Airbnb in Russian. Airbnb reviews

yuliagulyaeva

Pitalenko Alexey

Denis

Pitalenko Alexey

Pitalenko Alexey

AirBnB Host

Ekaterina

Ekaterina

Oksana

Maria Glazunova

Oksana

Julia

Svetlana

Svetlana Heiro

Maria Glazunova

Svetlana Heiro

Svetlana Heiro

Maria Glazunova

Maria Glazunova

Svetlana Heiro

Svetlana Heiro

Maria Glazunova

Maria Glazunova

Olga

Maria Glazunova

Galina

Maria Glazunova

zoya

Olga

Oksana

Yuri

Antonina

Anya

Nina

Yana

Marianne

Marianne

Today's tourists are breaking stereotypes perfect holiday that have existed for decades. They prefer rented inexpensive apartments or even rooms to luxury hotels. What caused such a shift in priorities?

• The availability of communication between people, which appeared thanks to the Internet.
• Understanding that it is better to travel around the world often and economically than luxuriously but rarely.
• The fact that hotel prices are often difficult to reconcile with the concept.
• And, finally, the emergence of a unique service that made the dreams of many fans of traveling abroad come true.

No suitable housing? Not a problem. You can rent an apartment in a suitable location on long term, pay monthly, and rent foreign tourists sublease by the day. Or agree with the owner that you, for a certain percentage, will look for guests for him. Why not a ready-made business model? In the West, this has been practiced for a long time, it is called "property management".

All you need to start earning is as a landlord, add a description and photo of the property for rent, and host guests. A little advertising in social networks and specialized forums - and the first guests will not keep you waiting.

Airbnb is a service that many avid travelers prefer to use today. What does he represent?

Offers rental services for private apartments, houses and other accommodation options around the world. In its database you can also find hostels, villas, guesthouses and even very exotic options like tents or wagons on a personal plot. The site offers broad base private housing for affordable prices(often lower compared to other well-known booking systems). The portal is especially convenient for self-booking - always fast, there are local versions for many languages, mobile app very convenient, there is a clear description of the objects, a lot of photos and traveler reviews.

This service is great for those who:
- want to save money on rent
– travels to another country for a long period (for a long period there are special, more low prices);
– prefers hotel accommodation to cozy apartments with a homely atmosphere;
- loves to talk to local residents or not averse to living with a host family.

In general, the interface of the service is very convenient and understandable, so you can easily navigate the site from the first minutes.

Inside view

So, any person who has registered on the site can rent or rent out their housing, earning on it. In this case, the Airbnb service acts as an intermediary and guarantor between the client and the landlord - all payments are made directly through the service using PayPal or payment by bank card.

The registration procedure is required for subsequent bookings. Add a photo to your account, write a few lines about yourself - this is all that is needed to confirm that you are a real person. Now you can go searching. To do this, enter the required information about the dates and destination, after which you will see a page with available options and a map with a mark of their location. The search can be limited using filters (price range, area, type of accommodation, etc.). By clicking on the option you are interested in, you will find Full description this property, information about the owner and reviews from previous guests. It remains only to read, compare and choose the best option.

Booking nuances

When using the airbnb website, first of all, you should pay attention to objects with a large number of photos and the most realistic description. You should not book accommodation where only the view from the window or photos of local attractions are presented. Pay attention to the description: it should be as detailed as possible. If the owner has posted only a couple of lines about his accommodation, most likely you will not be able to expect detailed answers from him in further communication.

Trust those objects where there are already several reviews. Of course, if the object is quite fresh, but you like it, and the price and description are quite satisfactory, you can take a chance. If after arrival you find that the description is not true, you have 24 hours to contact the technical support of the site and tell about the current disputable situation. In this case and in a number of others (non-appearance of the owner, uncoordinated cancellation of the reservation), you can count on compensation for material damage from the administration of the portal. Certain guarantees exist for owners. Airbnb provides landlords with an impressive amount of theft protection. More information about the terms of compensation can be found on the website.

When choosing an object, you should also take into account the conditions of the reservation (flexible, moderate, strict, etc.). To avoid any surprises, please also note the need for a security deposit, cleaning fees and other stipulations.

So, after the choice is made, write to the owner to clarify all the details on the selected object. And only after solving all pressing issues, you can request a reservation. Keep in mind that airbnb rentals come with a mandatory service fee of around 10% of the total booking amount. After confirming the reservation by the owner of the apartment, you will receive an email with the contact details of the object, and the amount for the rent will be frozen on your card. Money will be transferred to the host only after 24 hours from the moment of your entry. During this time, if necessary, you can file a claim.

