I’ve used Airbnb twice.
In the first case, we rented a dump of a cottage in New Hampshire – clogged toilets, broken windows, beds with no blankets, a kitchen so small the gas turned on if you turned around to the refrigerator, broken locks and stuck windows.
The landlord lied about every single aspect of the rooms.
We wrote a review as requested, but we learned that on Airbnb the reviews go straight to the landlord, who can answer them or not. Guess what? We never heard from him.
And our review was never published.
We were unable to warn others of the wretched rip-off the cottages were. (The landlord had about a dozen five-star reviews up on Airbnb, they were all quite clearly fake.
You will never see the complaints people have about their accommodations on Airbnb. And there is no manager or customer service to call.
The second time Maria and I used Airbnb was this weekend in Hudson, New York.
This time, the room was fine, the rental had about $60 of hidden “service” fees, we never saw or heard from the landlord, who lives somewhere else.
She had renovated a small house (we learned that poor people in the neighborhood were being pushed out in droves), lived somewhere else, and we never did talk to or interact with a single human being.
When I called for information about the room, she seemed so uncomfortable I got off the phone. She never replied to me.
I don’t know what your idea of de-humanization is, but this was mine.
Americans have made it clear they will give up all privacy and human interaction for convenience and savings. I guess I’m not willing to do that. It’s a fateful choice, I think.
I believe in people, in talking to them, listening to them, looking them in the eye. People need jobs, they need work. Software corporations like Airbnb – the new economy – fit in perfectly with the rise of the one percent and the struggles of the other 99. Everything flows upward, every penny.
In Hudson, we waw electric code locks on every other house on our street, the neighbors said the street was becoming and AirBnb block. I saw those blue locks lit up all up and down the street. It wasn’t a good feeling.
I wrote a bit about the trip, and then got this message from Sandy, a long-time blog reader and the owner of a Bed & Breakfast in Canada called Farmer’s Walk:
“Jon, thank heavens you wrote what you did about AirBnB. To begin with, Air BnB is plagiarizing the name Bed & Breakfast. What it is, is an Accommodation rental Agency. Air BnB has no governance over who signs with them to open a rental, it has no code of ethics, unlike a traditional B&B, which I’ve owned and operated now for 28 years. A traditional B&B owner must live on the premises, should follow a code of ethics set forth by their state or province and cannot have more than three guest bedrooms, otherwise, it’s called an Inn. Air BnB is nothing but a money-making proposition for those who want to rent out one room to a whole house. Air BnB has impacted on the traditional B&B business considerably. Ethically speaking, Air BnB is upsetting a lot of neighborhoods where people buy condo units, houses, in residential areas for the sole purpose of renting them out to make money. I insist on having prior contact with my prospective guests, find out what I can do for them, why they are coming into our area, if they have any food issues, etc. I do not want strangers showing up at my door having booked through Air BnB nor do I wish to have anything to do with the company. It is not a B&B, they are using their name as a play on words and it’s taking its toll on the traditional B&B owners and operators. Thank you for your comments. You’re banging on with your assessment.”
Airbnb is a multi-billion dollar global symbol of the new “sharing” economy, the one that replaces people with software and removes human beings from almost any kind of interaction with one another. I can’t say for sure there are even any humans left to run this radically new kind of corporation.
And they don’t really need any, or have to bother with pensions or health plans. They rake in billions of dollars without hiring anybody.
Or even talking to anybody. Especially talking to anybody.
Airbnb is immensely popular, and as usual, I’m on the far side of conventional wisdom or popular belief.
I think there’s something inherently creepy about a company that has 150 million users, four million listings in 65,000 cities, is the world’s largest hotel chain and doesn’t own a single hotel room.
Even sadder are the countless and hapless renters kicked out of their apartments because the landlords can make a lot more money renting on Airbnb than renting the rooms to families.
The company, like Uber and Amazon, yawns at these complaints and disturbances. You’ve got to break some eggs (or human lives) to make billions of dollars.
