The first time I ever stayed in an Airbnb was back in 2010.?
My friend Chris and I were traveling around Europe, and after reading about this unique new lodging concept online, I sold him on giving it a try in Amsterdam.?The idea was to have a local experience while saving a few bucks on accommodation.
I remember thinking it was a little odd to be crashing in somebody's spare room, but our host was as friendly as could be and proceeded to fill our time there with warm conversation and insider tips. I also remember thinking while it was a great experience, there was no way on earth that this "Airbed & Breakfast" (yep, that's what it stands for) thing would catch on.?
Oh, how wrong I was.?
But there's a big asterisk to my terrible prediction, and it's at the heart of why Airbnb has found itself in the crosshairs lately and why I'm no longer an Airbnb guy, only using it once in the last decade.?
Airbed & Breakfast changed, big time.?
What started as a website full of beds in quirky spare rooms, fixed-up basements and Mothers-in-law quarters hosted by humans morphed into a monstrous marketplace filled with far too many empty apartments.
Airbnb logo displayed on a smartphone in front of a listings webpage. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Timon)
I continued using Airbnb for a few years and had generally good experiences renting rooms and entire places. Then, all too often, the smiling hosts and their surrogates were swapped for digital keypads and lock boxes. At the same time, I started thinking that too many apartments behind the doors changed from being lived-in and full of character to boring and full of identical basic black-and-white prints and slogan posters, a clear indicator that nobody lived there.?
Around that same time, Airbnb was grabbing headlines for supposedly having helped cause housing chaos in cities as people with deep pockets started snapping up apartments in bulk and then renting them out on a massive scale. This is said to have displaced some locals (the same ones we were supposed to be staying with) and added fuel to the growing fire of overtourism.?
To say nothing of the tales of escalating prices, growing frustration over cleaning fees and the thorny issues of safety certification and cameras.?
Perhaps these issues wouldn't have cropped up if Airbnb had stayed as it was. But my guess is that there aren't enough people who want to crash in somebody's spare room or have genuine human interaction with their host to really impress Wall Street.??
It appears as though Airbnb has realized it's lost its way because it has recently put a big push on its new Airbnb Rooms product, which is, essentially, just "Airbnb Classic" with its emphasis on hosts and human connection.
Good for them.?
Woman browsing Airbnb listings. (Photo Credit: Daniel Krason/Adobe)
I do want to pause for a second to stress that I soured on the brand based solely on their urban accommodation. I'm sure they are doing a fine job with their cabins, castles, yurts, treehouses and beach houses. Oh, and the new Icons collaborations with folks like Doja Cat, Seth Rogan and Donkey from Shrek.?
?
At this point, Airbnb is probably too big to fail, as it's hopelessly intertwined with the world of accommodation. But as cities around the world discuss ways to reduce both overtourism and stress on the local rental stock, perhaps?the last one into the global urban accommodation game should be the first one out.
If you want a kitchen, there's an aparthotel for that.?
Want to get a local perspective on a place? There's a range of tours and activities that will help you do just that, with, ironically, Airbnb Experiences being a solid option. There are also plenty of hotels located in neighborhood settings.?
Want a budget-friendly bed with common spaces where you can work and mix with people? Cool hotels like Moxy and Citizen M are springing up everywhere.?
Want to save serious cash, have access to a kitchen and experience camaraderie with other travelers? Then there's always the original: the hostel.
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