Last Updated: January 2025

Airbnb has become a popular choice for travelers looking for affordable places to stay, experience places as a local, and to meet others. Similar to VRBO and other similar sites, Airbnb connects those renting our rooms and properties to those looking to rent them. One of the things that makes Airbnb appealing is the app and its features; it is very easy to search and make reservations using the app.

While Airbnb has a lot of positive aspects to it, it also has a lot of negatives. In some cities, Airbnb is banned and I am sure you have heard horror stories about stays, last minute cancellations by the host and even fraud/identity theft committed via the app. In this post, I will discuss some key factors to consider when using Airbnb for accommodations to hopefully minimize the risk of negative experiences.

Reviews:

Airbnb has its own system to collect and share reviews. Much like Uber, guests and hosts can review their experience. But unlike TripAdvisor, only those who have stayed at the property can review it. I was looking through Airbnb’s FAQ’s and found out that if a host cancels on you, you can only post a review if the cancellation was 1 day prior to your arrival, the day of your arrival, or after you checked in.

Source: https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/368/can-i-leave-a-review-for-my-host-if-they-canceled-my-reservation accessed on 2025-01-30.

Let’s assume that you booked an Airbnb in Calgary for the annual Calgary Stampede, a very high occupancy time when accommodation is scarce and very expensive. You’ve booked your flights, secured your Airbnb and then one week prior to your arrival, for one reason or another, your host cancels on you. Unfortunately, Airbnb will not let you post a review about this last minute cancellation that possibly ruined your trip. All those positive reviews you read might be misleading due to this criteria for reviewing Airbnb hosts/properties.

In some cities, regulations for short term rentals are constantly changing. If a host’s Airbnb license obtained through the city is not renewed or cancelled, your reservation could be cancelled as a result.

Airbnb Customer Service:

Airbnb customer service sucks. Sorry, but there is no sugar coating here. If you don’t believe me, just have a look at these stats from Reddit.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/7hk5xu/according_to_airbnb_customer_service_3_to_7_of/

In November 2017, we made a booking on Airbnb and applied a promo code when making a reservation. Airbnb decided not to honor the promo code and cancelled our reservation one week later. Due to this cancellation, we were out of pocket $ because of the currency rate fluctuation. We’ve reached out to Airbnb twice and still have not received a response some 3 months later. This was the second time Airbnb cancelled one of our reservations about a week later when it decided not to honor a promotion.

So, let’s say you want to complain to Airbnb about that host that cancelled 1 week prior to your arrival in Calgary for the stampede…good luck! We’d recommend packing a tent as a backup.

Hotels vs Airbnb:

Hotels, unlike Airbnb will take care of you when there is an issue. In cases where the hotel is oversold or if there’s an issue, they will re-accommodate you at another hotel (unless it’s something crazy like a natural disaster). For example, hotels we reserved were oversold and one had a gas leak and they re-accommodated us at no extra charge at another hotel that was similar and even paid for the taxi to take us there.

In addition, you have to coordinate the checkin time with the host and sometimes it can be difficult to find a time that works optimally for both the guest and the host. I had to leave work early to get the keys to an Airbnb because the host started work at 16:00 and the “checkin” had to occure before 15:00. At most hotels, you can check in 24 hours a day at your convenience which can end up saving you time and offering you some piece of mind.

Summary:

There are pros and cons to Airbnb and hotels. That being said, if you really have your heart set on doing something during a peak time, make sure to have a backup in case something goes wrong with your reservation. If you’re booking an Airbnb during a peak time like the Calgary Stampede or SXSW in Austin, you may want to book a refundable rate at a hotel for peace of mind, especially if you have flights booked because the airline won’t waive cancellation/change fees because of your issue with Airbnb.

While Airbnb is not always our preferred choice when seeking out accommodations, it has some benefits that cannot be offered by other types of accomodations. Some of our most memorable stays have been at an Airbnb, like when we got to spend a couple of nights in the cutest tiny home in the forest on Vancouver Island , or when we had access to a private beach and a balcony with a stunning view in Flamingo Beach Costa Rica! That being said, we always hold our breath when opening the door due to that horrible experience in Maui when we arrived at midnight and noticed the unit had not been cleaned in between guests and had to clean the unit and do laundry to have clean linens for the bed until 2 am.

Have you had any negative experiences with AirBnB? How do you feel about their review criteria and restrictions around host cancellations?