These companies are problematic.
They operate free from most government regulation and make Amazon look like a company of the people – at least they permit honest reviews of the products they sell and give customers a fighting chance when they get screwed.
Although companies like Airbnb call themselves the “sharing” economy, a better term would be the “taking” economy, they get very rich, people get smaller and cheaper rooms, everybody else can get lost.
But there is this catch: the people who use this service may love its ease and convenience, but are complicit in the de-humanizing of work and life, and in supporting yet another way to stomp all over the poor and middle class.
That’s what got to me. I don’t want to be enabling more disconnection in our tragically disconnected country. At some point, don’t we have to stop doing this?
To me, they suck the life out of communities and our sense of community. In our polarized nation, the loss of every single human interaction is tragic. I want to fight for human connection, not run from it. Airbnb also upsets and angers people who actually buy homes and live in neighborhoods they thought were residential communities.
I confess to taking this de-humanization personally. I will most likely write, edit and publish my next book without actually speaking to a single human being at my publishing house during the entire process. I find that tragic, especially if you love books.
And I think about the half-dozen inn and B&B operators who feel the impact of Airbnb even if they are still surviving it.
“I used to greet the people who came to stay with me,” wrote Sally, who operates her B&B in Northern California. “But now everybody books online, and they don’t want to see me, they just want to go to their rooms. I used to make a lot of friends that way, now everybody who comes leaves a stranger.”
A sad story. I get that Airbnb is sometimes inexpensive and convenient, and democratizes the process of finding lodgings. I also believe we will pay a high price for the way this new kind of company operates. Just ask the Uber drivers and taxi drivers in cities like New York.
What we sacrifice, we may never get back. Just look at the news to see the price we are paying for this disconnection and de-humanization.
Airbnb has taken a revolutionary approach to lodging.
Using software only, they offer you someone’s home as a place to stay instead of a hotel. They help people find available, and sometimes inexpensive housing all over the world. They have offered small and large entrepreneurs a new way to make a lot of money even from a distance; renovating and buying properties, avoiding local regulations or supervision, and making sure that as landlords and hosts, they unaccountable and unknown to the people paying them.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve heard there are lots of wonderful landlords and hosts operating on Airbnb.
You’ll never know until you get there and fumble with the passcode, and pray it works. Because if it doesn’t, you might just end up in a hotel after all.
This is the new parasitic economy, a company makes billions of dollars by making humans irrelevant, wiping out competitors, forcing people out of their homes and enabling the de-humanizing of our world.
I never thought I would miss the hotel clerks greeting me when I arrive in a new place. And I am a proud advocate of new technology and a user of it. Apple is downright homey next to these people.
Lots of people love AirBnb and swear by the service – they are stunningly successful – (although you’ll never hear from those who don’t like it or read their comments), and I am glad their customers are happy.
This is clearly the future they have in mind, for all of us. What are people for, after all, if not to give giant corporations more of their money in exchange for convenience, avoiding any human contact or obligation, or saving a few dollars?
What kind of world will it be when we never have to speak to one another at all? I suppose cable news and Congress offer us a preview.
Sorry, I just can’t get comfortable with the lack of humanity or accountability. And I hope I never have to live on or near a block of unoccupied zombie AirBnB houses, inhabited only by strangers and tourists.
The rumor is their prices are far less than hotels, and I’m sure that is sometimes true. But I also know it is sometimes not, and as Airbnb grows, you can be sure that will not be true for long.
Like Uber and other icons of the “sharing” economy, local laws and taxes are quite frequently ignored or unenforceable, and the poor saps who play by the rules – hotels, inns and real B&B’s with codes of ethics – are free to roll over and die or get crushed.
Nobody is in charge of regulating these companies, nobody even knows how to do it. The foundation of our country was work and community, prosperity breeding good jobs in return. The “sharing economy” erodes those things. That’s the point. It’s the perfect Corporation For The Corporate Nation.
