We gave up on AirBnB due to the cleaning fee and cancelation issue as well. We joined Choice Hotels program. It's free and they have several hotel brands. We love Comfort Inn Suites. Prices vary depending on the city. We earn points toward free stays and free breakfast is included. We do our short trips mid-week because prices drop dramatically at that time.
Totally agree with you we like Comfort too we always go for one with breakfast included, yes we keep forgetting about going mid week ! got caught this time on a Saturday night 😱have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦🍷🍁🇺🇸🍻🙂
I agree with most everything you both said regarding air b&b and hotel/apartments. My experiences have been similar to yours. One thing I would like to add (as a resident of Maui Hawaii). Air b&b's take home rentals away and off the market for local residents contributing to lack of housing for people that live and work in the location you are visiting. This a very apparent now in Maui after the fires displaced over 6000 people. As a matter of fact, our Mayor is asking air b&b owners to rent long term to those displaced. If they do not comply, our Mayor has stated he can force them to stop short term air b&b rentals in order to free up rentals for families here.
If you are going to travel indefinately, as in ... live as a Nomad.. .hotels are NOT an option. Not even remotely close. For long term stays, with cooking and laundry, you would go broke if you weren't exceptionally wealthy if you were living on the road. We have had little to no issues, only 1 bad experience in many, MANY, airbnb bookings. The type of life we have, is not suited to a hotel. I'd like to sit on my own terrace or patio at night or in the day. I want to cook my own meals and live in the place. A hotel room is never like that, and certainly NOT at the same price point. And we are not talking about north american travel. WE can live for an entire month in many cities for what a week of hotel rates would cost. Insane.
BTW it’s ridiculous to cancel a guest’s reservation for your family. I consider a guest reservation a commitment short of an emergency. However, when a guest cancels there’s no “black mark” on the guest’s records. I’m an Airbnb host and have a 5-star rating. I have no checkout requirements, but just a few optional tasks. I’ve studied local hotel rates and make certain that my rates are competitive. I think that’s important in terms of making the stay a pleasure. .
@@ThisIsOurRetirement I’m not aware of any penalties. I’ve had a few guests cancel within the recommended time period without incurring any financial losses. I only require a full day’s notice. However, there are hosts that have different cancellation policies and, if those aren’t followed, then they may lose all or part of their payment. Reading the fine print is important. This past fall I was in the hospital when a guest arrived. The following month he contacted me to tell me that he had arrived a day later than planned and had attempted to change his reservation a full day before. I was not available to approve this change, however. I contacted Airbnb and we were able to take care of this retroactively and the guest received a full night’s refund. It appears that you’ve experienced some rigid hosts, which is regrettable. Airbnb actually provides host with many tools and more than adequate latitude to serve up a hospitable experience. Also, Airbnb has safety requirements and encourages the use of cameras and to notify guests of such. I will inform you that I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels that did not measure up to cleanliness, comfort and safety standards. Airbnb offers many different experiences. Check out Trip Advisor to verify where the worthy lodgings are located.
It's great that you guys do intermittent fasting. I've been doing IF for about 4 years now and it has helped me totally transform my health, I lost over 60 pounds and lowered my BP and cholesterol. I absolutely love it! I found it much better to just make it my normal daily routine, rather than just once in a while and I no longer even want to eat breakfast. The health and longevity benefits are off the charts, as I'm sure you know. Good for you!
I use both small boutiue hotels and AirBnb. However, another option that you did not include here is Hostels. I have had some great experiences in Hostels, can often book a private room, may be cheaper and I tend to more easily meet people.
This summer we stayed many nights in hotels and apartments all over Europe. When we stayed in apartments I frequently checked listings on both AirBnB and Booking and, when they were listed on both sites, they were invariably cheaper on Booking. We enjoyed our AirBnB stays but we also quit using them some years ago.
Another gripe about AirB&B is that they diguise of the admin fee until the end, making the per night stay for comparison purposes meaningless. By the way thank you so much for your videos. My partner and I enjoy both of you so much. We are now located in Porto and have used your advice generally and some specifically in our travels. Please keep up the good work
We have rented Airbnbs over a half dozen times. Minimal issues & we have always found them more affordable than hotels because we travel with our dogs. I've never had any of them cancel on us (knock on wood). And I've never been hit with extra charges at the end. One place was even decked out with dog treats & dishes & even dog first aid! We prefer to take our camper but it wasn't available much of the last 3 years. So far most of ours have been in Texas & New Mexico. And all individually owned except for one in Colorado. Thankful we have had good experiences!
Airbnb served me well in its early days, location was key for me, hotels couldn’t compete. Now I’m back to hotels and apart/hotels. I tend to prefer smaller boutique hotels as opposed to larger chains.
Absolutely love you guys! My husband, and I finally retired at age 70 and can’t wait for our first trip to Portugal. Thanks to him we have lots of great information.❤
Food for thought! We don’t usually do a lot of cooking in our Airbnb but a kitchen is a real perk for us. It’s that really early morning coffee and late night cup of tea that we can make ourselves is an absolute must for us. We haven’t found many kitchens in hotel rentals.
Look for top-rated hosts (superhosts) and listings with high ratings and you can still find deals on Airbnb compared to hotels. As a host, my main advantage is that no hotel in my area will accommodate 6-10 people for even close to the same price. The cleaning fee is what I have to pay to clean the place (and I still have to do about 6 hours of work between guests). In my city, all the Airbnb hosts of short term rentals are now only renting their primary residence, and so these are local owners, often retirees like yourselves, who are doing what they can to pay their mortgages or to make some small income.
Agree wholeheartedly about AirBNB. Our 1 and only experience was horrible! And just recently a coworker checked into a Lakehouse Airbnb that was rodent infested and the vermin chewed through the food she had brought for the week within an hour of her being there!!! They wouldn’t even refund her money!
We've been using AirBnB for many years. Is every stay perfect? No. But the host has rectified the issue. Only had 1 cancellation due to a flood in the unit. I like the option to cook meals. I feel this offsets any additional costs that AirBnB may charge. I agree that a hotel with a kitchen would be comparable. I will continue to use AirBnB for now.
We’ve only ever stayed at an Airbnb once. It was last March and we were with our daughter two teenage grandsons and a dog, exploring northern Vancouver Island. It was a great experience to have home to come back to after our day trips. Beautiful 2 bedroom cottage with all conveniences. The cost was a little more than 2 hotel rooms but so nice to be able to eat at home and be together. When we travel in Europe we like using bed and breakfasts. Some have been lovely apartment spaces with kitchens. This past summer we were in the interior of BC and we’re appalled at how name brand hotels have gotten so expensive since the pandemic, without housekeeping services. I realize that there is a staffing shortage, but all we seem to pay for is the room, no bed making even, which is the one thing we live to have when we’re away. We ended up staying at small motels along the way, which was much cheaper (though still expensive) and more friendly. Looking forward to an Alaska cruise in 2024 and some road trips in BC. Maybe try a b and b in BC. Thanks for all the great information you give us, Tina and Norm. ❤️🇨🇦
We also were early adopters of Airbnb, our first stay was 2013. I love(d) so many things about Airbnb, like the personalized decor, home-y touches, and cooking "at home" during our trips abroad. (Shopping at a local grocery store is a cultural experience in and of itself.) We had problems last year, though, that have made us far more cautious about using them again in the future. I'm hopeful we'll continue to find good options for long term stays on other platforms ... VRBO, Flipkey, and others. For us, live and in-person host-contact during our stay is a must, as are fully stocked kitchens, and in-unit laundry (or laundromat nearby). We worry that Apart-hotels will make us feel more like tourists rather than visitors seeking an in-depth cultural experience.
