Air BnB is destroying the housing market in my area. That said, it’s exposing a demand for something that doesn’t otherwise exist. In addition to hotels, people also want to be able to rent larger spaces, with a kitchen so they don’t have to eat out every night, and multiple bedrooms so the adults don’t have to go to bed at the same time as the kids. Hotel developers should be taking notes.

[–] fireweed@lemmy.world 55 points 5 months ago

You're completely correct on the exposed demand issue. I would also add that in most cities (in the United States anyway) hotels can only exist in very specific corners of the city due to zoning, often in just three places: downtown (expensive!), the suburbs (so not even in city limits), and "motel alley" (which is usually an old highway in askeevy part of town lined with mid-20th century fleabag accommodations that are slowly being abandoned/bulldozed). For some cities this isn't an issue, but in others it's a problem for accessing the tourist attractions, especially if the tourists in question don't have a rental car. Then there are the non-tourist visitors to consider: if you're in a city to visit family, you're probably going to want to stay as close to them as possible. Same with a lot of business travelers. This is a bit of a conundrum when the nearest hotel (or affordable/decent hotel) is a 30 minute drive away.

[–] rarWars@lemmy.blahaj.zone 38 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It's called an extended-stay hotel, they exist but unfortunately they're not that common.

[–] RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de 18 points 5 months ago (2 children)

They are also, guess what, as expensive as a hotel. What was airbnb? Cheap. In the end it does come down to the money because it used to be a big difference between some apartments offered on airbnb vs hotels. Nowadays this got smaller, since airbnb raised fees and whatnot.

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Tbh, tourism should be expensive. We should prioritize the basic needs of people such as a place to live before offering cheap luxuries.

[–] TunaLobster@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

I fully agree with the prioritization of meeting basic needs before luxury. The detail I would like see happen is making sure that people have a chance to see more than their own area at some point in their lives. See how other people live for a time. I do think there can be better connections for humanity when we can see the lives of others.

I took a trip with some college buddies. We went on a cruise and stopped in Nassau and some of them had some real shock seeing a city with not as much wealth. The just hadn't considered that clean streets, sidewalks, and traffic lights didn't exist everywhere.

[–] linkhidalgogato@lemmy.ml 9 points 5 months ago (2 children)

airbnb isnt cheap tho, now a days it costs about as much as a hotel and they have way less amenities.

[–] phar@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Way less amenities, that depends on your definition. An entire beautiful house with multiple rooms and a pool and a kitchen, versus a hotel room. Just the fact that we can put the kids to bed in their own rooms is worth it. I can't even think of amenities the hotels have that I don't get at air bnbs.

[–] nomous@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Conversely, my partner and I don't have kids so a small kitchen is really the only "bonus" an AirBNB can offer. We're usually able to find hotel rooms with a small fridge and just stock-up on easy to store, fresh food to offset the cost of dining out. Given that they're roughly the same price now we've been opting for more and more hotel rooms just for the consistency. At least in a hotel if there's an issue they'll quickly swap/upgrade the room just to avoid hassle.

[–] RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 5 months ago

Yes. Thanks. Can you read again what I wrote? It was cheaper, nowadays not so much. But being cheaper was what made it big, because places with similar approach were as expensive as hotels.

[–] bulwark@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago

candlewood suites, never had a bad experience.

[–] frickineh@lemmy.world 18 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I haven't had any issue finding those amenities in hotels in Europe (at least in Berlin, Munich, Madrid, and Málaga, which is not an exhaustive study by any means). I've seen a few that look to be entire small apartment buildings converted into hotels, which isn't great for the local housing market, but all the ones I've stayed at were clearly built for that purpose. So that's the good news, I guess.

[–] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

When I vacation in Europe I stay in apart-hotels that have space, kitchenettes, etc. Just stayed in one in Munich a week or two ago even.

They exist in Europe like most nice things that make sense do… not in the USA though. Our hotels suck, the only other option is airbnb of someone’s home which is often OVER equipped and sized for short stays.

We need an in between but I don’t see it being made due to our awful zoning law issues and if they were to exist they’ll likely be overpriced

[–] linkhidalgogato@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

these are thing... there are hotels like that its not the most common but its not rare either.

[–] Uncaged_Jay@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago

You're right, they're not the most common, and they're typically far more expensive.