Here, in fact, is everything you need to know about the work of AirBNB in ​​order to safely use its services. Have a nice trip and have a great holiday with this service!

I use Airbnb regularly. Very satisfied, especially advantageous in expensive cities: in Paris, Munich, Hong Kong. There are always good options, certainly better than tiny hotel rooms.

How did the price compare to hotels? As far as I have noticed, the site is not exactly cheap housing, rather an average level. Although, if compared, the apartment is larger in area, and the conditions are better and more pleasant.

- When all the hotels are busy for one reason or another, Airbnb oh, how it saves. And the price / comfort ratio is incomparable. It is very good to agree with the owner about a discount for a long time. And if you go with a large company, then in general you can find a great option.

“My first experience with airbnb was not entirely a failure. Found inexpensive housing by the sea. The price was so attractive that they did not even pay attention to the fact that there was not a single normal photo of the apartment itself, only some kind of surroundings. Yes, and with the reviews it is not clear what - obviously from friends. The hostess answered all my questions extremely briefly and too positively. Arriving at the place, it turned out that the studio was the size of a pantry, where even walking between the beds was problematic. There is a shortage of water, and a dump in the yard, it’s even scary to imagine. We immediately canceled the reservation, sent a complaint to airbnb, since the money was returned to the account. Before my next trips, I will think a hundred times before I decide to return to airbnb.

– And we used airbnb when we went to new year holidays to St. Petersburg. We exchanged contacts with the hostess, talked, we even got a discount. We arrived, had a great time, much cheaper than at the hotel due to the kitchen - this significantly reduced the cost of food. The service worked smoothly, thank you.

- Booked through airbnb apartment in Barcelona, ​​because the hotels there are unreasonably expensive. Even with the commission of the site it turned out cheaper. But I had to tinker - sometimes I came across realtors, sometimes the owners did not answer for a long time, sometimes they answer rather rudely ... But still they found a good apartment, and close to the center. The hostess answered right away, we wrote off, asked a ton of questions. She met us already at the apartment and even made a discount, since we decided to stay for a few more days. In fact, a good service, albeit with its own nuances, but still worth the risk.

– The problem with the site is that you need to book much in advance: you still have to wait until they confirm, refuse, or simply do not answer. Such an attempt to find an apartment in Amsterdam led to the fact that, as a result, we had to urgently look for a hotel, since almost none of the owners answered in time.

- The service is good for expensive cities or for a long time, when you can beg for a discount. And then with their commission runs hoo. If you are going for a couple of days, I would not contact you again.

– Normal site! Maybe I, of course, was lucky with the owner ... But I was satisfied, everything went without a single overlay. The owner is very friendly, he told us everything, he called us a taxi to the airport in advance at no extra charge. It cost a little less than 100 euros, given that we lived 10 minutes by metro from the center of Paris. We will definitely be back again and again!

– Well, for such a price, you can rent any decent hotel with breakfast, all the amenities and a view of the Louvre) If you are guided by such prices, then I don’t see any point in using Airbnb.

I remember my first solo travel- directly the stone age. It was necessary to write off with the hotel or with partner companies, at the counter at the airport or look for accommodation on the spot, because there was no convenient payment via the Internet. However, in those days, everyone used paper tickets, and electronic ones aroused distrust. It's good that everything has changed, although some countries in Southeast Asia, such as Myanmar, are still at this level.

What is AirBnB?

Airbnb Features

6. Host help

In my cases of renting, all the apartment owners helped me a lot. For example, in Turkey, sights and hiking trails to see everything, advised inexpensive restaurants with vegetarian food, helped book transfers. And all this without the imposition of services like "buy me a tour." The owner of my Phuket apartment meets guests at the airport and helps as much as possible. Write off with the owners, clarify all the details: is there nearby, what infrastructure surrounds the house, how fast the Internet works. Live communication always helps. There are hosts who mark recommended restaurants, attractions and entertainment in the map under the description of the accommodation. I would say that the hosts on Airbnb in a sense will replace your guide, help you navigate unfamiliar city and tell you how best to spend your time. The hotel check-in desks are mostly staffed by visiting people who have little interest in the tourist component and sometimes do not even know the movement of public transport. So on Airbnb, a good host is a traveler's friend.

7. Extended stay

Depending on the apartment, there are options available on Airbnb for long stay. For example, renting a villa for two or three weeks will cost the same as for a month. Check with the hosts for details and ask for a discount for a long stay.