Hello Mr. Norm & Mrs. Tina !! I really enjoy your TH-cam channel 😊 I just wanted to let you know the Drury Inn & Suites in the US offer a great affordable experience. Safe environment, friendly staff as well as free Hot Breakfast and evening Kickback 5:30pm-7:00pm and 3 free drinks per night (wine,beer and alcohol) !! I hope this information is helpful and please know that we ❤❤ you all in the USA Stay safe and remember to Travel Happy :)
Have to agree here. We have stayed in a Drury facility with a great experience all around. The Kickback buffet was adequate for us as dinner! The offerings change each night of the week, too.
Thank you guys. What a beneficial, informative video. You have opened our eyes. We have recently retired (we live in Sydney) and looking to do a lot more traveling economically to stretch the dollars. This really helps avoid the pitfalls. I think when the investors started moving into Airbnb then they are wired to extract the maximum value for themselves. It would be good to be able to differentiate between a private home, owner Airbnb and an investor or business Airbnb. Not sure that’s possible to do through the airbnb website. Thank you very much. Jackie & Liam from Oz.
Airbnbs are still working for us. We have been doing month long visits n Palm Springs. Some very nice places with full kitchen and numerous pools plus pickleball. Close to golfing and hiking. I still find Airbnbs reasonable and have been lucky to not have any cancellations in over 10 years.
My husband and I love Apartment Hotels and we had a great one with a washer this fall in Cordoba, Spain. They are our first choice for accommodations but sometimes we will pick a private apartment because of a preferred location, view, or experience at the location. I choose these very carefully but so far have not had any major issues. I am very much looking forward to hearing about your stay in Portugal this winter. Bom Dia !!!
We have stayed in bed and breakfasts in the past in Maine, NYC and upstate NY. Don’t remember if they were with Air B and B or not but none had safes or even locks on the room. It was a pain taking valuable items to lock in the car when we went out. One had no closet. Carole
AirBnB's are ok for a cottage or year long rentals but all too often they tie up locals looking for rentals or a property to buy. Driving up prices. A once great idea now all to often causes to many problems.
We have just booked a 3 week stay in Aruba @ an AirBNB. This will be our longest stay in an AirBNB. By far the cheapest option for a longer term stay that we could find. Hotel offerings can't come anywhere near the price, and it includes a pool! Guess we'll see if it was worth it soon enough. 😃
Hotels , free WiFi, breakfast, aircon, cleaning , coffee , no deposit , HELP & information at the desk. AND if you have a problem with your room at a hotel you just move to another room, and other people are AROUND to chat with.👍
I run an air b and b from a separate suite in our home on Vancouver Island, Canada - we keep our prices lower than the hotels and only charge a minimum for cleaning - we have been super hosts for 2 years now and go above and beyond for our guests - please don’t give up on air b and b - not all of us are greedy and uncaring 😃
We run an Airbnb in Nova scotia.We rent a small cabin on our farm .Our price are lower and like you it is very important that our guess are comfortable and have a good experience...We have been doing this for 10 plus years and notice a difference in client also....We don't charge a cleaning fee but the first thing on the list as you enter the cabin A cleaning fee might need to get charged .We only had to charge a few time....usually with a picture sent to airbnb and the client will get that settled.
Enjoy your videos and Norm's Rush (my favorite band) shirts! I am a VRBO landlord and won't deal with AirBnB for the reasons you mention and other shady practices. VRBO isn't much better with respect to questionable fees but has served me well enough so far. With all due respect, let me offer my perspective. Let's suppose someone says "I'll rent your place for the month of December." and then cancels on me in late Nov. It's going to be very difficult for me to get replacement renters at that late hour. A 50% deposit at the time of booking is necessary to separate the serious commitments from the window shoppers. Easiest way to explain finances is that I pay close to 100% of the mortgage with renters covering the rest (insurance, utilities, maintenance, etc). The only profit I am going to make is when I sell the place which is a while down the road. I am a small-time operator and don't have the deep pockets hotels have for weathering surprise cancellations. Even so, I am happy to say most of my reviews are 5 stars! Thanks for reading.
Hi Tina & Norm, we have been using AirBnB for a long time now. Generally, we did not have any issues, except two not so good experiences - In 2018 we traveled from Portugal to Spain and booked an airbnb in Seville. The host did not show up at the meeting point( this was a Saturday) we tried to call the host again and again without any success and we lost a full day of our vacation. At the end, Airbnb booked us a hotel and we were told that the host's telephone number was his office phone. Secondly, last year we traveled to Berlin, Germany. The four bedroom apartment had everything in it, but was infested with mosquitos and bed sheets in one bed room were dirty and stained. We did get a partial refund at the end though. We do not use AIRBNB in PT, but a local long lets service. For two months of stay early this year, our utilities bill was 650 Euros.
I saw your video earlier and found it very interesting. I sent a comment, but I guess it didn't post. We have a rental unit in Myrtle Beach and use a local management company. Even though they advertise through many of the other ways like airbnb and verbo, if you contact the management co directly, you can skip the large "booking" fees and huge cleaning fees. When we book at other countries and Puerto Rico, we search out the local management companies at those locations to get some of the same places as advertised on other sites and deal directly with them to get better placers at lower costs.
Airbnbs are still our preferred accommodation and for the most part have been great for us as long as you are aware what to search for, when to book, what information to look for and I only book ones with free cancellation. We travelled for 6 months straight from Mexico, Portugal and Spain in 2022 to early 2023 and I'd say 90% were Airbnbs and 10% hotels. We're going back for 2 months this winter in Portugal and Spain and we have booked only 1 night in a hotel - the rest are airbnbs. Having ready access to a full kitchen and washing machine is our preference.
Hey 👋 Norm & Tina! AirBnb is not my go to anymore. Uber, DoorDash, those card readers the merchant flips around for you to add a tip- what a racket!! I don’t care for the attempt at shaming, or threats to my food or poor ratings by a car service. How did we get to this point? Anyway… I knew you were talking about Hilton Honors when you mentioned the breakfast. Aww, that, plus a mid-afternoon meal wherever we’ve travelled for the past 20 years is the way to go. Others prefer Marriott. We go with Hilton- looking forward to our next vacation in retirement- this sitting around is exhausting!!!
We like both Hilton and Marriott Eric and always want one with breakfast if we find one with Happy Hour 🍻 🍷that’s a big plus for us . Hope you are both having a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇺🇸🍷☕️🇨🇦🙂
you may be right about Portugil or Europe altogether, but in Hawaii AirbnB still beats hotels on way cheaper and comfortable stay. we usually go with one bedroom two bathrom accomodation. If you would like to have something similar in hotel in Maui you would pay 1500 CAD per night. NO kitchenet. So, on the top of that you have to pay for restaurant, which adds another 500CAD per day for 2. BnB would be around 300 CAD per night. which is not even comparible
We quit using AirBnb due to the high cost and lack of consistency between renters. When you go to a Holiday Inn Express in Charleston, SC or Houston, Texas, you know what to expect. Not so with the AirBnb properties, what you find runs the gamut from hot breakfast and homemade snacks to Little Debbie cakes in a box on the counter or absolute nothing at all. We even found properties with serious security concerns. When we brought it to the owner’s attention, he found a way to block our after-stay feedback. “Nay, nay, stay away!”
