Believe it or not, Airbnb has been around for over 10 years. It was started to allow homeowners and tenants to make extra money by renting a room or a whole apartment when they were away. It still fits well with some types of leisure travel like renting a cottage or a large city apartment for a family. Airbnb has also attempted to enter the corporate travel market in recent years. But here are 6 reasons why a hotel is a better choice for business travel.
1.Check-In Is Easy with a Hotel
Simply walk into the hotel, anytime; walk up the front desk and get your room key. With Airbnb, you may have to meet someone (at a specific time) away from the property or get into a lockbox.
2. Hotel Rooms Are Predictable
Hoteliers run a full-time business to sell hotel room inventory and to earn repeat business. Everything about a hotel and its rooms needs to be consistent and predictable. Airbnb can be unpredictable with descriptions and pictures that are not accurate.
3. Hotels Have Concierges and Other Amenities
You get what you pay for holds true here. Many hotels have concierges to provide up to date advice, dining reservations and/or hold onto your bags if you arrive early. They are also the point person for any room issues. Your Airbnb Host may or may not address issues right away or provide any help. Hotels normally have a range of amenities, some included with your stay; some at an extra cost. Airbnb amenities will vary widely.
4. Hotel and Airbnb Can Be Close in Cost
When you add together the Airbnb rental cost, occupancy tax, guest service fee and/or cleaning fee, you get very close to the cost of a hotel room. The actual savings for a regular room can be minimal.
5. Hotel Reservations Are More Reliable
Airbnb Hosts can cancel and sometimes without notice. In addition, the platform’s cancellation policies for guests aren’t particularly flexible. Hotel reservation policies vary by hotel and rate type, but the hotel won’t cancel, and most reservations can be easily changed.
6. Hotels Are Safer
The most important point from a company perspective is safety. Hotels are required to exercise a reasonable degree of care to ensure the safety and privacy of their guests. Airbnb is not held to the same standard. Every organization/employer is obligated to exercise a reasonable standard of care to protect the health, safety and security of employees while on company business. Hotels are the better choice.
Thanks for explaining how a lot of hotels have concierges that will hold your bags for you if you show up ahead of time. My wife and I are planning on going on a road trip for our anniversary and need to find a hotel that will hold our bags for us so that we can safely find a nearby restaurant without carrying our luggage around once we’re done driving for the day. We will consider finding a hotel that will ensure that our visit is comfortable.
It’s great that you talked about how staying at a hotel is a safe accommodation option when traveling. My wife and I want to start planning our next vacation. We want to get away from our city environment for a while, so we thought about going someplace with a beach view. That’s why we think your article will help us select the best hotel for us. Thanks for the tips about the benefits of staying in a hotel.
You made a good point when you shared that hotels are expected to practice the right level of care to assure the safety and privacy of their guests. My wife and I are thinking of taking our kids for a vacation during the long break since we want to celebrate their success in getting all As in their final examinations. I will keep in mind to look for a nice and secure hotel to accommodate us during our trip.