Final chapter to my 3 part tips on Airbnb. So we just got back from San Francisco, which is the birthplace for Airbnb, and of course we decided to stay in another airbnb apartment. As the birthplace of San Francisco, we were spoiled with abundance of accommodation choices in every corner of the city depending on the budget. The Airbnb units in this city are considerably cheaper than renting a hotel room as San Francisco is one of the top 3 most expensive places to live in the US.
What impressed us the most was that most of the Airbnb hosts here are very experienced with hostings. Everything in their homes were well equipped, and they well versed with the usual guests’ needs and common Q&As. As expected from the famous city of its origin i supposed.
Most of the times though, if you are traveling outside of US, choosing the perfect Airbnb might not be such an easy task. If this is the first time you are reading this, refer back to Part 1 – How to Find a Good Crib on Airbnb and Part 2 – How to find a Good Host on Airbnb. In this final chapter i will share some of my personal tips on How To Find a Good Deal on Airbnb.
Not many people will realis this, but many Airbnb hosts are willing to provide a good deal if you are staying longer, i.e. one week or more. Always ask the host in a polite and courteous manner if a long stay deal is possible. Our last trip in Budapest, we booked for a one bedroom apartment in the middle of the city for less than $40 per night for a whole month for the two of us. All this was possible simply because i decided to courteously ask the host. This was how i started my message:
Hello Host name,
I’ve looked at the photos of your place and it looks like the perfect place for us to stay for our next trip. My partner and I are from ABC country, and are planning to visit your city for 4 weeks from (date1 to date2) as part of our tour around Europe. It will be our first time here, so looking forward to a wonderful trip.
I was wondering though since we are staying for an extended period of time, would you have a long stay package available to offer us instead of the rates shown here in Airbnb.
I appreciate your response in any case.
Cheers,
Guest name.
If you ask nicely and respectfully enough, i believe most hosts would not be offended and would provide you a reasonable response. Either way, there is nothing to lose here when you ask because if you don’t then you will risk losing out on saving some $$$.
A Few Tips:
– Only ask if the host does not explicitly spell out their weekly or monthly rates in their profile.
– This strategy usually works best with newer host that are quite new and eager to make more consistent income
– Don’t haggle, respect their decision (& culture) once the final price is given, just take it or leave it.
You usually get a better deal with newer hosts in general, since newer hosts do not rank as well on the Airbnb site as they do not have enough reviews to get them up to the first few pages. I’ve spoken about the disadvantages of choosing a newbie host in Part 2, however there are some benefits too, as they are usually cheaper and more flexible than the more established ones. Just be careful not to pick a complete first timer and keep the communications flowing until the day you arrive.
So there you have it, 3 chapters on How to Use Airbnb for Newbies. It’s a seriously great platform for anyone who’s looking to save some money and wanting to live abit like the locals. Hope you found these helpful for your trip plannings.
If you are thinking of trying out AirBnB for the first time, then here’s a FREE $20 credit for you when you sign up for the first time and book your accommodation. Enjoy!