In canada gov't will be charging extra for taxes on air b&bs if they make a certain amount per year. This is to pursuade the owners to rent out the property fulltime instead in a housing crisis. I think the cleaning fee is crazy. Thanks for the video stating the differences.
We're Canadian. The housing situation is ridiculous, but what makes it even worse IS the government interfering with short term rentals. Not everyone wants to sign a 1 year lease to rent a place to live. We don't all live in one spot and work at a job. We'd like to live in a place for 3 months and move on. Getting rid of that, creates a problem... and not for us, because we can just move elsewhere where we are welcome.
In 5 years of running my airbnb and have never cancelled. We clean every 2 weeks and give fresh towels and clean sheets weekly. Well stocked kitchen. We are responsive to our clients requests. I charge $100 less a night than hotels.
We've just about given up on AirBnB in the US... As you said, not usually cheaper and have had a few where the description/images were significantly tweaked to be more positive than the room was in reality... So we've gone back to hotels in a lot of areas... That said, we just got back from a vacation stay in Cape Town (Kalk Bay) and used an AirBnB which was great... So we are just much more cautious about AirBnB, but haven't totally shut them out... As for laundry, the AirBnB we stayed at had laundry. A lot of hotels don't have washer/dryers available and hotel laundry is really expensive. So when we stay at a hotel, I frequently have to find a laundromat hopefully nearby to use...
Interesting comments. I do both. I agree the VRBO fees and owner cleaning fees have gotten ridiculous. It’s almost a bait and switch affair. Motels fees are more straightforward. Value wise I view motels as more reasonable, but you often don’t get the kitchen.
We have had good luck in North Carolina in the USA with Airbnbs. We usually have 4 people and we like separated bedrooms and a kitchen and for long stays a washer/dryer. I try to read the reviews carefully to check out the places. We cook in at least 2 meals while on vacations. Multiple hotel rooms plus more meals out is more expensive. I have read about some bad experiences however.
Thanks for sharing! yes a washer and dryer is good Lynn but a lot of hotels have that too , we cook most of our meals where we are staying as we prefer it Cheers 🍁🙂☕️🇺🇸🇨🇦
I quit using AirBnb a few years ago. I had a couple of bad experiences with customer service. And, now, all the add on costs are ridiculous. I use hotels now and am very happy w/o worry about anything.
Excellent content! Years ago we found a family run apartment hotel at the coast. Was never tempted to ditch it for a more glamorous Air B&B. The simple fee structure and housekeeping services can't be beat.
My only ARBNB experience was a bust too... I arrived at 8:30 pm and the unit was flooded out...oh the joys of trying to find a place to stay at 9 pm during the height of tourist season.
I so agree with you. My husband and I were also early AirBnB travelers, but now we are doing only hotels for all the reasons you mentioned. Have safe travels this winter, and I can't wait to hear about your Portugal stay.
Yes they are but things are changing big time in favour of Hotels , customers are loosing all confidence in AirBandB due to high fees and cancellations going forward we are going Hotel Apartments Cheers 🍷🇨🇦☕️🇵🇹🍻🇺🇸
We've used Airbnb twice, once in 2018 and the second time in 2021. Both times we had a very positive experience. Don't know what is happening to Airbnb now. We are hoping to travel this summer. I'll have to do my homework now.
We will be in NZ next year and chose apartment hotels rather than Airbnb for exactly the reasons you stated. Enjoy your trips and thank you for posting this video.
Wow Tina and Norm. This was your best video yet! We’ve never used an Airbnb but we have used VRBO. After your list of all the cons for using an Airbnb, you wonder why anyone would use one. What a rip off. I was surprised when you said that some Airbnb’s do not have laundry facilities. If you are staying somewhere for over a month, that is a real hardship trying to find a laundromat in a foreign country. The other big plus you mentioned about getting an apartment in a hotel is the amenities. A pool would definitely be nice. Thanks for mentioning these.
I tried airbnb a few times, great choice for towns or cities without many hotels. However, given that I normally travel with my dogs, I much prefer hotel chains like Best Western where you know what you are getting, the standards are known, and you earn points for future stays.
AIRBNB in Italy was a bad experience. Some declared that government needs my passport copy for verification but they awfully assigned their house keeper to take photo on my passport with their smart phone. But Airbnb not responsible for that! Very uncomfortable!
Great video guys! If you can’t tell us where you are staying in Portugal, could you pls give us a tip on where to find good hotel-apartments? Thanks guys. Bob
Funny story - one of the ads that played when I clicked on your video is a AirBnB ad. Anyway, I’ve been hearing the same thing on some other You Tube channels. I have had good luck with VRBO, but I think may be a bit more expensive - but I haven’t retired yet and I typically rent with friends and split the cost. I do plan to travel more when retiring in a year or two and will look into hotel apartments because my budget will be lower than it is now.
Great video as always guys.thank you for the advice. We are already booked for our upcoming trip to Portugal hope our ABnB doesn’t cancel on us 😮we are booked on both hotels too. Looking forward to seeing your next video.
Hey Tina and Norm, I am watching your video while sitting in the same hotel in Albufera that you have stayed in a few years ago. We love it. Will be moving to a pool/ocean view room on Monday for the rest of our stay. Sorry to miss you as we will be leaving December 12th.
Oh wow! so glad you are enjoying it we did love the pool view 👍yes sorry we won’t meet but glad you are having an awesome time we can’t wait to be back there this Winter not long to go now Cheers 🇵🇹🍁☕️🍷🇨🇦🇺🇸
Please, where is it as we would like to go for the first time and would be more comfortable to go to something what is already checked. Please and thank you❤️🇨🇦
Great presentation! I stayed in a hotel last weekend and had a great experience. I don’t want to deal the cleaning fees or cancellations. I also feel safer in a hotel.
Seems to be happening across the board at the moment, price hikes etc. I have seen a lot of hotels are now charging for the room, with added, non optional charges for the gym, the tea & coffee, the pool, the launderette and more, facilities that used to come as part of the room charge, which remains unchanged. Friends are going to New York in December and have suddenly had a $50 additional charge per night applied which you have to pay or not stay.
I offer a modest bedroom on Airbnb (Sydney), no cleaning fee, (for women only, but I'd make an exception for you two as a couple), I've been following your gem videos for some time. Sad to hear how Airbnb is turning out for you, and I get it, it's the real estate/investors... I'd love to have your visit... who knows?:) You would be most welcome.
Ouch! I have been a Short Term Rental host for 30 years. Long before Airbnb or VBRO. I have never cancelled on a guest and I do not ask my guest to do anything but take out the garbage as they check out. My kitchen is as well equipped as my main residence is and I get lots of compliments on how well stocked it is. The platforms charge a fee but I wish more guests would simply go to google maps or google my property’s name and book directly with me to save those fees. That is the way I did my bookings for many years. Ours home can accommodate a couple or 3 or 4 families and the experience cannot be compared to each family staying in separate hotel rooms and staying in our house is certainly less expensive.
Totally agree with you. Don't stay in AirBnB where I can book a hotel. Sometimes, somewhere on a island only AirBNB available only (like in BC, Canada)
For me, having laundry facilities in the unit is a game-changer. It makes it possible to travel with minimal luggage. We're still choosing Airbnbs for that reason alone.
@@ThisIsOurRetirement When we were in Spain last year all the hotels we stayed at had a laundromat within a block of the hotel. Doing laundry when staying at a hotel hasn't been an issue for us either.
Another great video Norm & Tina. Many Thanks. I have never stayed in an AirBnB and I will never stay in one of those. I love staying in hotels...!!! Safe travels to US & Portugal...!!!