No people, no accountability, no humanity. If they ever fold, there will be no one there to pay off or lay off.
Airbnb is clearly very preoccupied with security: renting to people you never see by landlords most people will ever meet makes everybody nervous. When my reservation was confirmed (all the hotels and inns were full) I was told I had to know a special code to get into my rented room, since no one would be there.
I assume it was changed every time a new traveler showed up.
They told me they wouldn’t release this information to me until the morning of my rental, while we were driving in and out of cell phone range (the only way they would tell me what the code was).
I don’t love starting a trip to a place that mistrusts me as a matter of procedure. All during the week, Airbnb was messaging me, warning me to talk only to them, not the landlord, for my “safety and security.” To communicate with anyone, you had to sign up with a Facebook password or a Google password or some other secret password you might possess.
I didn’t know I needed to be so nervous about renting a room for one night. And why did I get the feeling that AirBnb was more interested in making sure I didn’t get too cozy with the landlord and decide to pay her instead of them down the road?
I do not tell other people what to do, and I am not telling anybody reading this what to do. You should rent a room any way you like for whatever reason.
I was not comfortable on either of my Airbnb experiences nor did I save much money on either one, surely not enough to enable and participate in the de-humanizing of our world. I am old, but not an old fart. New technology has always been my friend, I couldn’t do what I do without it.
But a hotel would have been warmer and easier in my mind, and that is a shocking thing for me to say or even think. I didn’t like being greeted by a safety lock.
They say Airbnb makes it possible for more people to afford travel than ever before. I hope so because otherwise, I’m not getting the benefits for our way of life.
Companies like this make me realize just how much I love people and want to meet them, shake their hands, learn about their communities, look into their eyes and talk to them. I want to hear their stories, not just get their e-mail.
I think in the coming years we will all be forced to choose between human contact or our killer apps. My guess is the apps will prevail. I am happy I won’t be around to see it.
I love my smartphone, but I also love my life apart from it. I vote for humans, I want to stay at Sandy’s place.
No more AirBnb for me.
Jon,
I understand your concerns about Air Bnb, and respect your viewpoint.
I share the concern about the loss of affordable housing in communities.
I do want to share my experience, though. Several times a group of friends have met in distant cities in an Air BnB. It has allowed us to socialize together, vs hotel rooms, and has facilitated exploration of new places and neighborhoods at an organic level. I’ve walked my dogs around Raleigh and Tampa, heard roosters crowing, met people in San Antonio.
We’ve bought groceries, gone to small businesses – coffee shops, drug stores, hardware stores, that we would never have experienced if we stayed in hotels.
As for the security, the door codes and identifications, we appreciated that we were in someone’s home, and that our stay would be private when we got there.
If I were traveling alone, or with a partner, a hotel might feel more convenient, but as a group of friends, this is so much more fun than hotels. And as I consider future retirement I think going to new places via Air Bnb will be a great way to try new places.
Great message, Jeanne, it is good to read and important. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your message, it’s good for me to read it and think about. Lots of people love AirBnb as I wrote and you help me see the other side..
Agree 100% Jon. Have never stayed at an Air BnB and never will. They cause tremendous issues for local residents and have become a real issue in places like Oahu where there is already a lack of affordable housing. People buy up homes, apartments, etc because they can make more money renting to tourists rather than residents. Destroys neighborhoods and any sense of real community. Paris is also having issues with these rentals and the problem continues to grow in many other areas.
I don’t see the sense of using a third party for bookings anyway, whether it be a hotel/motel/tour operator, etc. When issues come up, good luck finding the responsible person to address it. The booking operator will refer you to the hotel and the hotel will refer you back to your booking agency. And, I sure don’t want a “password” to get into my room! Travel is frustrating enough these days as it is.
Inns and real Bed and Breakfasts are totally different and I’ve stayed at those and enjoyed them as well as meeting the “innkeepers” and learning about the area I’m visiting. I’ll choose the human touch every time.
