My experience with Airbnb

You've heard of Airbnb? You are not alone. The popularity of this service grows every year, because many people are already staying in classic hotels or guesthouses. Private accommodation will provide a slightly more authentic experience and you will blend in more with the local population. And it can be no different in Barcelona. Read my impressions with this service, find out why I recommend it and also what advantages it has over other, conventional forms accommodations. 

Where did Airbnb come from?

The Airbnb service was created in 2009, when 3 roommates decided to make extra money by they rented a spare room with an air mattress in their apartment. They added breakfast and posted their offer on one of the American advertising portals. It didn't take long and their inbox was flooded with requests for this non-traditional accommodation. They - he has an entrepreneurial spirit - decided to get the most out of the whole thing, so they approached their acquaintances asking if they too had a spare room that they would like to rent. This is roughly how the beginnings of the service, which is known today as Airbnb, looked like. 

How does Airbnb actually work?

The principle of Airbnb is really simple - it's all based on the idea that everywhere in the world there are people who want or can rent their apartment or part of it to someone who is interested. Through the service, people offering accommodation as well as interested parties can meet. 

If you visit the website, you can simply type where and on what date you are going. After that, you can choose from thousands of apartments, rooms, houses, cottages, boats and all kinds of other accommodation facilities that are available at the given time in the given place. If you prefer privacy, you will rent an entire apartment or house, on the other hand, if you have deeper pockets or you want to meet local people, you will rent a room or share a room with someone in an apartment.

The great thing, of course, is that just like on classic hotel portals of the type Booking.com you have maximum information about the place, which you want to rent - the basis is photos supplemented with a description of the apartment, there is a list of facilities and services (does the apartment have air conditioning or internet?), reviews of the place from previous guests (is it really as in the description?) and last but not least, you can get to know the landlord virtually and see how others rate him (is he reliable and will give you the keys on time?).

The service really tries to eliminate all doubts and worries when booking accommodation. 

During one of my visits to Barcelona, ​​I stayed with Signor Iñaki a short distance from the center at Santa Caterina Market for (then) 563 CZK per night. 

Why do I use Airbnb when traveling to Barcelona?

I often use Airbnb when traveling to Barcelona. There are several reasons: 

1. I can stay in exactly the part of town I want. (Close to the center and the port!) – there are fewer classic hotels and they wouldn't offer me such flexibility.
2. I get to meet local people and get tips on places I wouldn't have found otherwise. (My last host, see above, made a great tortilla for dinner and shared it with me - just)
3. The equipment is better than in hotels - for example, I like to cook healthy meals, so I want an apartment with a kitchen.
4. The price of accommodation is much more interesting than in the case of hotels.
5. I can deal with accommodation at the last minute - it often happens that hotels are fully booked or excessively expensive. On Airbnb, I am always sure that I will find something that will suit me in the given period. 
6. I like adventure and - what can we say - classic hotels are boring and predictable! :) 

You should know: Barcelona regulates accommodation

Beginning in September 2016, the councilors of Barcelona decided, similarly to Berlin, to proceed with the regulation of accommodation offers. Its goal is the eradication of illegal landlords who offered their properties mainly to tourists and thus increased the average price for living in the city.

Decree relatively it also hit hard on the offer of accommodation on Airbnb. To put it simply - you currently have to have a permit from the city to provide short-term rentals, but they stopped issuing new permits until at least the end of 2017. 

How to recognize a landlord who does not have a permit?

• After booking, you will be contacted with the information that you should not open or talk to anyone during your stay about how you booked the accommodation. Authorities often send out checks and also encourage other citizens to report any similar activity. 
• He will write to you that you should pretend in front of everyone that you are staying for more than 30 days. This is the period to which the need to have a permit does not apply. The landlord then reports that you were originally supposed to be there for a month, but after a few days (=the actual length of your stay) you decided to end your stay. 
• Will rent a room, but according to the photos and description, it will look like a whole apartment. The decree does not apply to renting a room in a permanently inhabited apartment. After booking, such a person will usually write to you that it is an entire apartment and that of course no one else will be in it but you. 

If you want the whole apartment, it's up to you whether you play the game described above. The penalty itself is mainly for the lessor, not for you as a tourist. If you don't want to support it, look for offers from registered landlords - they usually have their registration number in the description in the format HUT-XXXXXX. Of course, Airbnb itself has no reason to fight against similar offers - of course they get a commission from it and it is in their interest that the offer be as large as possible.

How is accommodation booked?

Booking accommodation is simple. But before you do that, you need to have an account on the site. You can then enter where you want to go and on what date. Once you have selected a suitable place to stay, you can make a booking request by clicking on the button "Booking Request". The lessor will then receive a message with a request, which they must confirm within 24 hours to ensure that the place will be available on the given date. 

When sending a reservation request, you must have filled in the payment information related to your card (there is no other payment option). Immediately upon sending the request, Airbnb blocks the rental amount and sometimes also the security deposit, if requested by the lessor. In the event that your landlord rejects your application, it may take 2-3 weeks for the full amount to be returned to your account. When the landlord agrees to the request, the amount for the stay and fees are deducted immediately after confirmation.  

I definitely recommend having a completed profile, uploading a photo and always dealing with the apartment owners as politely as possible - they are the ones who determine who they let into their home. Communication pays off, especially when you don't know the other party. 

TIP: You can book some places immediately without the landlord's approval - they have an "Instant booking" button. To use this function, you must have a completed profile with an uploaded photo. You can filter all these places in the search. The advantage is, of course, that you will immediately be sure that the accommodation in question is available on the date you have chosen. 

Now I'm going to tell you how to get a better price for accommodation on Airbnb. 

Want a better price? Negotiate! 

Few people know that you can bargain with the hosts. Personally, I think it makes sense for stays longer than 7 days, especially since Airbnb fees can be really high for longer stays - for example, if you want to stay somewhere for a month, I definitely recommend negotiating a lower price. 

How to negotiate a lower price? It's simple - at the bottom of the page, under the photos, description and rating, there is a "Write to the host" button. When you click on it, you have the option to contact the host without having a reservation. Here you just need to enter the dates, introduce yourself briefly, express your great interest in accommodation, it is also a good idea to mention that you have another similar offer for less money (even if you don't have one ;) and send him a message. It will definitely be more interesting for most hosts - they'll get a little money, but you'll be there longer and they'll have less to worry about. 

Airbnb tries to block the transmission of any contact information in the communication between the interested party and the host - they are afraid that they would lose the commission they get from the accommodation. So if you put your email or phone number in the message, the system will censor it. It is also forbidden to contact the landlord when requesting accommodation other than via the website. 

I've heard that a common practice is to book only one day, negotiate a longer rental with the landlord, and give them the money in cash. You pay less, he earns more and you can also write him a review. Win - win situation for both parties. But I certainly do not encourage anything like that. 

Is Airbnb safe? 

I often hear how a person can just live with a stranger. I've never had an Airbnb accommodation (knock Knock) the only bad experience. Airbnb verifies all hosts and guests: for example, by having to scan an ID or link your account to social networks. In addition, an internal rating system can be used, thanks to which you can find out if the given host is cool, or if it is better to be careful. And a lot of things can of course be guessed from the communication itself in the form of messages... If something doesn't seem right to you before your stay, there's nothing easier than canceling your reservation. 

If you have any problem, you can contact Airbnb directly – their online support is available 24 hours a day and there is always a live person on the other end of the line.