Excellent points you bring up. I completely agree. The airBnB thing has lost its sizzle. I happen to be Portuguese living in the Ottawa area and visited the Algarve with my wife and teenage kids this Summer. We did a combination of hotels and airbnb. In all instances the hotels were better choices. Can I ask which Apart hotels you’ve chosen and what websites you find with best pricing? Have you tried to call the hotel directly to see if you can get even better pricing? Please report back after your stay if you’d recommend them. I’m planning to spend my winters in the Algarve, I’m over Ottawa winters
We had electronics stolen from our ABB rental in Barcelona, we don’t know how they got in, we suspect poor key control. The owner said we must’ve have locked the door properly, no responsibility. We did some digging and turns out there had been a robbery a few months earlier, with the same story. Never again. 😢
Someone was going to a wedding. He stayed at a B&B. IT was close to the BEACH in San Diego. Accommodations consisted of a bed at back of a garage. It got worse. Something similar to a stay in Eastern Europe. Nightly charge was round $1200 per night!
We have found the same thing with the AirBnB. Really they are pricing themselves out of business! We are like you... we will just search alternatives! Love watching your videos and your sound advice.👍
In Portugal a typical AirBNB will need a Government licence called 'Alojamento Local' (if they are doing it legally) and they must display that license by the door in blue letters, about 15cm2, and they say AL. The host has to pay for this licence, and there is 35% tax on the fees. Then the host has to pay AIRBNB fees, and then you have to pay AIRBNB fees aswell. No wonder they are no longer cheap. So I agree with you. In Portugal in particular, AIRBNB is not what it was, but I never liked them anyway because of the variability in what you got. I wasn't comfortable with the various risks. The Portuguese Government are trying to discourage AirBNB's now because they have a serious housing crisis in Portugal, and these 'AL's were taking up residential housing stock. As you say, in winter especially, an Apartmento Hotel is a better bet for many reasons. I am in fact in the Algarve now for a 3 week stay and it has been amazing weather with azure blue skies and 22c highs. I have got a tan in November. I also have found with Portugal you often get a better deal when you are here. For the apartmento hotel I am in now I booked the first 3 nights in the UK, then booked the rest after I arrived. There is no shortage of accomodation in the winter. Quite the opposite. The Canadian snow birds are already beginning to arrive! Anyhow enjoy your travels.
Thank you for this information. It's really nice to know the difference. Tina, you usually look beautiful, but on this video, you look extra beautiful. Did you change your hairstyle or something? As usual, great information.
Thank you Norm and Tina.... this is valuable information and I feel the same way.... too many fees. We've used many Air BNB's and our primary complaint is cleaning fees and admin fees....We've always left the place cleaner than when we arrived. Have yet to experience an owner cancellation but this has heightened my change of mind to use other alternatives....
I've been done w Airbnb for numerous reasons. They're way overpriced, lack services of hotel and most of all its impossible to know location before booking. That is just pure insanity. I'll never airbnb again. I get loads of hotel points and credit card points. Fees on airbnb are outrageous. I agree on security too.
fabulous video...excellent content...one thing you didnt mention about airbnb is that you never meet the host anymore....you just collect the key from a secure box attatch to a railing outside the property....airbnb was great once upon a time when people did rent out a spare room, but now cooperations buy huge amounts of apartments/flats/houses. this has created mass housing shortage ie Edinburgh..the housing shortage available to rent/buy is in a chronic situation....as its now all airbnb...is huge business....no longer a person making a little extra income. no place for locals to live anymore
Our last Airbnb experience was bad. We left the place cleaner than we found it and were accused of leaving it messy and leaving dog hair (no dogs) by their cleaning person. I think Airbnb was great when we were traveling with children but for a couple hotels are much cheaper especially if the room has a kitchen.
Most hotels have elevators too. Good for my arthritis. My hometown has one hotel with an elevator. We always stay there. Keep up your TH-cam interesting conversations. 🎉❤
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We gave up on AirBnB due to the cleaning fee and cancelation issue as well. We joined Choice Hotels program. It's free and they have several hotel brands. We love Comfort Inn Suites. Prices vary depending on the city. We earn points toward free stays and free breakfast is included. We do our short trips mid-week because prices drop dramatically at that time.
Totally agree with you we like Comfort too we always go for one with breakfast included, yes we keep forgetting about going mid week ! got caught this time on a Saturday night 😱have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦🍷🍁🇺🇸🍻🙂
Yes the cleaning fees plus the long lists of all the things to do before checking out!
Airbnb fees are ridiculous and the fact that hosts are allowed to cancel at short notice has made me stay away from them.
I agree with most everything you both said regarding air b&b and hotel/apartments. My experiences have been similar to yours. One thing I would like to add (as a resident of Maui Hawaii). Air b&b's take home rentals away and off the market for local residents contributing to lack of housing for people that live and work in the location you are visiting. This a very apparent now in Maui after the fires displaced over 6000 people. As a matter of fact, our Mayor is asking air b&b owners to rent long term to those displaced. If they do not comply, our Mayor has stated he can force them to stop short term air b&b rentals in order to free up rentals for families here.
Very interesting Nancy thanks for sharing Cheers ☕️🙂🍁🇺🇸🇨🇦
We loved Airbnb driving through New England in the Fall and stayed in log cabins.
That sounds awesome 👏
It's looking like the bloom is off the rose for Airbnb for many reasons.
It seems that way have a great weekend Cheers 🙂🍁☕️
If you are going to travel indefinately, as in ... live as a Nomad.. .hotels are NOT an option. Not even remotely close. For long term stays, with cooking and laundry, you would go broke if you weren't exceptionally wealthy if you were living on the road. We have had little to no issues, only 1 bad experience in many, MANY, airbnb bookings. The type of life we have, is not suited to a hotel. I'd like to sit on my own terrace or patio at night or in the day. I want to cook my own meals and live in the place. A hotel room is never like that, and certainly NOT at the same price point.
And we are not talking about north american travel. WE can live for an entire month in many cities for what a week of hotel rates would cost. Insane.
BTW it’s ridiculous to cancel a guest’s reservation for your family. I consider a guest reservation a commitment short of an emergency. However, when a guest cancels there’s no “black mark” on the guest’s records. I’m an Airbnb host and have a 5-star rating. I have no checkout requirements, but just a few optional tasks. I’ve studied local hotel rates and make certain that my rates are competitive. I think that’s important in terms of making the stay a pleasure. .
Yes there is a black mark for guest cancellations, financially
@@ThisIsOurRetirement I’m not aware of any penalties. I’ve had a few guests cancel within the recommended time period without incurring any financial losses. I only require a full day’s notice. However, there are hosts that have different cancellation policies and, if those aren’t followed, then they may lose all or part of their payment. Reading the fine print is important. This past fall I was in the hospital when a guest arrived. The following month he contacted me to tell me that he had arrived a day later than planned and had attempted to change his reservation a full day before. I was not available to approve this change, however. I contacted Airbnb and we were able to take care of this retroactively and the guest received a full night’s refund. It appears that you’ve experienced some rigid hosts, which is regrettable. Airbnb actually provides host with many tools and more than adequate latitude to serve up a hospitable experience. Also, Airbnb has safety requirements and encourages the use of cameras and to notify guests of such. I will inform you that I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels that did not measure up to cleanliness, comfort and safety standards. Airbnb offers many different experiences. Check out Trip Advisor to verify where the worthy lodgings are located.
