My experience in Europe has been very hit-and-miss. AirBnB for the most part is as expensive as a hotel but without any of the guarantees or protections. And most of them seemed to be professional operations, with "Super Hosts" controlling 10 or more properties in the same city.

The locations are usually nice compared to a business hotel, but rarely special. The "local knowledge" is no better than that from Lonely Planet / Trip Advisor. And if something goes wrong then I have much less recourse than I do with a hotel. If the room is noisy or smelly, I can't simply get a resolution by talking nicely to the guy at the front desk.

This has been my experience, hell I even got bed bugs in one in Berlin and there was fuck all I could do.

> they always feel more authentic to me.

This might have been the case early on in AirBnB's existence. Now most of the places I've been able to find are just small-time hoteliers. The owner may have half dozen listings in Airbnb with the same generic IKEA furniture.

I've gone back to regular hotels. While I really enjoyed AirBnB in the past there were too many hit or miss experiences. I've had a few owners pull our reservation at the last minute.

I've stayed in that kind of generic AirBnB, and even those are way better than a hotel. You're still staying in an apartment, which feels more homey, and you still have access to a kitchen.

I've also stayed in truly fantastic AirBnB apartments in Europe that made my short stays feel like I was staying with a dear friend.

The most exquisite AirBnB I stayed in was in Croatia. The owner set up the apartment like a hotel, but offered homemade liqueurs and chocolates to his guests. He even picked us up from the train station and gave us a list of places to go and restaurants to try. The rate was insanely affordable, too.

How much was it and how much was a "nice" hotel?

It was 60 euros total a night, split between two people. Nice hotels were at least 200 euros per night.

This.

Even in Murmansk I visited few months ago, airbnb 'studios' meant, a guy, who bought big apartment and divided it into three to four separate 20m studios. All ikea refurbished.

The only folklor I got, was local 'manager' who arrived in ultra old (suprise it still worked) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZAZ_Zaporozhets

My wife and I have developed a vacation strategy we call "M&M": markets and museums. We usually book an AirBnB near good transit and food markets. We buy food for breakfast and dinner at the markets and cook it or have a picnic. So a real kitchen with a fridge and full size stove and often a dishwasher removes a lot of the hassle of eating out every night when we're tired from exploring 8 hours a day. Last place in Paris even had a washer/dryer. Two weeks in heaven. We did have the stay from hell in Queretaro, MX, though.

As for the hosts, with one exception they have been extraordinarily helpful: pickups at the airport/bus station, free tickets to a Paris musical(!!!), free lodging with the owner's friend after a devastating hurricane(!!!). I generally have an ongoing conversation with the host via email over the course of the stay, and the cool local tips flow freely.

We intensely detest corporate hotels these days. Gonna be in one in Atlanta for two days this week. Yuk.

I was in the middle of scoping out the area around the Fair Market in NYC when they passed that recent anti-AirBnB law.

If you're not traveling with a family, I've found hostels to be by far the best experience. They tend to be cheaper than both hotels and AirBNB, and have a very social atmosphere that's great for meeting other travelers and finding interesting off-the-beaten-path places to go.

Once I got older, and especially once my employer was footing the bill, I'd much rather have the comfort and privacy of a hotel room. Hostels are more for when you're in your 20's and exploring the world on a budget.

Hostels are also a way to meet other travellers though - that is a lot harder to do in a hotel. I find travelling alone for extended periods can become a bit lonely

After 30, I really valued my privacy and a personal kitchen.

You lasted longer than me. I gave up on hostels after age 17.

Dagnabbit I remember using outhouses with the whole neighborhood! You spoiled whippersnappers!

Same here. I just stayed in an AirBnB house on the water in a coastal city. The hosts lived next door and gave us a ride in their boat.

Yes, you are one of the few. Most who are far from home want reliability, safety and consistency most of the time.