HOW TO BOOK – AND WHAT TO CHECK
TO BOOK, you need to sign up to Airbnb, then log in. After entering your dates, there are filters at the top of the page which allow you to narrow your choices: do you want a room in a property, or do you want to rent the whole place? Do you want places that take instant bookings? Normally you request a stay and the host looks at your profile and any reviews and then responds ‘yes’ or ‘no’. A ‘no’ doesn’t mean they don’t like you – it could be that the dates you wanted have been sold. Airbnb sees its role as an honest broker: if problems arise, it wants the consumer to settle the matter with the supplier directly. Bear this in mind when you make a booking: if things go wrong you may find yourself fighting a lone battle. Be alert. On Airbnb, outright lies are unlikely – much more common is a careful editing of the truth. Because you want so much for everything to be perfect, we all have a tendency to assume things will be much better than they probably are. If you’ve rented a holiday property via a tour operator or a standard agency, you will probably have had little or no contact with the owner. With Airbnb, you are put in contact with the owner and the arrangements are made direct. This
becomes part holiday and part blind date. Here are seven tips to cut the odds on being disappointed:
1 Do lots of research: Look at potential holiday places and different locations; develop a feel for the standard you can expect. Read between the lines of property descriptions: is it on a busy road, near an airport, next to a club? Reviews left by previous customers aren’t always reliable. They are not anonymous so expect opinions to be guarded.
2 Once you have settled on a property, Google it to see if it appears on other holiday websites. Check these reviews and prices and compare with Airbnb. Use Google Street View to check the area.
3 Google the name of the owner (quick to do, but it might prove illuminating if other people have complained or if the owner has been in court).
4 Email the owner and confirm the details shown on the website. You need verification.
5 Before booking, make sure you understand the applicable cancellation policy.
6 Shortly before the holiday, double-check the driving directions. How do you get the key? Will there be a welcome food package?
7 When you arrive, consider safety: some users recommend getting some sort of blocker such as a wedge to stop the door so nobody with a key can gain access while you are in residence.