It's great that you guys do intermittent fasting. I've been doing IF for about 4 years now and it has helped me totally transform my health, I lost over 60 pounds and lowered my BP and cholesterol. I absolutely love it! I found it much better to just make it my normal daily routine, rather than just once in a while and I no longer even want to eat breakfast. The health and longevity benefits are off the charts, as I'm sure you know. Good for you!
Our blood pressure is back to normal
You’ve shared great info! I think the AirBnBs have lost their minds! I’m for hotels and will do this in the future. Thanks for your tips.
Glad it was helpful Niki!
I use both small boutiue hotels and AirBnb. However, another option that you did not include here is Hostels. I have had some great experiences in Hostels, can often book a private room, may be cheaper and I tend to more easily meet people.
Sorry guys we had housekeeping in our Airbnb and our apartment in Lagos had incredible security.
This summer we stayed many nights in hotels and apartments all over Europe. When we stayed in apartments I frequently checked listings on both AirBnB and Booking and, when they were listed on both sites, they were invariably cheaper on Booking. We enjoyed our AirBnB stays but we also quit using them some years ago.
Thanks for sharing!have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦🙂🍁🍷☕️🇵🇹🇺🇸🇨🇦
Another gripe about AirB&B is that they diguise of the admin fee until the end, making the per night stay for comparison purposes meaningless.
By the way thank you so much for your videos. My partner and I enjoy both of you so much.
We are now located in Porto and have used your advice generally and some specifically in our travels. Please keep up the good work
We have rented Airbnbs over a half dozen times. Minimal issues & we have always found them more affordable than hotels because we travel with our dogs. I've never had any of them cancel on us (knock on wood). And I've never been hit with extra charges at the end. One place was even decked out with dog treats & dishes & even dog first aid! We prefer to take our camper but it wasn't available much of the last 3 years. So far most of ours have been in Texas & New Mexico. And all individually owned except for one in Colorado. Thankful we have had good experiences!
Airbnb served me well in its early days, location was key for me, hotels couldn’t compete. Now I’m back to hotels and apart/hotels. I tend to prefer smaller boutique hotels as opposed to larger chains.
Absolutely love you guys! My husband, and I finally retired at age 70 and can’t wait for our first trip to Portugal. Thanks to him we have lots of great information.❤
Enjoy your retirement! ❤
That is awesome! congratulations 🥳 enjoy your trip to Portugal 🇵🇹
Food for thought! We don’t usually do a lot of cooking in our Airbnb but a kitchen is a real perk for us. It’s that really early morning coffee and late night cup of tea that we can make ourselves is an absolute must for us. We haven’t found many kitchens in hotel rentals.
Look for top-rated hosts (superhosts) and listings with high ratings and you can still find deals on Airbnb compared to hotels. As a host, my main advantage is that no hotel in my area will accommodate 6-10 people for even close to the same price. The cleaning fee is what I have to pay to clean the place (and I still have to do about 6 hours of work between guests). In my city, all the Airbnb hosts of short term rentals are now only renting their primary residence, and so these are local owners, often retirees like yourselves, who are doing what they can to pay their mortgages or to make some small income.
Agree wholeheartedly about AirBNB. Our 1 and only experience was horrible! And just recently a coworker checked into a Lakehouse Airbnb that was rodent infested and the vermin chewed through the food she had brought for the week within an hour of her being there!!! They wouldn’t even refund her money!
Sorry to hear that not good have a great weekend Cheers 🍁🙂☕️
We've been using AirBnB for many years. Is every stay perfect? No. But the host has rectified the issue. Only had 1 cancellation due to a flood in the unit. I like the option to cook meals. I feel this offsets any additional costs that AirBnB may charge. I agree that a hotel with a kitchen would be comparable. I will continue to use AirBnB for now.
We’ve only ever stayed at an Airbnb once. It was last March and we were with our daughter two teenage grandsons and a dog, exploring northern Vancouver Island. It was a great experience to have home to come back to after our day trips. Beautiful 2 bedroom cottage with all conveniences. The cost was a little more than 2 hotel rooms but so nice to be able to eat at home and be together.
When we travel in Europe we like using bed and breakfasts. Some have been lovely apartment spaces with kitchens.
This past summer we were in the interior of BC and we’re appalled at how name brand hotels have gotten so expensive since the pandemic, without housekeeping services. I realize that there is a staffing shortage, but all we seem to pay for is the room, no bed making even, which is the one thing we live to have when we’re away. We ended up staying at small
motels along the way, which was much cheaper (though still expensive) and more friendly.
Looking forward to an Alaska cruise in 2024 and some road trips in BC. Maybe try a b and b in BC. Thanks for all the great information you give us, Tina and Norm. ❤️🇨🇦
We also were early adopters of Airbnb, our first stay was 2013. I love(d) so many things about Airbnb, like the personalized decor, home-y touches, and cooking "at home" during our trips abroad. (Shopping at a local grocery store is a cultural experience in and of itself.) We had problems last year, though, that have made us far more cautious about using them again in the future. I'm hopeful we'll continue to find good options for long term stays on other platforms ... VRBO, Flipkey, and others. For us, live and in-person host-contact during our stay is a must, as are fully stocked kitchens, and in-unit laundry (or laundromat nearby). We worry that Apart-hotels will make us feel more like tourists rather than visitors seeking an in-depth cultural experience.
Hello Mr. Norm & Mrs. Tina !!
I really enjoy your TH-cam channel 😊 I just wanted to let you know the Drury Inn & Suites in the US offer a great affordable experience.
Safe environment, friendly staff as well as free Hot Breakfast and evening Kickback 5:30pm-7:00pm and 3 free drinks per night (wine,beer and alcohol) !!
I hope this information is helpful and please know that we ❤❤ you all in the USA
Stay safe and remember to Travel Happy :)
Have to agree here. We have stayed in a Drury facility with a great experience all around. The Kickback buffet was adequate for us as dinner! The offerings change each night of the week, too.
We have stayed at the Drury Inn, it’s a great option
Thanks for sharing Cathy we actually stayed in Drury inn in Frankenmuth and really enjoyed it have a wonderful weekend 🇺🇸🍁🍷🇨🇦
Thank you for sharing good places that somobody alrady was there, maybe that could be one of the topics for this channel.❤️🇨🇦
Thank you guys. What a beneficial, informative video. You have opened our eyes. We have recently retired (we live in Sydney) and looking to do a lot more traveling economically to stretch the dollars. This really helps avoid the pitfalls. I think when the investors started moving into Airbnb then they are wired to extract the maximum value for themselves. It would be good to be able to differentiate between a private home, owner Airbnb and an investor or business Airbnb. Not sure that’s possible to do through the airbnb website. Thank you very much. Jackie & Liam from Oz.
Thanks for watching ☕️🙂
Airbnbs are still working for us. We have been doing month long visits n Palm Springs. Some very nice places with full kitchen and numerous pools plus pickleball. Close to golfing and hiking. I still find Airbnbs reasonable and have been lucky to not have any cancellations in over 10 years.
My husband and I love Apartment Hotels and we had a great one with a washer this fall in Cordoba, Spain. They are our first choice for accommodations but sometimes we will pick a private apartment because of a preferred location, view, or experience at the location. I choose these very carefully but so far have not had any major issues. I am very much looking forward to hearing about your stay in Portugal this winter. Bom Dia !!!
We have stayed in bed and breakfasts in the past in Maine, NYC and upstate NY. Don’t remember if they were with Air B and B or not but none had safes or even locks on the room. It was a pain taking valuable items to lock in the car when we went out. One had no closet. Carole
That can be a problem Carole doesn’t make you feel too safe 🤔🌺
AirBnB's are ok for a cottage or year long rentals but all too often they tie up locals looking for rentals or a property to buy. Driving up prices. A once great idea now all to often causes to many problems.
