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HomeAway, the Airbnb Alternative

sue1947

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Or perhaps housekeeping is absorbed in the rental rate? Scam artists aside, if someone is inexperienced, does that typically result in problems for the guest such that it makes sense to filter out the listing altoghter?

How do you tell if it's a scam or not? If I have multiple choices, I'll deal with somebody with lots of reviews and whose listing indicates a thorough knowledge of the local area and requirements which includes taxes. How the listing is worded and what is included creates a first impression and determines whether I will pursue it further or not. So far, I've had lots of choices so I'll stick with those that indicate they have done this before and have a well thought out procedure as well as a knowledge of the local area.

Sue
 

Beefnot

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How do you tell if it's a scam or not? If I have multiple choices, I'll deal with somebody with lots of reviews and whose listing indicates a thorough knowledge of the local area and requirements which includes taxes. How the listing is worded and what is included creates a first impression and determines whether I will pursue it further or not. So far, I've had lots of choices so I'll stick with those that indicate they have done this before and have a well thought out procedure as well as a knowledge of the local area.

Sue

Fair enough. In my case, I don't particularly need my host to know anything about the local area or about whether to collect taxes or about the procedure for that matter. It helps, but not necessary. As long as I am paying via a protected method, I will do my own searches online about the local area, and whether the host pays taxes with the money I've paid them, that's their problem, not mine.
 

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Hadn't Heard of Airbnb

We use VRBO probably 3 times a year......(but I spend a lot of time checking out and marking spots for my bucket list).

I'm comfortable with the layout of the site....and I think I've gotten pretty good at knowing how to read a description, look at pictures, and ask the right questions; but it will be interesting to check out a new option.

I wasn't aware that VRBO and HomeAway were the same.....I know that their listings aren't exactly the same.......or maybe this has changed recently....?
 

easyrider

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Just recently looked at airbnb for Europe. It looks really good. I like that I can plan 4-5 nights and head somewhere else. Whats the downside ?

Bill
 

momeason

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One downside is after confirmed, you lose a significant processing fee if you cancel.
 

MULTIZ321

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Airbnb Takes New Funding at a $10 Billion Valuation - by Jim Edwards/ Tech/ BusinessInsider.com

"Airbnb, the service that lets people rent their houses, apartments and rooms over the Internet to strangers, has taken a $500 million round of new investment, which values the company at a staggering $10 billion, according to TechCrunch..."


brian-chesky-14.jpg

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky

That's an impressive amount of funding.


Richard
 

MULTIZ321

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Airbnb to Start Charging Hotel Taxes in a Handful of Cities - by Ben Trefny/ All Tech Considered/ NPR.org

"...David Hantman, the head of for Airbnb, says the company will soon start collecting and paying taxes in a few cities.

"In Portland and San Francisco and New York, we're looking at pilot projects to help collect and remit these taxes from guests, without the hosts having to worry about all the details," Hantman says..."


I don't think Airbnb is going away any time soon.


Richard
 

isisdave

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What are the taxes used for?

I'm not opposed to paying or collecting taxes in general, but I'd like to know what they're for. Often, a portion represents sales tax rates, but a further portion is used to promote hotel or convention business or the local convention center. For example, in nearby San Diego, the sales tax rate is 8% but the TOT is 14%. In years gone by, some of this was used to promote the arts, but I think now it mostly goes to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

My point is that if they're going to collect the same rate from AirBNB type places, they should promote them somehow too. If not, cut the rate a little.
 

MULTIZ321

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Airbnb And NY Attorney General Prepare to Meet in Court This Week - by Ryan Lawler/ Tech Crunch.com

"Airbnb will finally have its day in court in New York this week, as the first oral arguments related to a subpoena filed by the state’s Attorney General are expected to be heard on Tuesday.

Last fall, the Attorney General filed a subpoena for thousands of records related to hosts in New York in an effort to identify bad actors and illegal activity on the platform.

While Airbnb said that it is also committed to removing bad actors on its website, the company argued that the subpoena is “unreasonably broad” in the amount of information requested by the government, and filed a motion objecting to it.

On Tuesday, the two parties will meet in court to argue each of their positions..."

and in related news:
Airbnb Wipes 2,000 NY Listings Before Court Hearing - by Dara Kerr/ News/ Cnet.com

"As the online vacation rental service prepares to go up against New York’s attorney general, it announces it scrubbed thousands of iffy listings..."

and if you want to head to Brazil for the World Cup:
12 Amazing Airbnb Rentals in Brazil - by Madeline Stone/ Tech/ BusinessInsider.com

"The World Cup is fast approaching, and anyone planning to head down to Brazil should look into a place to stay, if they haven't already found one.