8. Airbnb is ideal in big cities

Cons of renting through Airbnb

1. This is not a hotel

Living conditions in private apartment in comparison with a hotel room have their drawbacks. In some apartments and villas, cleaning is charged separately and is included in the final bill. In apartments, sometimes the maid service is not included at all or is provided once a week. You don't always get breakfast. When you move into an apartment, check the condition of the air conditioner, TV, plumbing and the integrity of the furniture. It happens that the previous tenant broke something, but the owner did not notice. In such cases, when leaving, it will be impossible to prove that it was not you who did it. In some cases, the host takes a deposit for the safety of the property, which is blocked on your card and returned 48 hours after check-out. I would say that such a deposit is not a minus, since all the details are spelled out in the description of the property. Compare that some hotels also take a deposit, but do not write about it on the booking sites. It is better to know about the deposit in advance than to be notified about it upon arrival.

2. Speed ​​of responses

Another difference from booking sites is the speed of confirmation. The hosts generally respond within an hour or two, but sometimes I wait a day for messages from them. For urgent booking, if you have already decided on accommodation, select the option " Instant Confirmation". In other cases, you need to search and find out the details in advance. Once I discussed the details of renting an apartment in Bali for a whole week.

3. Internet ignorance of users

Sometimes the owner has not fully understood the functional part of the Airbnb system, and there will be serious errors on the page with apartments. For example, the absence of prescribed information about an additional bill for electricity and water can be an unpleasant surprise upon arrival. Or the host has incorrectly filled out the cost information for the second and subsequent guests. Specify these details if you are going to rent an apartment in Thailand. Some hosts fill in information about accommodation in their native language, of course, the built-in translator will help translate, but in situations with Korean, Chinese and other Asian languages, something seems to be missing.

4. Airbnb commission

7. Cancellation

In rare cases, the owner may cancel your booking, although there is a penalty for doing so. You can see all host cancellations in their profile. Carefully read the terms of cancellation of the reservation on your part. There are several of them, it all depends on the conditions and time of cancellation.

As you can see, Airbnb has more pros than cons. It is worth noting that the system has more than a million unique options - there is always a choice. In my opinion, the options for renting an apartment in Phuket are superior to hotel rooms in terms of cost and comfort. Share your experience with Airbnb in the comments.

Updated 01/10/2020

The history of my relationship with Airbnb: 10 countries and 15 cities, 23 apartments and rooms for a few days and 2 houses for a month. What have I learned for myself in 4 years and will I continue?

Honestly, there have never been any serious problems with airbnb.ru, and I am 99.9% satisfied with it. Wait, where did one hundredth go?

What accommodations can you find on Airbnb?

Almost anything - rooms, apartments, bungalows, villas and even tree houses! It usually takes from 30 minutes to an hour to search for an accommodation option in one city - I look at photos of apartments, read reviews of “experienced” ones (I also translate foreign languages). I also compare prices with RoomGuru - it happens that the good old 3-star room also wins.

My Airbnb Review

Our apartment for 4 people in Jerusalem - $100/night

Note: and if not the first, then here's a life hack - register your mom / dad / friend (remember that the bonus is not entered, but automatically credited when you click on the link), and the discount coupon will work again. 🙂

Step 2 Let's go further - search for housing for travel. Booking apartments is available in almost any city in the world. To do this, set the parameters you need on Airbnb:

• city
• dates (since 2019, the numbers drop out along with the cost - convenient)
• and the number of people by clicking "apply" and then "accommodation"

and here they are - all the rental options for your dates, from a luxury townhouse in the center to a bum-style tent by the lake (did I say, for any budget? 🙂).

What are the filters?

• Housing type(entire housing, separate or shared room) - I usually don’t choose anything here, I’m guided immediately by the ads. You can spank, for example, the first option, and the house / apartment will be completely in your - temporary - possession
• Price- you can choose the limit amount that you are ready to pay per day (from 0 to 50,000+ rubles)
• Book instantly– see one step below
• Trip type(for families / business trips) - in my opinion, not a very relevant filter, because. a more interesting and cheaper option can be found simply in the feed
• Other- if necessary, indicate the number of bedrooms, amenities, area, or check the box "unique accommodation" (hut in the forest, yacht or houseboat? 🙂)

Step 3 We study housing - a brief algorithm is as follows:

• look at the prices
• determine the location on the map on the right (when you hover over an ad, its price tag is highlighted on the map)
• we open some vending apartments
• read reviews

By clicking on an accommodation, you can find detailed information about the rules / conditions of accommodation, photos of rooms, reviews of travelers and the owner. I advise you to CAREFULLY go through literally every letter. The site works in Russian, so there is also a magic “translate” button. Check out the Amenities section. It happens that the owners also include breakfast - they are quite simple, but still nice 🙂 Plus, it saves both time and money.