We agree that homes being bought for short term rentals does make it difficult for locals to afford property.
We have just booked a 3 week stay in Aruba @ an AirBNB. This will be our longest stay in an AirBNB. By far the cheapest option for a longer term stay that we could find. Hotel offerings can't come anywhere near the price, and it includes a pool! Guess we'll see if it was worth it soon enough. 😃
We hope you have a wonderful time we would agree Aruba is a very expensive place to visit have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🍁☕️🍷🍻🙂
Our longest airbnb stay was 10days here in the states. Access to a pool. Was a great experience, hope yours is too.
@@candyboyer Thanks!🤞
Hotels , free WiFi, breakfast, aircon, cleaning , coffee , no deposit , HELP & information at the desk.
AND if you have a problem with your room at a hotel you just move to another room, and other people are AROUND to chat with.👍
I run an air b and b from a separate suite in our home on Vancouver Island, Canada - we keep our prices lower than the hotels and only charge a minimum for cleaning - we have been super hosts for 2 years now and go above and beyond for our guests - please don’t give up on air b and b - not all of us are greedy and uncaring 😃
Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦☕️🙂
We run an Airbnb in Nova scotia.We rent a small cabin on our farm .Our price are lower and like you it is very important that our guess are comfortable and have a good experience...We have been doing this for 10 plus years and notice a difference in client also....We don't charge a cleaning fee but the first thing on the list as you enter the cabin A cleaning fee might need to get charged .We only had to charge a few time....usually with a picture sent to airbnb and the client will get that settled.
We also stay at an apart hotel in Albufeira. We are there from mid January to March 23. Maybe we can meet up for a drink
Thanks for watching Julie have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇵🇹☕️🍷🍁🙂🇨🇦
Just want to say, you guys have the most informative, and pleasant videos to watch. Keep up the good work, and happy travels.
Our pleasure!🙂
Enjoy your videos and Norm's Rush (my favorite band) shirts! I am a VRBO landlord and won't deal with AirBnB for the reasons you mention and other shady practices. VRBO isn't much better with respect to questionable fees but has served me well enough so far. With all due respect, let me offer my perspective. Let's suppose someone says "I'll rent your place for the month of December." and then cancels on me in late Nov. It's going to be very difficult for me to get replacement renters at that late hour. A 50% deposit at the time of booking is necessary to separate the serious commitments from the window shoppers. Easiest way to explain finances is that I pay close to 100% of the mortgage with renters covering the rest (insurance, utilities, maintenance, etc). The only profit I am going to make is when I sell the place which is a while down the road. I am a small-time operator and don't have the deep pockets hotels have for weathering surprise cancellations. Even so, I am happy to say most of my reviews are 5 stars! Thanks for reading.
Food for thought, thanks very much. 😎😎😎
Hi Tina & Norm, we have been using AirBnB for a long time now. Generally, we did not have any issues, except two not so good experiences - In 2018 we traveled from Portugal to Spain and booked an airbnb in Seville. The host did not show up at the meeting point( this was a Saturday) we tried to call the host again and again without any success and we lost a full day of our vacation. At the end, Airbnb booked us a hotel and we were told that the host's telephone number was his office phone. Secondly, last year we traveled to Berlin, Germany. The four bedroom apartment had everything in it, but was infested with mosquitos and bed sheets in one bed room were dirty and stained. We did get a partial refund at the end though. We do not use AIRBNB in PT, but a local long lets service. For two months of stay early this year, our utilities bill was 650 Euros.
Love the t-shirts. Do you collect vinyl records at all?
We have a collection from back in the day
I saw your video earlier and found it very interesting. I sent a comment, but I guess it didn't post. We have a rental unit in Myrtle Beach and use a local management company. Even though they advertise through many of the other ways like airbnb and verbo, if you contact the management co directly, you can skip the large "booking" fees and huge cleaning fees. When we book at other countries and Puerto Rico, we search out the local management companies at those locations to get some of the same places as advertised on other sites and deal directly with them to get better placers at lower costs.
👍👍👏
Airbnbs are still our preferred accommodation and for the most part have been great for us as long as you are aware what to search for, when to book, what information to look for and I only book ones with free cancellation. We travelled for 6 months straight from Mexico, Portugal and Spain in 2022 to early 2023 and I'd say 90% were Airbnbs and 10% hotels. We're going back for 2 months this winter in Portugal and Spain and we have booked only 1 night in a hotel - the rest are airbnbs. Having ready access to a full kitchen and washing machine is our preference.
Thank you for your videos! We booked hotels instead of AirBnB lately for our trips as well.
Good choice!
Hey 👋 Norm & Tina!
AirBnb is not my go to anymore.
Uber, DoorDash, those card readers the merchant flips around for you to add a tip- what a racket!! I don’t care for the attempt at shaming, or threats to my food or poor ratings by a car service. How did we get to this point?
Anyway…
I knew you were talking about Hilton Honors when you mentioned the breakfast. Aww, that, plus a mid-afternoon meal wherever we’ve travelled for the past 20 years is the way to go. Others prefer Marriott. We go with Hilton- looking forward to our next vacation in retirement- this sitting around is exhausting!!!
We like both Hilton and Marriott Eric and always want one with breakfast if we find one with Happy Hour 🍻 🍷that’s a big plus for us . Hope you are both having a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇺🇸🍷☕️🇨🇦🙂
you may be right about Portugil or Europe altogether, but in Hawaii AirbnB still beats hotels on way cheaper and comfortable stay. we usually go with one bedroom two bathrom accomodation. If you would like to have something similar in hotel in Maui you would pay 1500 CAD per night. NO kitchenet. So, on the top of that you have to pay for restaurant, which adds another 500CAD per day for 2. BnB would be around 300 CAD per night. which is not even comparible
Thanks for sharing ☕️🙂🍁
They aren't right about Europe. Air BNB is still the way to go.
I agree. We only use Airbnb for short stays 2/3 nights. We stay mostly in Aparthotels. We love having a bar and as you say a pool.
Hi Mary, it is good to have some common areas like bars, restaurants to be able to socialize too.
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Exactly
We quit using AirBnb due to the high cost and lack of consistency between renters. When you go to a Holiday Inn Express in Charleston, SC or Houston, Texas, you know what to expect. Not so with the AirBnb properties, what you find runs the gamut from hot breakfast and homemade snacks to Little Debbie cakes in a box on the counter or absolute nothing at all. We even found properties with serious security concerns. When we brought it to the owner’s attention, he found a way to block our after-stay feedback. “Nay, nay, stay away!”
Yes we have had concerns too
In canada gov't will be charging extra for taxes on air b&bs if they make a certain amount per year. This is to pursuade the owners to rent out the property fulltime instead in a housing crisis. I think the cleaning fee is crazy. Thanks for the video stating the differences.
Thanks for sharing Cheers 🍁🙂☕️
We're Canadian. The housing situation is ridiculous, but what makes it even worse IS the government interfering with short term rentals. Not everyone wants to sign a 1 year lease to rent a place to live. We don't all live in one spot and work at a job. We'd like to live in a place for 3 months and move on. Getting rid of that, creates a problem... and not for us, because we can just move elsewhere where we are welcome.
I will not stay in an Airbnb due to the extra fees and the shady hosts, and the lack of facilities.
We reached the same opinion Mike.
