Hotel or Airbnb: What do you prefer?

^Source

This might indeed be a trick question, because you might prefer one in a situation and the other in a different circumstance.

But have you tried both? Airbnb is new, so before it you had fewer options. But trust me all of them, including what Airbnb is offering, were still there, only not a huge database with a nice, useful user interface which you can access from anywhere in the world where you have internet.

Before Airbnb, many years back, but probably to some extend now too, when I went to the seaside, there were people on the roadside offering accommodations to tourists. I don't have a good experience from this method of finding a place to stay, but Airbnb has reviews, and I'm pretty sure the place I have in mind when I think of that old distant memory can be avoided.

But... it's still more adventurous than with a hotel I guess. It's the second time I use Airbnb to book a place, both of them happen to be in Greece. The other one was an absolute awesome house, with view to both the mountain and the sea, very cheap considering how big it was and how well equipped. Still unfinished on the upper floor (3rd), it will be huge when ready. And we had the full house to ourselves, three families.

In fact, that's the main advantage of Airbnb, I think: when you go in groups, it's way cheaper.

This time we'll stay in an apartment. Haven't seen the full details, because I haven't booked it myself, but I've seen a few pictures and it looks nice.

About hotels, what can I say? They vary a lot. And those stars can be quite deceitful. But I've been in some hotels where the lasting impression was "man, if I get out of this one alive, I promise to be good". Although often we made fun of the situation. And we seem to remember these adventures over the years.

I did say those hotel stars can be deceitful. I have been in a few 5* hotels and more than enough 4* ones. I stayed in a few 4* hotels I would hardly give 2* if I would rate them. And pretty decent 2* hotels too. All in all, the difference in stars rarely makes up for the difference in price, unless you have too much money or you are looking for a particular service (at a certain standard) that you only find at the high ranked hotel.

A good hotel is what you'd prefer over Airbnb, if you want all those extra services that are included or can be accessed easily if you pay for them, but without the hassle of searching for anything you need and don't have at your Airbnb place. Often location is also carefully chosen for hotels, and price reflects that. In a great hotel you can feel more relaxed than on a place booked on Airbnb, in most cases, but with a much lighter wallet for every extra service that you have or access.

Airbnb may not work out so well if there are disagreements within a group. If you go with a family that is kind of difficult, with lots of rules they like to impose on others, Airbnb may not be the best arrangement. Go for a hotel option, separate rooms then (I mean not an apartment).

Ah, one more thing. For me personally, if the vacation is for relaxation, the accommodations are quite important. If you go for example on a city break to visit and explore, they matter much less. Location is more important in such a case.

At least that's what I've learned so far, but there's always room for improvement.

What are your experiences in the area? Do you favor hotels over Airbnb booking? When?