Our apartment in New York (Brooklyn) for $67/night for two - it has a robot, a fireplace and even a cinema (more info via telegram @howtrip)

My advice on how not to fly by and not overpay:

1️⃣ I never choose apartments that no reviews or a small number of them (2-4). Although I admit that everyone starts somewhere, and that cool loft with zero responses in a month or two will become a super-selling offer. But I'll probably skip it.

UPD: I changed my mind and now I'm looking at the "novelties". And all because they sometimes offer a 20% discount for the first 3 guests. Booked like this twice already, and successfully!

2️⃣ Of the whole bunch of rave reviews, I note those that are automatically generated by the service itself "The host cancelled this reservation...". This means that the owner canceled the reservation for so many days before the arrival of the traveler - if there are 3 or more of them, I pass by.

3️⃣ An important factor - frequency and response time owner (can be found below reviews). They demonstrate the attitude of a person towards Airbnb - scores or is really responsible.

4️⃣ There are several lines above the red "Request a booking" button that make up the final cost, but these particular ones are not always found:

• Cleaning fee- I don’t see the need if I’m going for 3-5 days or even a week. In principle, it is small - up to 2000 rubles for the entire stay
• Weekly/monthly discount- this is the most favorite 🙂 If you book an apartment for more than 7 days, then some hosts drop 10-15% of the price, and if for 3-4 weeks, then the discount can reach up to 30-40%! That is why Bali cost me 400 rubles per night.

5️⃣ And someone enters and security deposit. You can find out about this in the "House Rules" section, expanding them in full. Interesting that he not written off and is not frozen on the card when booking (and even more so is not given to the owner in cash). If the owner complains about the damage after the eviction, Airbnb considers the claim (of course, with your participation) and issues a verdict - pay the amount or forgive. I haven't had any experience with pledges yet.

6️⃣ Don't click on "Request Reservation" At once. First, write to the landlord (in the "Master name" section, the "Contact" button): ask something about the apartment or just mention how you liked the option. But be sure to check, whether the desired dates are free - the calendar can also act up. In addition, it will save you money from the insidious instant booking.

7️⃣ What is "instant booking"? The host set the automatic confirmation of the reservation, not manual. Accordingly, the money on the card is frozen immediately, without waiting for the final word from the owner. In fact, this is a convenient option, and overlays (cancellations) occur extremely rarely 🙂 The red "Request a booking" button is normal, and "Booking" is instant.

8️⃣ Browse cancellation policy. Flexible, moderate, strict - they determine the amount that will be returned to the card if you decide to cancel the apartment.

Step 4 After your request, the host has 24 hours to accept or decline your booking. If the outcome is positive, payment is made, and airbnb.ru opens access to all information about the accommodation - the exact address, telephone number for communication.

What should be considered in matters of finance (how payment is made):

• Airbnb takes a commission from 10 to 15%, the value of which depends on the cost of the reservation
• Payment is always in rubles, not in dollars or euros, even if the cost is indicated in such currencies. And it is better to use a ruble card, in order to avoid crazy conversion

• If you select "Split payment with friends" - a friend will not be able to pay with bonuses. They can only be used by the person booking the accommodation.

Step 5 Wait for the trip and contact the host the day before to clarify the details.

For the first time we decided to try expensive housing on Airbnb - an apartment overlooking Manhattan cost 20,000 rubles / night for two (took for 2 nights)

How can I contact Airbnb?

Before booking For all questions, write to support www.airbnb.ru/help. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to call, they simply don’t have such an opportunity.

If you made a booking, and there was a need to contact, find the letter in the mail "Your booking is confirmed". At the very bottom there is a red button, go to the Help Center, specify the problem. You will be prompted to write or call their Russian-speaking support service (the number is free). Note: this very Russian-speaking support is often busy, there are few operators, so they throw it at the English-speaking one.

I recently discovered their Vkontakte page - vk.com/airbnbhelp, there is also a good connection.

What happens if a booking is cancelled?

Canceled by host: full refund or credit to another booking. Canceled by you: full/partial refund (depending on conditions).

If you choose accommodation with flexible cancellation, then there will be no problems. Always pay attention to this. In January 2018, we canceled a booking in Thailand - the money was returned to the card within 2 days! 🙂 Important: The refund is made to the card that was specified when booking.

