We stayed at about 15 Airbnbs in US, Canada and Europe. We only stayed at entire private units. About 1/3 are very good/above expectation, about 1/3 are ok/meet expectation, about 1/3 are not so good/below expectation.
Pro
Much more spacious
Have kitchen, stove, fridge, some with microwave, washer, etc
Can be cheaper than hotel
Great for traveling with families and friends (we have stayed at 2/3/4 bedroom places)
Con
More logistic for check in/out, unlike most hotels have 24/7 reception desk and just walk in
Sometimes don't meet expectation, we stayed at lots of hotels and we had less surprises with hotels
When looking for Airbnb, we look for
Pictures that show everything, all rooms, all beds, all bathrooms (showing sinks, toilets, showers), etc
Reviews need to be overwhelming positive since there is usually not a lot of reviews unlike hotels
If it is much cheaper than usual, it is probably too good to be true
I agree with all of these points. I'd like to add that when I rate a property with anything less than 5 starts, the host has always dinged me in my review. Note that I was ranking them 4 out of 5 on cleanliness so not being terrible. In reviews, the code words that I look for are, "I would stay here again." Also, we much prefer to rent units that are not someone's lived in home as they can have too much clutter to allow us to unpack our suitcases. And pay attention to the bathroom photos; don't assume bathroom means "with toilet." Our last Airbnb in Paris had two bathrooms, but mine only had a bidet in it.
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