Renting from sites like Airbnb can be a great alternative to traditional hotels. They allow you to search by location and price point, in addition to offering a taste of local life.

We've created a list of some of the coolest Brazilian homes you can rent on Airbnb. They each have something amazing to offer, from beach access to gorgeous art..."



Richard
 

DebBrown

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Unless it's changed, AirBNB let's people rent out rooms in their homes, not just entire homes. I find that kinda creepy. When I searched my home town, I saw many spare bedrooms for rent. Of course, these alternatives are pretty inexpensive.

We rented a house for this summer in Spain. I spent a lot of time checking out details and references before sending the money. We originally planned to use timeshares in the Costa del Sol area but decided we preferred a different location and love the idea of a 5 bedroom house and private pool.

We've also rented homes in Montana a couple of times. I believe these were both with VRBO and ran into various problems with both. One had a bat infestation! Of course, these little adventures made the trips quite memorable.

Deb
 

MULTIZ321

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Airbnb Host Welcomes Travelers From All Over - by N.R. Kleinfield/ N.Y.-Region/ The New York Times.com

...Over the past 10 months, Mr. Naess has had a parade of 72 strangers living with him, respondents to his overture of: “Beautiful room for rent in Astoria” on the website Airbnb..."

Richard
 

MULTIZ321

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Hotel Association Takes Aim at Airbnb, But Airbnb Isn't Taking the Bait - by Jessica Plautz/ Lifestyle/ mashable.com

"The hotel industry is making a move in the growing battle between established companies and new, short-term rentals websites.

Airbnb, which has a valuation of around $10 billion, has been on hotel owners' radar for some time. But so far, the wildly successful short-term rental booking site has managed to avoid significant conflict with the industry..."


Richard
 

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Hotel Association Takes Aim at Airbnb, But Airbnb Isn't Taking the Bait - by Jessica Plautz/ Lifestyle/ mashable.com

"The hotel industry is making a move in the growing battle between established companies and new, short-term rentals websites.

Airbnb, which has a valuation of around $10 billion, has been on hotel owners' radar for some time. But so far, the wildly successful short-term rental booking site has managed to avoid significant conflict with the industry..."

Richard


Holy crap, from following one of the linked articles, I am now pretty sure that one of my repeat clients has been operating, or is the pawn for, a temporary brothel.
 

MULTIZ321

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Airbnb Poised for Boom Among Business Travelers - by Benjamin Snyder/ Tech/ Fortune/ CNNMoney/ cnn.com

"The online housing rental service Airbnb appears poised for a future boom, especially for travelers on business. At least, that's what Concur's (CNQR) Tim MacDonald, an executive vice president, believes.

Concur, which has more than 22 million customers around the world, touts itself as an "easy-to-use business travel and expense management" software. "We're seeing Airbnb going from zero two years ago to $1 million this quarter" in corporate expense reports, MacDonald told CNBC..."

and

New York Attorney General Issues New Subpoena in Airbnb Case - by Benjamin Snyder/ Tech/ Fortune/ CNNMoney/ cnn.com

Despite losing in court yesterday, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has issued another subpoena against Airbnb for user records.

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New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman tries once more to get Airbnb's user information

Richard
 

Beefnot

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If airbnb makes a significant inroads into the business market, there is going to be hell to pay. The hotels ain't gonna take that lying down.

Another opportunity for airbnb is developing a full service residential property leasing offering: e.g,. listing, credit checks, and robust review/rating system whereby landlords can better familiarize themselves who they are entering into leasing agreeemnts with.
 

MULTIZ321

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New York Attorney General, Airbnb Reach Settlement Over User Records Subpoena - by Tom Huddleston/ Tech/ Fortune/ cnn.com

"Schneiderman's deputy attorney general, Janet Sabel, and Airbnb deputy general counsel Darren Weingard issued a joint statement Wednesday morning announcing the fact that the two sides have come to terms: "Airbnb and the Office of the Attorney General have worked tirelessly over the past six months to come to an agreement that appropriately balances Attorney General Schneiderman's commitment to protecting New York's residents and tourists from illegal hotels with Airbnb's concerns about the privacy of thousands of other hosts. The arrangement we have reached today for compliance with the OAG subpoena strikes this balance."..."


