It's yet another example of the weird issues Airbnb has...
I've only rented via Airbnb a couple of times and this was a while ago. I gave up on it because of the (infamous) arbitrary host specific "check-in" process, ability for hosts to make all sorts of specific demands for the check-out process, application of random fees all over the place... Leave a towel in the wrong spot? Yeah that will be $100. Don't load the dishwasher properly? $100. Forget something in the fridge? $100. It never ends and obviously the "host" is incentivized to apply as many random fees and convoluted requirements as possible to trip people up and ensure they can basically shake their guests down for another substantial amount of fees which in some cases can be the equivalent of staying another day or even two. Then you get to end up in the also arbitrary Airbnb dispute process...
Additionally, hosts are able to apply completely random and arbitrary demands for the entire guest stay. Oh, a pissed off neighbor that hates the fact someone put a property on Airbnb calls the police every time you walk through the hallway above a whisper? Sorry, not our problem even though the host is well aware of this because it's happened 10 times.
It's not really price competitive and in the end you're essentially required to do a bunch of random chores to the individual host's specifications upon "check out" and then you get to worry about finding a bunch of random fees tacked on to your stay later. You're also often subject to a variety of host-specific requirements for what they deem acceptable/proper use of the property. There are plenty of horror stories around like hosts that don't drink alcohol attempting to impose their viewpoint on guests and say things like "no alcohol allowed". Makes for a nice, relaxing vacation!
From what I understand this has gotten better but contrast this with hotels: as long as you don't destroy the room on check out you walk out of the property and never give it another thought. I think most people also have a fairly good idea of what constitutes acceptable/normal use and behavior when it comes to hotel rooms. When you step outside of this the worst that happens is someone from the hotel calls you or comes to the room, explains the situation, and gives you a warning and chance to rectify the situation immediately. Again, with Airbnb the host is incentivized to look for a reason to kick you out and you end up on the street with no (immediate) recourse.
Note I'm not saying I'm some kind of nightmare guest in hotels or short term rentals but again, there are plenty of stories online where there are seemingly valid points from the perspective of the guest that result in all kinds of absurd situations.
Back on topic, this is yet another fundamental problem with the short term rental/Airbnb approach. Anyone should have absolutely seen this coming. Real estate is an extremely complicated and region specific hodgepodge of state laws, municipality laws, sometimes even zoning, random regulations down to HOAs, condo boards, apartment property managers, etc. I'm not saying this is a good thing but it is the way things are and hotels are an established and well-oiled machine by comparison.
I've only rented via Airbnb a couple of times and this was a while ago. I gave up on it because of the (infamous) arbitrary host specific "check-in" process, ability for hosts to make all sorts of specific demands for the check-out process, application of random fees all over the place... Leave a towel in the wrong spot? Yeah that will be $100. Don't load the dishwasher properly? $100. Forget something in the fridge? $100. It never ends and obviously the "host" is incentivized to apply as many random fees and convoluted requirements as possible to trip people up and ensure they can basically shake their guests down for another substantial amount of fees which in some cases can be the equivalent of staying another day or even two. Then you get to end up in the also arbitrary Airbnb dispute process...
Additionally, hosts are able to apply completely random and arbitrary demands for the entire guest stay. Oh, a pissed off neighbor that hates the fact someone put a property on Airbnb calls the police every time you walk through the hallway above a whisper? Sorry, not our problem even though the host is well aware of this because it's happened 10 times.
It's not really price competitive and in the end you're essentially required to do a bunch of random chores to the individual host's specifications upon "check out" and then you get to worry about finding a bunch of random fees tacked on to your stay later. You're also often subject to a variety of host-specific requirements for what they deem acceptable/proper use of the property. There are plenty of horror stories around like hosts that don't drink alcohol attempting to impose their viewpoint on guests and say things like "no alcohol allowed". Makes for a nice, relaxing vacation!
From what I understand this has gotten better but contrast this with hotels: as long as you don't destroy the room on check out you walk out of the property and never give it another thought. I think most people also have a fairly good idea of what constitutes acceptable/normal use and behavior when it comes to hotel rooms. When you step outside of this the worst that happens is someone from the hotel calls you or comes to the room, explains the situation, and gives you a warning and chance to rectify the situation immediately. Again, with Airbnb the host is incentivized to look for a reason to kick you out and you end up on the street with no (immediate) recourse.
Note I'm not saying I'm some kind of nightmare guest in hotels or short term rentals but again, there are plenty of stories online where there are seemingly valid points from the perspective of the guest that result in all kinds of absurd situations.
Back on topic, this is yet another fundamental problem with the short term rental/Airbnb approach. Anyone should have absolutely seen this coming. Real estate is an extremely complicated and region specific hodgepodge of state laws, municipality laws, sometimes even zoning, random regulations down to HOAs, condo boards, apartment property managers, etc. I'm not saying this is a good thing but it is the way things are and hotels are an established and well-oiled machine by comparison.