I'm an Airbnb host, AMA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forget the comforter issue. What about basic safety and security? Fire, intruders, etc. Hotels are highly regulated for a reason. Too many opportunities for something to go wrong.

eh.. no different then when you rent an apartment from an individual versus a big company.
We've used Airbnb twice and had very good experiences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From the "I think AirBNB is gross" thread:
"how is it as gross as a hotel??? Most hotels do not wash comforters.... Did you know that? There is so much traffic through hotels. The door knob, the remotes, the phones, the desk and dresses are never wipe down with disinfectant."

Wow.... guess AirBNBs don't either! And worse is that people seem to have a false sense of security in AirBNBs, where they assume the hosts will wash the comforter, if the other thread is any indication! At least in a hotel you know what you're getting and always toss the comforter to the ground.

You really seem bent out of shape over this with posting here and the other thread. The other thread di not state that Airbnb's washed their comforters but that you usually sometimes have a washing machine available when renting a house so wash the the darn comforter then before you sleep in the bed. Hotels almost never wash the comforter or whatever else is over the top sheet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definition of duvet
: comforter 2b

No kidding! If hotels wash the duvet cover don't you think if it got soiled it would seep into the "duvet" that it is covering?? Regardless just take the thing off the bed when you sleep no matter where you are.

[Anonymous]

Sorry I was grossed out by the comforter thing too. Of course people sit down butt naked on the comforter every morning and night while changing clothes. Imagine the blacklight profile on that washed-once-a-month comforter. Yuck.

[Anonymous]

Heh, just, for what it's worth, I've stayed at AirBNBs about 10 times now and have had great experiences. Really cool properties, interesting, welcoming hosts.

It never really occurred to me to think that the comforters would be cleaner than in someone's guest room. I guess most of you will now say you wash the comforter every time you have a new guest, but I will say I think you are in the minority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Heh, just, for what it's worth, I've stayed at AirBNBs about 10 times now and have had great experiences. Really cool properties, interesting, welcoming hosts.

It never really occurred to me to think that the comforters would be cleaner than in someone's guest room. I guess most of you will now say you wash the comforter every time you have a new guest, but I will say I think you are in the minority.

I most definitely wash the sheets AND comforter after every guest. I can't believe most people don't. Sheesh, you people are sparking my germ-a-phobe-ness!

I'm staying at my very first AirBnB in September in Barcelona. This place has a w/d in unit, thankfully. Thanks to some of your nasty confessions, I will throw--at least--the blanket/comforter in the wash before bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heh, just, for what it's worth, I've stayed at AirBNBs about 10 times now and have had great experiences. Really cool properties, interesting, welcoming hosts.

It never really occurred to me to think that the comforters would be cleaner than in someone's guest room. I guess most of you will now say you wash the comforter every time you have a new guest, but I will say I think you are in the minority.

I most definitely wash the sheets AND comforter after every guest. I can't believe most people don't. Sheesh, you people are sparking my germ-a-phobe-ness!

I'm staying at my very first AirBnB in September in Barcelona. This place has a w/d in unit, thankfully. Thanks to some of your nasty confessions, I will throw--at least--the blanket/comforter in the wash before bedtime.

Hate to break it to you, but no, most people don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heh, just, for what it's worth, I've stayed at AirBNBs about 10 times now and have had great experiences. Really cool properties, interesting, welcoming hosts.

It never really occurred to me to think that the comforters would be cleaner than in someone's guest room. I guess most of you will now say you wash the comforter every time you have a new guest, but I will say I think you are in the minority.

I most definitely wash the sheets AND comforter after every guest. I can't believe most people don't. Sheesh, you people are sparking my germ-a-phobe-ness!

I'm staying at my very first AirBnB in September in Barcelona. This place has a w/d in unit, thankfully. Thanks to some of your nasty confessions, I will throw--at least--the blanket/comforter in the wash before bedtime.

I'm very doubtful that an in-unit washer/dryer in a European city will be large enough to handle a comforter.

[Anonymous]

Love Airbnb! Was able to afford a central place in Paris because of it.

What do you charge OP? What do you make yearly off it?

Do prices ever fluctuate? I swear I was looking at a place for a certain date and the price changed - though I could be wrong about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love Airbnb! Was able to afford a central place in Paris because of it.

What do you charge OP? What do you make yearly off it?

Do prices ever fluctuate? I swear I was looking at a place for a certain date and the price changed - though I could be wrong about this.

OP here (I'm going to ignore the ridiculous comforter debate.)

Airbnb has something called "Smart Pricing" which continually adjusts pricing based on what other properties in the area are charging and local Airbnb availability. We rely on Smart Pricing, so our prices can change, particularly as you get closer to a specific date and/or as other Airbnb's in the area fill up, which is often because of something happening locally that Airbnb has no way of knowing about, such as a popular festival.

Think of the Folklife Festival in DC. It's not a holiday, but it is a big tourist draw, so many Airbnbs in the DC area will fill up early. That will trigger price hikes on those units that haven't yet been booked. Obviously, smart hosts will hike their prices in advance, because they DO know about the festival and want to cash in. As hosts, we can adjust the price on any day to any rate we want. I reduce it to $10 (the lowest you can charge) for friends and family, for example.

We do set a basement price, which is $70 a night. With Smart Pricing, it can go as high as $120/night on weekends during the summer, which is the peak season here. But even at $70, we're doing fine. We are almost always booked, so we typically bring in about $2,000-$2,500 a month, which is almost all profit.

We think of it as "making money while we sleep."

[Anonymous]

OP again --

I don't want that last post to sound too flippant.

We really enjoy running our Airbnb, sharing our beautiful part of the country and making our guests' experience enjoyable, comfortable and memorable.

We put fresh flowers throughout the guest house, leaves a Welcome Letter recommending exceptional restaurants and activities not found on "top 10" lists, and take steps to make a stay special. When a couple told us they were celebrating their anniversary during their stay, we left a bottle of champagne and roses in their room.

This is a labor of love. It's not going to make us rich, but it enriches our life and, we hope, it makes our guests' experience of this area even more enjoyable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heh, just, for what it's worth, I've stayed at AirBNBs about 10 times now and have had great experiences. Really cool properties, interesting, welcoming hosts.

It never really occurred to me to think that the comforters would be cleaner than in someone's guest room. I guess most of you will now say you wash the comforter every time you have a new guest, but I will say I think you are in the minority.

I most definitely wash the sheets AND comforter after every guest. I can't believe most people don't. Sheesh, you people are sparking my germ-a-phobe-ness!

I'm staying at my very first AirBnB in September in Barcelona. This place has a w/d in unit, thankfully. Thanks to some of your nasty confessions, I will throw--at least--the blanket/comforter in the wash before bedtime.

Hate to break it to you, but no, most people don't.

Oh? You know most people??

[Anonymous]

You're nasty, OP. If you're skimping on laundering the linens, what else are you skimping on? Cleaning the toilet??

[Anonymous]

What cleaner service do you folks use?

[Anonymous]

What cleaner service do you folks use?