In 5 years of running my airbnb and have never cancelled. We clean every 2 weeks and give fresh towels and clean sheets weekly. Well stocked kitchen. We are responsive to our clients requests. I charge $100 less a night than hotels.
Hotels only. The Hilton collection in Rome and other places in Europe. Never did Air BNB.
Sounds good Johnny 🙂🍁☕️
We've just about given up on AirBnB in the US... As you said, not usually cheaper and have had a few where the description/images were significantly tweaked to be more positive than the room was in reality...
So we've gone back to hotels in a lot of areas...
That said, we just got back from a vacation stay in Cape Town (Kalk Bay) and used an AirBnB which was great...
So we are just much more cautious about AirBnB, but haven't totally shut them out...
As for laundry, the AirBnB we stayed at had laundry. A lot of hotels don't have washer/dryers available and hotel laundry is really expensive. So when we stay at a hotel, I frequently have to find a laundromat hopefully nearby to use...
Check out Drury Inn while staying in the states free hot breakfast, free happy hour cocktails and hot dinner .
Thank you we have stayed at them once and they are great Jay Cheers 🇺🇸🍁☕️🙂🍷🇨🇦
Interesting comments. I do both. I agree the VRBO fees and owner cleaning fees have gotten ridiculous. It’s almost a bait and switch affair. Motels fees are more straightforward. Value wise I view motels as more reasonable, but you often don’t get the kitchen.
AirBnBs are great for welcoming dogs and cats. Many have a “ pets welcome” policy
We have had good luck in North Carolina in the USA with Airbnbs. We usually have 4 people and we like separated bedrooms and a kitchen and for long stays a washer/dryer. I try to read the reviews carefully to check out the places. We cook in at least 2 meals while on vacations. Multiple hotel rooms plus more meals out is more expensive. I have read about some bad experiences however.
Thanks for sharing! yes a washer and dryer is good Lynn but a lot of hotels have that too , we cook most of our meals where we are staying as we prefer it Cheers 🍁🙂☕️🇺🇸🇨🇦
I quit using AirBnb a few years ago. I had a couple of bad experiences with customer service. And, now, all the add on costs are ridiculous. I use hotels now and am very happy w/o worry about anything.
Excellent content! Years ago we found a family run apartment hotel at the coast. Was never tempted to ditch it for a more glamorous Air B&B. The simple fee structure and housekeeping services can't be beat.
That is awesome! have a great weekend Will Cheers 🙂🍁🇺🇸🇨🇦☕️
Would you mind sharing the name of this hotel?
We are spoilt for choice these days with the various options for accommodation while traveling, from Hotels, Apartment Hotels, AirBnb, VRBO etc.
My only ARBNB experience was a bust too... I arrived at 8:30 pm and the unit was flooded out...oh the joys of trying to find a place to stay at 9 pm during the height of tourist season.
I so agree with you. My husband and I were also early AirBnB travelers, but now we are doing only hotels for all the reasons you mentioned. Have safe travels this winter, and I can't wait to hear about your Portugal stay.
Thanks Debbie we are looking forward to being back in Portugal 🇵🇹 this Winter 🥶 Cheers 🇵🇹🍷🇨🇦🍁🙂
Totally agree. I still use VRBO but I'm careful to watch the fees and the timing of the payments required.
AirBnB and Hotel industry are competitors. Competition pendulum swings back and forth. So long it is genuine competition, it benefits consumers.
Yes they are but things are changing big time in favour of Hotels , customers are loosing all confidence in AirBandB due to high fees and cancellations going forward we are going Hotel Apartments Cheers 🍷🇨🇦☕️🇵🇹🍻🇺🇸
We've used Airbnb twice, once in 2018 and the second time in 2021. Both times we had a very positive experience. Don't know what is happening to Airbnb now. We are hoping to travel this summer. I'll have to do my homework now.
We will be in NZ next year and chose apartment hotels rather than Airbnb for exactly the reasons you stated. Enjoy your trips and thank you for posting this video.
Have fun in NZ, a wonderful country 🇳🇿
Wow Tina and Norm. This was your best video yet! We’ve never used an Airbnb but we have used VRBO. After your list of all the cons for using an Airbnb, you wonder why anyone would use one. What a rip off. I was surprised when you said that some Airbnb’s do not have laundry facilities. If you are staying somewhere for over a month, that is a real hardship trying to find a laundromat in a foreign country. The other big plus you mentioned about getting an apartment in a hotel is the amenities. A pool would definitely be nice. Thanks for mentioning these.
Thanks for sharing Cecilia lots don’t t have laundry but hotels do Cheers 🙂☕️🍁
Why is it that these new companies suddenly turn crazy greedy once they start to see some success? When is it ever enough? I’ve had it!
We don’t know
I tried airbnb a few times, great choice for towns or cities without many hotels. However, given that I normally travel with my dogs, I much prefer hotel chains like Best Western where you know what you are getting, the standards are known, and you earn points for future stays.
AIRBNB in Italy was a bad experience. Some declared that government needs my passport copy for verification but they awfully assigned their house keeper to take photo on my passport with their smart phone. But Airbnb not responsible for that! Very uncomfortable!
Great video guys! If you can’t tell us where you are staying in Portugal, could you pls give us a tip on where to find good hotel-apartments? Thanks guys.
Bob
Great question ❤ I am interested too, it would help for the first time going there.
We Google hotels with Apartments Bob and they all come up on Expedia , booking.com , Tripadvisor etc or call direct Cheers ☕️🙂🇵🇹🇨🇦
Funny story - one of the ads that played when I clicked on your video is a AirBnB ad. Anyway, I’ve been hearing the same thing on some other You Tube channels. I have had good luck with VRBO, but I think may be a bit more expensive - but I haven’t retired yet and I typically rent with friends and split the cost. I do plan to travel more when retiring in a year or two and will look into hotel apartments because my budget will be lower than it is now.
That is funny have a great weekend Cheers 🍁🙂☕️
Great video as always guys.thank you for the advice. We are already booked for our upcoming trip to Portugal hope our ABnB doesn’t cancel on us 😮we are booked on both hotels too. Looking forward to seeing your next video.
Our pleasure Carmen we hope you both have a great time in Portugal 🇵🇹 too have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇺🇸🍷🍁🙂🇨🇦🇵🇹
Hey Tina and Norm, I am watching your video while sitting in the same hotel in Albufera that you have stayed in a few years ago. We love it. Will be moving to a pool/ocean view room on Monday for the rest of our stay. Sorry to miss you as we will be leaving December 12th.
Oh wow! so glad you are enjoying it we did love the pool view 👍yes sorry we won’t meet but glad you are having an awesome time we can’t wait to be back there this Winter not long to go now Cheers 🇵🇹🍁☕️🍷🇨🇦🇺🇸
Where are you staying? Would love a good place to start, especially since both you and Tina & Norm liked it. Thanks
Please, where is it as we would like to go for the first time and would be more comfortable to go to something what is already checked. Please and thank you❤️🇨🇦
I guess AirBnB owners have also suffered from guests who steal everything or destroy it. Hence the minimalist approach. 😥
Great presentation! I stayed in a hotel last weekend and had a great experience. I don’t want to deal the cleaning fees or cancellations. I also feel safer in a hotel.
Seems to be happening across the board at the moment, price hikes etc. I have seen a lot of hotels are now charging for the room, with added, non optional charges for the gym, the tea & coffee, the pool, the launderette and more, facilities that used to come as part of the room charge, which remains unchanged. Friends are going to New York in December and have suddenly had a $50 additional charge per night applied which you have to pay or not stay.
