Book Your Next Stay on These Rental Sites Instead of Airbnb

Unexpected cleaning requests , last-minute cancellations , and hidden cameras in bedrooms and bathrooms. These are all complaints that Airbnb guests have experienced, according to The Bear Cave , an independent online publication. The report illustrates issues that guests have been complaining about for some time, prompting many guests and “superhosts” to seek Airbnb alternatives to save guests headaches, surprises and money.

What’s happening with Airbnb?

The report is a sign of a lingering issue that guests are experiencing with Airbnb. The easy solution for many of them is to look for Airbnb alternatives, and hosts are taking notice. No wonder hosts are chasing money and listing their properties on multiple platforms, or cutting out the middleman entirely and building their own booking platforms, saving themselves the 3% commission Airbnb charges hosts and the 14% the app charges guests. , according to the report.

Most of the hosts that are subverting Airbnb and creating their own platforms are professional property management companies that usually have a “Superhost” status on Airbnb (meaning they are the top performing hosts), which allows them to show up higher in most searches, but ending up luring repeat guests to book directly through their own platform at lower rates, according to The Points Guy .

This allows them to offer cheaper deals for the same property, eliminating Airbnb entirely and saving you some money.

What are the alternatives to Airbnb?

Like most intermediary companies, their decline is due to the delicate balance between providing services that are vital to business, while not too expensive for people to try to find workarounds. But unlike companies like Etsy or PayPal, which carefully check their balances, Airbnb seems to be tinkering with people looking for alternatives.

The best advice here is to always do some research before booking a property on Airbnb. Most landlords have their property listed on multiple booking services. If the owner is not a regular Joe but a professional property management company, chances are their property will be listed on their own website. Do a quick Google search on their name and see if you find a property listed on Airbnb.

Otherwise, here are some Airbnb alternatives:

• Heirloom : Specializes in short-term luxury apartment rentals. Bear Cave’s report provides one example of property being about $125 cheaper on Heirloom than on Airbnb.
• Vacasa : A full service property management company that manages all of its clients’ properties. They are published on multiple platforms including Booking.com, Vrbo and Airbnb.
• Rent by Owner : Airbnb superhost and full property management company, you can find their Airbnb listings on their own website for a lower price.
• Vrbo : Airbnb competitor.
• Booking.com : You will find mostly professionally managed properties, especially internationally. However, don’t expect the same charm or personality you find on Airbnb.
• Good old hotels: remember them? No need to pay for cleaning, quiet hours or housework. And don’t forget that you can find a bar in most of them.