How to find yourself a killer Air Bnb
Yes, that photo is one that I took, from an AIR BNB in St Lucia. That’s not a resort. It’s an Air-BnB.
I am still surprised every day at how many people are still highly skeptical of the vacation rental service Air Bnb. Despite having been on the scene for over 10 years now (The popular vacation rental service launched in 2008) many are still hesitant to forsake the traditional hotel search for this new model. While I understand some of the apprehensions; staying in someone else’s home, and the fact that we are usually more comfortable with things we have already experienced. I would like to share a few tips for finding and booking Air Bnb’s that will guarantee you to have a great experience, even if this is your first time booking through the app.
1. Read Reviews
This seems obvious, but people are quick to get carried away just looking at pictures and thinking a property looks fantastic. However, the way that you make sure you’re not being fooled by clever photography is simply by reading reviews.
Air Bnb takes it’s review system very seriously. The site will not let you leave a review for a property that you have not completed a stay in through the app. This means that false reviews are a non-issue on this app. If you see a property that has 255 5-star reviews, you can pretty much guarantee that everyone who has stayed there has had a fantastic experience. Air Bnb also does not allow hosts to remove reviews. In fact, they are SO strict about this that I have actually come across properties who had a negative review on their listing, but upon reading it realized that the person leaving the review had left it on the wrong property! Air Bnb would not let the host remove the review even though it was clearly for the wrong property! While that obviously shouldn’t be the case, my point here is just to show that it is near impossible to remove bad reviews so you don’t have to worry that you’re only being allowed to see positive reviews.
Anytime we are considering booking a place to stay, we usually spend time actually reading through the details of each review, you can learn a LOT about a property just by reading the reviews. Users will share little details that they loved about the property, or things that they found annoying or inconvenient. You might discover through the reviews that there are no toiletries in the bathroom, or that the wifi didn’t work the entire time they were there, or that while there is free parking on the premises, it's almost always full. Reading reviews will give you a thorough overview of what you can expect.
If you are new to air BnB (or even if not), I recommend sticking to properties that have a solid track record of 4 to 5-star reviews, and usually, we stick to properties that have at a minimum 25–50 reviews. We honestly prefer ones that have over 100 4.5/5 star reviews.
2. Read about the Host / Book a superhost
Another step you can take when booking your air BnB is to read about your host. You can see how many properties the host owns, as well as read any and all reviews on the properties they own. Usually, the host will tell you a bit about themselves and why they rent their property on the site.
Getting to know a little about the host as well as other user’s overall experience with them, usually puts us at ease when booking a property we’ve never stayed in before!
Overall, if you want to be on the safe side, I’d recommend not to book with new hosts or hosts who don’t have any reviews.
If you want a GREAT experience, filter properties by “Superhost”. Staying with a super host will ensure your experience is going to be top-notch! Which brings me to my next point.
3. Use Filters in your Search
Again, this is something so simple but important. When you’re searching for a property go ahead and use the filter function. Here are some recommendations I would make especially for first-time or new users:
Budget
Go ahead and figure out how much you can afford a night, and set your budget filter for maybe $20 above that (just in case there is something incredible that's literally $1 more than what you sent!)
Entire Place
Be sure and check this box if you want a property all to yourself!
Superhost
If you’re a first-timer or not 100% sure to look for, go ahead and just check the box for a super host. This means you’ll stay at a property owned by someone who has an amazing track record with Air Bnb and has had thousands of happy renters!
Instant book
While this doesn't necessarily correspond to the quality of the place at all, it is a helpful filter to add as these places do not require approval to book. If you’re booking far enough in advance, you probably don’t need to worry about this however we do tend to look through all of our instant book options first simply because they're more convenient.
4. Use the map feature!
I don’t need to tell you how important location is when choosing a place to stay, and even more so when you’re choosing to stay in someone’s house! Make sure and do your research ahead of time and figure out which area you would like to stay in, then you can search that particular area on the map. You can also learn a lot about an area by reading reviews and seeing what people have said in regards to safety, proximity to food and entertainment, etc.
5. Use the Save Feature!
This seems like a no brainer, but when you’re searching through hundreds of properties for Air BnB’s, it's easy to get lost down the rabbit hole and not be able to find your way back! So if you find a property that you like and that you think might be a good fit, go ahead and save it into a list, then when you’re tired of looking and feeling like you’ve gotten through all the good stuff… you can jump back to your list and start comparing those to narrow it down!
We love Air Bnb for what it is, and while it may not be for everyone…it is an AMAZING way to get a taste of local culture and find some incredibly unique places to lay your head :)
Get $40 off your first Air Bnb Booking stay here!
Thanks for reading! Comment below if you have any additional tips!