So many aspects of our new economy scare the hell out of me! I’m glad I’m not the only one. Always, always, come down on the side of real human interaction!
Jon, I’m saddened that you are painting all Airbnb’s with the same wide brush, using black paint, as is Sandy, the Canadian reader who runs a bed and breakfast in her home. Without a doubt, there are places that are not ones you want to return to, but as with anything else, look at the comments and ratings before condemning all Airbnb establishments. My husband’s cousins have an Airbnb at their farm – and yes, they also live there, along with their herd of dairy cows. Read the comments, look at the photos before judging all Airbnb’s so harshly. Mark’s cousins’ Airbnb is called the 1820s Immell Farmstead; their address is Chambersburg, southcentral Pennsylvania. I know Luanne and Vernon extremely well; their home is absolutely beautiful, immaculate, well-appointed for anything a guest would need and spotlessly clean. Luanne goes above and beyond what is average, and her guests have written glowing reviews. There are many others out there that are comparable. Please, look a little more before making such a sweeping criticism.
Elisabeth, thanks, I’m not painting anything with any brush, broad or narrow. Just writing what I feel. I only speak for myself. I said several times in the piece that many people loved the service and were happy with it. How much broader can one get? I’m writing about my own values, I don’t have to embrace yours, and you don’t have to embrace mine. My blog is a personal memoir, not a universal poll by Gallup. I am not disappointed in you because you have a different point of view, and I do not understand why you need to make this personal, and be disappointed in me just because I feel differently about AirBnb than you do. I’m glad you have had good experiences with the service, I wish you many more. I believe you have the right to be different, and I believe I do also.
Well said…….thank you.
I’ve been lucky so far. I I’ve used it many times. All home owners have been present when I arrived, and took ample time showing me around their properties. I felt like we were friends when I left. Hopefully my luck continues. I can certainly see why you would be put off by both your experiences! Sounds pretty bad.
Thanks Dana, many people love AirBnB, I am glad you have found it valuable. I just felt disquieted by it…
I think the general human disconnect is a more serious issue than just airb&b. People just don’t want to deal with other people. Probably because rudeness is epidemic, you have to watch everything you say lest someone twist it to mean something other than what you said, and everyone lies all the time.
I agree, Ted, the issue is much greater than AirBnb, which is a by product of de-humanization, not the sole cause..
Ugh, awful article that lies about how AirBNB actually works. AirBNB is about the only place you can rent a whole house; which is ideal for families and small groups. These are our primary customers. Of course the hotels and B&B owners (like this author) would rather rent out a couple of rooms at much higher price and much less convenient for families to be together in one place.
Richard, you might mull the difference between disagreement and lies. The fact that you have a different feeling about AirBnb (and an obvious self-interest) doesn’t make you wrong or a liar. It just means you have a different feeling about it to which you are entitled. Don’t be nasty here if you want your comment to be seen, I’ll be happy to trash or ban you. Your ugly tone does not help your cause.
And beyond your excellent and dead-on points about this creeping fungus, AirBnB has eliminated so much long-term rental housing, which makes it problematic for communities… there is little housing for workers, plenty for the well-off, but almost none for the workforce. People are living in vans and trailers and cars, not because they can’t afford housing, but because there isn’t any. I think AirBnB should be outlawed. Local governments need to stand up for communities and the people who make them run.
My husband and several members of his family used an Airbnb a few months ago in El Paso.
It was cheap and no doubt they got what they paid for: Bed bug bites and itchy rashes.
It was a big disappointment and sadly has put them off ever wanting to try one again.
I posted earlier but just want to say that Jon wrote a very thoughtful article regarding Airbnb and the issues he noticed.
I can see it is a hot button for some-but people are allowed to have different feelings and express them. I don’t think anyone would object to someone renting out a room in their farmhouse, but they might feel differently if their apartment building suddenly had several Airbnb rentals with strangers coming and going every week. It is always good to look at all sides of an issue, especially local issues with regard to travel. We all want to step lightly as tourists and not add to local problems. Airbnb becomes a problem when entire blocks (as Jon mentioned) become rentals because it changes the very fabric of the neighborhood you are visiting.