I offer a modest bedroom on Airbnb (Sydney), no cleaning fee, (for women only, but I'd make an exception for you two as a couple), I've been following your gem videos for some time. Sad to hear how Airbnb is turning out for you, and I get it, it's the real estate/investors... I'd love to have your visit... who knows?:) You would be most welcome.
Sounds great! but don’t think we will be visiting Australia 🇦🇺 anytime soon have a great weekend Cheers 🍁🙂☕️
We have stayed in some really nice log cabins in Alberta with Airbnb and Vbro. I don't agree with the cleaning fees though.
Nice conversation! There are definitely pros & cons
Yes there are!
Ouch! I have been a Short Term Rental host for 30 years. Long before Airbnb or VBRO. I have never cancelled on a guest and I do not ask my guest to do anything but take out the garbage as they check out. My kitchen is as well equipped as my main residence is and I get lots of compliments on how well stocked it is. The platforms charge a fee but I wish more guests would simply go to google maps or google my property’s name and book directly with me to save those fees. That is the way I did my bookings for many years. Ours home can accommodate a couple or 3 or 4 families and the experience cannot be compared to each family staying in separate hotel rooms and staying in our house is certainly less expensive.
Thanks for sharing your experience
Your type of rental is fortunately what we have found most of the time in Airbnbs.
@@candyboyer same here
Totally agree with you. Don't stay in AirBnB where I can book a hotel. Sometimes, somewhere on a island only AirBNB available only (like in BC, Canada)
Great comment Oleg Cheers 🙂☕️🍁
For me, having laundry facilities in the unit is a game-changer. It makes it possible to travel with minimal luggage. We're still choosing Airbnbs for that reason alone.
We always travel with just carry on too Carol so agree , but either the hotel has it on there is one very near Cheers 🙂☕️🍁🍷
@@ThisIsOurRetirement When we were in Spain last year all the hotels we stayed at had a laundromat within a block of the hotel. Doing laundry when staying at a hotel hasn't been an issue for us either.
Another great video Norm & Tina. Many Thanks. I have never stayed in an AirBnB and I will never stay in one of those. I love staying in hotels...!!! Safe travels to US & Portugal...!!!
Glad you enjoyed it have a great weekend Terry Cheers 🇵🇹☕️🙂🇺🇸🇨🇦🍷🍁
Excellent points you bring up. I completely agree. The airBnB thing has lost its sizzle. I happen to be Portuguese living in the Ottawa area and visited the Algarve with my wife and teenage kids this Summer. We did a combination of hotels and airbnb. In all instances the hotels were better choices. Can I ask which Apart hotels you’ve chosen and what websites you find with best pricing? Have you tried to call the hotel directly to see if you can get even better pricing? Please report back after your stay if you’d recommend them. I’m planning to spend my winters in the Algarve, I’m over Ottawa winters
We had electronics stolen from our ABB rental in Barcelona, we don’t know how they got in, we suspect poor key control. The owner said we must’ve have locked the door properly, no responsibility. We did some digging and turns out there had been a robbery a few months earlier, with the same story. Never again. 😢
Someone was going to a wedding. He stayed at a B&B. IT was close to the BEACH in San Diego. Accommodations consisted of a bed at back of a garage. It got worse. Something
similar to a stay in Eastern Europe. Nightly charge was round $1200 per night!
Do your research before booking. Come on man!
We have found the same thing with the AirBnB. Really they are pricing themselves out of business! We are like you... we will just search alternatives! Love watching your videos and your sound advice.👍
In Portugal a typical AirBNB will need a Government licence called 'Alojamento Local' (if they are doing it legally) and they must display that license by the door in blue letters, about 15cm2, and they say AL. The host has to pay for this licence, and there is 35% tax on the fees. Then the host has to pay AIRBNB fees, and then you have to pay AIRBNB fees aswell. No wonder they are no longer cheap. So I agree with you. In Portugal in particular, AIRBNB is not what it was, but I never liked them anyway because of the variability in what you got. I wasn't comfortable with the various risks. The Portuguese Government are trying to discourage AirBNB's now because they have a serious housing crisis in Portugal, and these 'AL's were taking up residential housing stock. As you say, in winter especially, an Apartmento Hotel is a better bet for many reasons. I am in fact in the Algarve now for a 3 week stay and it has been amazing weather with azure blue skies and 22c highs. I have got a tan in November. I also have found with Portugal you often get a better deal when you are here. For the apartmento hotel I am in now I booked the first 3 nights in the UK, then booked the rest after I arrived. There is no shortage of accomodation in the winter. Quite the opposite. The Canadian snow birds are already beginning to arrive! Anyhow enjoy your travels.
I agree Airbnb are way too expensive. Love the idea of Aparthotels. Enjoy your trip.
You’ve had similar experiences to John and Bev of The Retirement Travelers. I appreciate the heads-up!
Another benefit of apthotels - can often get 2 keys. Helpful if want to do separate activity for a few hours.
So true Lisa have a great weekend Cheers ☕️🙂🍁🍷
Nowadays most Airbnb that I went to have a code number to be entered on the pad. No need fr key
Valuable info. Thanks 😊
Glad it was helpful! Cheers Denis 🍁🙂☕️
Thank you for this information. It's really nice to know the difference.
Tina, you usually look beautiful, but on this video, you look extra beautiful. Did you change your hairstyle or something?
As usual, great information.
You are so welcome! We filmed it the day after I went to my Italian hairdresser so thank you David for the nice comment have a great week Cheers 🍁🙂☕️🍷
Thank you Norm and Tina.... this is valuable information and I feel the same way.... too many fees. We've used many Air BNB's and our primary complaint is cleaning fees and admin fees....We've always left the place cleaner than when we arrived. Have yet to experience an owner cancellation but this has heightened my change of mind to use other alternatives....
Glad it was helpful! JoJo we are preferring hotel apartments at the moment Cheers 🍁🙂☕️
Agree with you on all aspects even fasting!😊
I was going to tell you about Mark’s!! lol. I work there 2 days a week now and thought of you. Early Black Friday sales on now so try them again! lol
Thank you Sheryl Cheers 🙂☕️🍁🍷
Very useful information guys.
Thank you 🙂🍁☕️
I've been done w Airbnb for numerous reasons. They're way overpriced, lack services of hotel and most of all its impossible to know location before booking. That is just pure insanity. I'll never airbnb again. I get loads of hotel points and credit card points. Fees on airbnb are outrageous. I agree on security too.
Thanks for sharing we like using Hotel points too have a great weekend Cheers 🍁🙂☕️
fabulous video...excellent content...one thing you didnt mention about airbnb is that you never meet the host anymore....you just collect the key from a secure box attatch to a railing outside the property....airbnb was great once upon a time when people did rent out a spare room, but now cooperations buy huge amounts of apartments/flats/houses. this has created mass housing shortage ie Edinburgh..the housing shortage available to rent/buy is in a chronic situation....as its now all airbnb...is huge business....no longer a person making a little extra income. no place for locals to live anymore
Thanks for all the field research you do so we don’t have to!😊
Our last Airbnb experience was bad. We left the place cleaner than we found it and were accused of leaving it messy and leaving dog hair (no dogs) by their cleaning person. I think Airbnb was great when we were traveling with children but for a couple hotels are much cheaper especially if the room has a kitchen.
Most hotels have elevators too. Good for my arthritis. My hometown has one hotel with an elevator. We always stay there. Keep up your TH-cam interesting conversations. 🎉❤