giving me a rave review and saying that I left the place immaculate (which I pretty much did).  Since it's only my second Airbnb rental, I want to have a good track record.  I suspect that I'm the perfect Airbnb guest, though- a nice Grandma-type solo traveler who doesn't have noisy parties or steal the bath towels, and leaves the place clean.


In retrospect, I probably would have rented it knowing what I know now- it left me with $$ to spend on good whisky, a gold thistle charm for my bracelet and a pair of earrings made in the Orkneys. I'll be more careful about reading reviews, though, since the next time the tradeoffs for an inexpensive room might be dealbreakers.

[Gardening Grandma]

Sept 29, 2018 7:34:38 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

An update on this:  first of all, I read the previous reviews (should have done that instead of just looking at pictures and overall rating!) and there were some that spelled out the limitations of the place.  Lesson learned.


I posted a Review of the place, using the word "minimalist", specifically listing some of the omissions, but also noting that it was updated, clean, in a good location and a good price.  They just responded giving me a rave review and saying that I left the place immaculate (which I pretty much did).  Since it's only my second Airbnb rental, I want to have a good track record.  I suspect that I'm the perfect Airbnb guest, though- a nice Grandma-type solo traveler who doesn't have noisy parties or steal the bath towels, and leaves the place clean.


In retrospect, I probably would have rented it knowing what I know now- it left me with $$ to spend on good whisky, a gold thistle charm for my bracelet and a pair of earrings made in the Orkneys. I'll be more careful about reading reviews, though, since the next time the tradeoffs for an inexpensive room might be dealbreakers.

Sounds like you gave them a fair accurate rating as well as giving prospective renters an accurate description.
Win win. Enjoy your trip.