Websites like AirBnB and their competitors are making huge waves in the travel industry for the idea that you don’t have to stay in a hotel or resort on your holiday. These online marketplaces offer anyone – even you – the opportunity to hire out a room in your house, or an entire property – to vacationers who make a booking via the 3rd party website.
Personally, I’m not a fan of these private apartments because I’ve heard so many disappointing stories, but there are certainly pros and cons, and to be fair, I’ve also seen some incredible places. How to decide whether to go with one Sunshine’s cheap hotels or an apartment (which we also have deals for)? Here are some pros and cons.
This is a private AirB&B apartment.
Private apartments do have their advantages – perhaps the biggest advantage being that they often have more character. That’s not to say all hotels are soul-less, but you won’t find a quirky community garden like the one pictured above in your average hotel. Some other advantages to a private apartment:
Perhaps the biggest negative to private apartments are their variability! I’ve seen magnificent apartments with bathtubs that can fit three, and I’ve seen ones for the same price that include cockroaches and cobwebs as a free gift with purchase. You are also dealing with individuals, not trained hotel staff, so the amount of travel help you receive can be variable as well. While the sites that broker these apartments offer ratings and other tools to help you sift through the junk, you still have to do a lot of sifting – more-so than searching for hotels, I think. Other downsides:
Have you tried an apartment instead of a hotel? What did you think?
Photo credits: pellesten
Posted : Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 at 11:00
Andy Hayes is a travel journalist currently based in Seattle, Washington. When not soaking up the Pacific Northwest lifestyle or enjoying life on the road, he is spending time hanging out on his own travel lifestyle magazine, Sharing Travel Experiences.