By the way, if you are going to only one country for a week or 10 days, then I advise you to look at the cost of tours, it often happens that they are more profitable independent travel(applies to countries such as Thailand, Spain, Greece, Tunisia and other popular destinations):

What are the advantages of the Airbnb.ru website? Positive feedback from tourists

The apartment where we lived in Paris (August 2018) - 65 euros / day

1. The lowest prices for apartments around the world. And it is true! This is especially noticeable in large and expensive cities. As mentioned above, many offers are discounted if booked for a week or month. It is also profitable to rent an apartment with a company, when converted per person it turns out to be more budgetary. You can find cool offers for quite sane money. So, in Phuket, I rented an apartment for 600 rubles a day with a pool and a gym. Not bad, right? And in Barcelona - a room for 600 euros for a whole month.
2. Simple and clear site. This, of course, is not a completely tangible plus, but many services have big problems with this.
3. All sorts of options - you can find a chic apartment with a view of the whole city, a small and cozy apartment in a residential area with locals. In general, the choice and prices for every taste.
4. Renting accommodation on Airbnb, you get to know the locals, you feel the culture of the country. Which is quite difficult to catch if you check into a hotel and communicate with an employee at the reception, programmed to smile.
5. The service solved one of the main problems for many - full payment - and now it is not necessary to give the full amount when booking. It can be divided into two parts, and the second one can be held ≈2 weeks before the trip. Condition: total amount - from $ 250, travel date - no earlier than in 4 weeks.

What are the disadvantages of the site? Negative Feedback

Our accommodation for a day in Moscow on Bolshaya Sadovaya - 4200 rubles / day for three

Let me say a few words first. So I read the messages, and I think if everything was as bad as some describe, then Airbnb would have been blown away a long time ago. Well, and through one, of course, the blame for everything is the inattention of the user himself.

1. If you've been referred to a specific place - like Michael's cozy apartment in NusaDua - you won't be able to find it by name. This has been a very uncomfortable moment for me.
2. Payment upon booking. Now it is already possible to divide the amount into two stages, but back in 2017 this was not the case, which did not suit me wildly. Money, in fact, is in a "suspended" state for several months, and maybe quite a large amount. Airbnb finally went to meet customers. I know you will say that you can book a hotel without paying at all. But here, when canceling a reservation, ordinary people suffer significant losses, for whom this is not something that would be beneficial. And this is offset by cheaper prices than hotels. On the other hand, you can always cancel your booking (for certain time before arrival) and the service will return the full amount based on the conditions that were specified in the apartment profile.
3. If there are any problems, the support service takes a very long time to respond to emails. It's okay that problems rarely arise, but they do happen. The last time I had a question about a refund. Surprisingly, the money returned faster than the employee answered - 2 days vs. 5 days 🙂
4. Negative reviews about Airbnb abound: I got caught by a fraudulent host who scammed me into a bad apartment or canceled a reservation a week before check-in. But just for such a case, reviews about housing, host ratings and the ability to contact before booking are introduced. Always carefully study each comment, see the date of registration of the profile and photos of housing. If you have any questions, be sure to write to the landlord - this is the difference between Airbnb and the hotel search engine, that he - about communication and expectation. In addition, the service is really customer-oriented - any cancellation is accompanied by a discount coupon, and money is returned for non-compliance with the conditions (after proceedings). But this does not eliminate the need to look for new housing and unpleasant emotions. This is where one missing hundredth is hidden.
5. Speed ​​- people are not always online and after booking you need to wait for the owner's confirmation. Therefore, if you book accommodation in the morning and plan to check in after lunch, it is better to look for hotels through Roomguru or.

Is Airbnb booking eligible for a visa?

Embassies accept airbnb visa bookings. For example, we made a Spanish Schengen and attached several confirmations from this site. You can easily do it for a visa to the Czech Republic, France and other countries.

Click View Travel Plan and print a detailed receipt. Names and dates are displayed there.

What other options does Airbnb provide?

With a discount, accommodation for 7 days will cost less than 6 or 5. And renting for a month will be more profitable than for 3-3.5 weeks. It happens that the monthly discount starts from 27-28 days.

2️⃣ Why not take a chance and look for new offers (special icon next to it)? Some hosts offer a discount on the first 3 bookings, and it can go up to 30-40% of the initial price.

3️⃣ Some apartment owners add a fixed cleaning fee. It is a tangible amount (whoever sets it), especially if the reservation is for 3-5 days. So try to find accommodation without cleaning. You can write to the host and ask - what if I clean it myself? :) Sometimes they go to a meeting, and the price goes down. But if against, you should not insist.

4️⃣ Naturally, a life hack that many people know about - coupon 2100 rubles Choose dates and compare prices

Looking for a discounted tour