In 2023, there are a lot of reasons not to like Airbnb. What was once a unique way to experience your travel destination is now… kind of wack when compared to a good ‘ol hotel. Where did Airbnb go wrong? That’s easy, it’s the hosts. If you’re an Airbnb host, this might be hard for you to hear but: You. Are. All. Kinds. Of. Nuts.
We understand you’ve probably been burned by shitty guests in the past, but the fees, the rules, the random pop-ins, that ominous feeling you give off that makes it feel like you’re watching us — it’s turning the public off and driving us back into hotels because hotels know how to f*ck off and let us live without asking anything of us aside from cold hard cash.
We know your gripes, Airbnb hosts, but remember — “That’s what the money’s for!” If you can’t handle that… Maybe you weren’t cut out to be a mini-hotelier?
This conversation bubbled a number of times over the past year and people are having it again now, after a recent post by Twitter user and writer Jeremy Gordon — who fired off a tweet over the weekend that has since been viewed over 7 million times. That post has become a peg for people to roast the Airbnb brand (again).
Decided to stay in a Holiday Inn instead of an Airbnb for an overnight trip and strongly feel, one hour after check-in, that there has never been a more luxurious experience in all of human history
— Jeremy Gordon (@jeremypgordon) January 7, 2023
Getting compared disfavorably to a Holiday Inn is not a good look, but Gordon has a point, with everything that the typical Airbnb stay requires of its “guests” the Holiday Inn, with its low prices and privacy, feels like a f*cking godsend. Airbnb clearly needs to revamp its whole model and if the brand is scratching its head over how to do that, we gathered up some of the best tweets in response to Gordon’s post that highlight everything the brand is doing wrong.
being able to give someone money in person for a room under a well-understood set of laws and cultural norms is really nice
— Whet Moser (not notable) (@whet) January 7, 2023
the WiFi is fast and the bathroom is clean and there’s no weird cupboard you don’t want to open. It’s the best
— kang (@jaycaspiankang) January 7, 2023
Somehow AirBNB has turned vacation accommodations into a less relaxing experience than being at home, and made us think that’s normal. You know how many rule books you have to read when you check into an average hotel? Zero.
— Alex Stein (@A1exStein) January 8, 2023
Staying in a hotel provides people with a job. Staying in an Airbnb deprives people of a home.
— welladriansays (@welladriansays) January 8, 2023
I’ve been a travel writer for 22 years and honestly think the downfall of #airbnb is due to allowing cleaning fees WHILE making guests clean (w threats of fines).
Sadly, people were sorta okay w communities being wrecked. The cleaning double-jeopardy was the bridge too far. https://t.co/4qDrm2i9KY
— Steve Bramucci (@stevebram) January 8, 2023
Literally saw an Airbnb that required you to mow the lawn on the weekend. Never again.
— goldnecklace (@goldnecklace2) January 8, 2023
Hotels are literally the best thing on earth Airbnb’s initial appeal was only that it was cheap af and maybe you could get some home-amenities lmao now that it’s not cheap what’s the point?
— Fasika Addis (@addis_fasika) January 8, 2023
My last reporting trip before covid I stayed at a Best Western Plus in Burbank and it was all I thought about for the first three months of the pandemic. Just bliss.
— Bradford Pearson (@BradfordPearson) January 7, 2023
Airbnbs used to be cheaper than your average hotel stay and used to be a cool weird way to vacation. Somewhere in the last 5 years everyone has overvalued their rental and has added crazy fees. I would choose a hotel over an Airbnb now but it wasn’t always the case.
— Jubs (@jubbie77) January 8, 2023
Even with a kid in tow, we use hotels. Connecting rooms, suites, there are options that work. And they are usually cheaper than the local airbnbs. And a nicer experience overall!
— Amanda Z (@ZompZ) January 8, 2023
I just got back from a trip and stayed in a couple hotels for the first time in years, and it was heaven. And it did not cost me $900 for a few nights in a “bohemian loft” with some TJ Maxx baskets on the wall. 10/10.
— Drip Hamilton (@jlasoul) January 7, 2023
I threw in the towel on AirBnB in favor of hotels a couple years ago. I don’t have to take out the trash? I don’t have to fold all the towels? I don’t have to earn the rapport of the haunted garden gnome to pass? I can just… come and go? So tight.
— jd power & associates award for posting (@kbloggins) January 8, 2023
Hotels are one of life’s great pleasures. Even the best Airbnb can’t match the luxury of clean sheets, privacy and a bathroom you don’t have to clear yourself.
— Let the Sun Shine In (@T_Bake7) January 8, 2023
I’ve never had a hotel manager or owner send me threatening text messages messages because I brought 2 guests into my hotel room, right as they walked in the door because they were watching the cameras of my every move… just saying.
— AMI NICOLE aka ACRONYM (@acronymis) January 8, 2023
whenever i’ve stayed in an airbnb i can feel tension between me and the owner the whole time. they clearly don’t want u in their home, it feels invasive, u literally can’t relax as they watch over u
— danny bucko (@DanielleBucko) January 9, 2023
Knowing they have insurance, are up to regulations on fire safety, have trained staff available at all hours… for … oh … *less* than AirBnB … what… !!
— David (@Dewi_Ioan) January 8, 2023
Last time I booked an Airbnb I started getting harassing messages from the owner for bringing my toddler within minutes. We had specified that we had a toddler in the booking. There were also cameras pointing at the jacuzzi and a sign saying it was monitored. Never again
— Doctor Fella, MD (@ERSimMonkey) January 8, 2023
My last straw staying at an AirBnB was the house didn’t have ANY drapes or window coverings downstairs. So the entire neighborhood could see you through the window at night
— Dani
(@DWags1228) January 9, 2023
We have a couple of Airbnbs on our street. Used to be rentals. It’s weird – might be more “profitable” but it changes a neighborhood & community. Plus housing is an issue here. Just feels wrong.
— Paula Jenkins (@jumpstartjoy) January 8, 2023