Richard
 

SnowDogDad

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Interesting news about the new policy to begin collecting taxes in SF and Portland. We are renting a house in OR this August through airbnb. I agree, this new policy has the potential to make hosting and renting in those areas much less appealing. It seems this could backfire on airbnb if competitors (vrbo, etc.) aren't charging taxes.

I think this is a recurring theme with a lot of municipalities. I read somewhere recently about NYC starting to monitor AirBNB and VRBO, contacting owners, and fining people for not paying transient taxes.

I have an acquaintance that works in a transient accommodations tax office. This particular municipality passed a law that states all advertisements must have the tax ID on them. And now the people in his office spend part of their day perusing Craig's List, VRBO, Vacation Home Rentals, AirBNB, FlipKey, and just Googling looking for offenders.
 
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MULTIZ321

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Airbnb's Promise: Every Man and Woman a Hotelier - by Ginia Bellafante/ N.Y. Region/ The New York Times.com

"In recent weeks, Airbnb, the online lodging site and popular Silicon Valley emblem of the sharing-loving-trusting-hugging-anyone-can-be-Conrad-Hilton economy, unveiled a promotional campaign in New York aimed at getting doubters to see what a valuable social function the company performs. In a series of ads, visible mostly in subway stations, Airbnb hosts of various races and creeds are depicted in the unpretentious living quarters they rent out — in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, in Astoria, Queens — over text explaining that Airbnb not only provides tens of thousands of New Yorkers with supplemental income, but also “strengthens our communities.” ..."


06BIG-master675.jpg

Recent advertisements in New York City for Airbnb, the online lodging site, portray the business as a valuable community service. Credit Andrew Renneisen/The New York Times


Richard
 

Beefnot

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Odd that they say these changes are coming, because these changes have been in place for at least a month.
 

MULTIZ321

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Airbnb Unveils it's New Identity, Reimagines it's Entire Product Experience:
http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/16/airbnb-redesign/ - by Harrison Weber/ VentureBeat.com


"Airbnb unveiled*a complete brand and product redesign today at*an exclusive event for top hosts and guests.

Airbnb calls its*new logo a*“multi-state moving identity,” and a “3D modular symbol” that’s “adaptive to environments,” as VentureBeat*revealed exclusively on Monday.*Airbnb*quietly announced the live-streamed event*last week..."


Note this news is more than a week old.

Richard
 

MULTIZ321

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Airbnb's New Logo Looks a Lot Like This Other Company's Logo [Updated]:
http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/16/airbnbs-new-logo-looks-a-lot-this-other-companys-logo/ - by Jordan Novet/ Lifestyle/ VentureBeat.com

"Airbnb and Automation Anywhere sent this joint statement to VentureBeat:

In early 2014 both Airbnb and Automation Anywhere began use of new logos that, by coincidence, have similar designs. Airbnb and Automation Anywhere are working cooperatively to address this issue, and Automation Anywhere is in the process of transitioning to a new logo design that is not similar to the Airbnb logo..."

Richard

...
 

MULTIZ321

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SAirbnb Drops Homejoy from Cleaning Trial, Handybrook Remains On in Three Test Markets: http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/21/airbnb-handybook/ - by Ryan Lawler/ Techcrunch.com

"Earlier this year, Airbnb began testing a cleaning service for hosts that would be offered at a slight discount to traditional maid services they’d book themselves. The idea was to improve the quality of the guest experience while offering a perk to hosts who frequently make their homes available to strangers.

On the flip side, it had the potential to drive incremental volume to a couple of cleaning startups that it had partnered with for the trial. Last week, however, it notified hosts that one of the two startups it had partnered with for the trial would no longer be available for booking.

The partner being left behind is Homejoy, while Handybook will remain on as part of the trial..."


Richard
 
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hvsteve1

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The downside of these services is if you're the neighbor in an apartment building, coop or condo and paid a fortune for your apartment and have this stream of strangers moving in and out.

And, did you see the recent story about an Airb&b customers moving into a lady's home and announcing he wasn't going to pay or leave? As he is considered a tenant, there is nothing she can legally do to evict him other than a long and costly legal battle. Once he squatted for a few weeks, he announced he now had eminent domain and owned her home, something else she had to hire a lawyer to deal with. Laws in many states, such as New York, give tenants all the rights and landlords almost none.

Still want to rent your home out to a stranger who signed up with a service on line?
 
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