I understand people want to save a few bucks but it shouldn’t be at the expense of the local community.
I know that many people like Airbnb and have had many great stays at them, but
Air Bnb is brilliant in my estimation, and if it is truly someone’s home and the rental helps them keep the home, then more power to the owner . As a traveller, renting a home or apartment instead of a hotel room gives you the benefit of living like a local as well as providing more room for friends and family to travel as a group. As for short term rentals taking away places for families to live, well my opinion is quite opposite to other views posted here. Government regulations in Canada have taken away the incentive to be a traditional landlord. Aside from a short term rental being more lucrative for a landlord, it is a nightmare to navigate rent controls and the Landlord/Tenant board if your long term renter decides to dig in and live for free or make life difficult. A landlord cannot get rid of a tenant turned squatter without huge trouble and expense. Renters can take in extra people without paying more rent, can neglect the care and cleaning of your unit and a landlord cannot do a thing about it. Property taxes take a big leap, insurance, utilities skyrocket – too bad for the andlord, you can’t pass on the increasing costs to your long term tenant because of rent controls. Until the Gov’t stops handing the affordable housing problem off to people with rental properties, then landlords will opt for short term rentals because of the lack of red tape involved and market rates will prevail. It isn’t fair to expect landlords to be the answer to affordable housing. If someone takes on the purchase of a property and all the expense and risk it entails, they are entitled to rent it for market rates and make a profit, it is a business. Rent controls and govt meddling create the housing problem – long term renters hold onto apartments that are way below market rates and they don’t vacate them to let others move in. If market rates freely prevailed, there would be more units to choose from and yes, some workers would have to live farther away if they couldn’t afford to live in the city core, but thats the way supply and demand works.
Message for Elizabeth & others of the same mind: Please do not assume that I or Jon are painting everything black and white with Air Bn B. Speaking for myself, there is a lot of grey in this life. however, the moral aspect of a company like Air BnB is what I do not agree with. There is no governance, no code of ethics by which they expect their reps to follow. If you understand how a traditional B&B is run, these B&B’s have their own websites, they live in the homes in which guests are staying, if there are any issues, that owner is there to deal with them directly. I believe this is more the thrust of Jon’s posting, not encompassing all who list with them but speaking of the business aspects that are harming neighbourhoods, very seriously, all over the world where Air BnB is located. Also, the name they’ve chosen for their company is plagiarizing the B&B traditional name. As I mentioned before, a more honest and correct designation would be Air Accommodation Rental Agency. I speak from experience in owning & operating a traditional B&B for 28 years. Jon speaks from his own experience. Neither of us have personalized this issue. It is not a matter of suiting your travel purposes, but the problems that occur as a result of the company’s policy. And would you like to stay in a place where you cannot contact the owner directly is there was a problem after paying a considerable amount for your stay?
Sandy, in Canada
I share your disdain. We tried it about five times, back when the attraction was more of the “stay with the locals” draw, rather than of being a case of the locals being priced out of affordable housing. Our experiences went from pretty good to mediocre, but what put me over the edge was the idea of the gig economy, people working without benefits and protections, as well as putting yourself in a situation where there are few protections in terms of safety. Housing a family or a large group of friends is another issue, but I do like the idea of health department inspections, customer service, sprinkler systems, etc. I like the idea of supporting businesses that may well be using union labor, fair employment laws, and are bound by regulations that support the well-being of both guests and employees. Yes, I realize there are exceptions to the rules, on both sides, but, for myself, I have made the decision not to join this trend.
I rented an airbnb, found the address and contacted the owner to make sure I had the right place. During the conversation I was told I couldn’t cook in the microwave oven. I cannot eat take ou due to celiac disease and food sensitivities. So they cancelled my stay, but kept my money! NEVER AGAIN! They are crooks.