Airb have now aircower, meaning that if someone destroy your apt they will cover it. Also I met a host who had some issus with a traveler who where drug addict, the host were scared called police .... airbnb paid him new locks 300euro , paid therapist 800 euros not bad hein.
I don't want to defend them but for hosts they improved.
The hosts are afraid if you go out of airb, they don't know you it's verry difficult to trust these days.
The trick would be book one day, and call the host to introduce your self and see if he can rent you directly. Low season you can find smart people who will be ready to reduce price it s better than anything for them.
good luck
For hosts, they did improved but for customers it is worse and worse. And prices are going to the roof.
I don't get any perk despite having spent thousands and thousands on the website and having a clean profile.
Hosts prefer the money than clean profiles anyway.
Sure, they act as a potential secure intermediary, once I wrote to the customer because the flat was in the worst possible state, I tried to arrange with the owner but finally I decided to move out after discussing it with the owner because it was impossible to live there (
cockroach, hurt badly my foot with the bed which broke) despite the positive reviews. I got the feeling it was almost my fault I didn't contact the customer service the first day (I did it on the second or third day) because I try to arrange directly with the owner.
I learnt my lesson, don't be too nice as a customer, directly cancel in the first 24 hours if it is too bad; and don't expect anything from the CS. They are more on the side of the owner those days.
Brian Chesky keeps making promises he never does now Airbnb is a bloody good cash cow.
Sure, Airbnb is comfortable to use but it makes you a bit too lazy sometimes whereas some good and cheaper alternatives do exist with a bit of search or creativity. I've seen tons of digital nomads fed up with Airbnb on facebook groups.
As an affiliate, they also did the shitiest move I've seen in the industry. Opening a program in the middle of a crisis and closing it only a year after. Booking is maybe the most reliable affiliate program in the industry on the other hand. I hope they do a proper monthly deal page someday and gives the proper competition Airbnb deserves.
