Homestays — rooms, apartments, or homes rented from the owner, typically for vacations — aren’t new. But a handful of websites, including Airbnb (the largest, with more than 3 million global listings), HomeAway, VRBO, and FlipKey, have made them easier than ever to find, vet, and book, creating a robust home-sharing marketplace that provides alternatives to traditional hotels.
Fans of the services say they help make vacations more authentic and affordable.
But do the rewards outweigh the risks? Consumer Reports offers five ways to increase the odds of a happy homestay.
1. Carefully compare prices. The per-night or per-week price you see in search results is only part of the total cost. Check the listing for the service fee — which can add up to 14.5 percent to the cost — and an additional cleaning fee, which can vary as much as the properties themselves, depending on the size of the rental and the length of your stay.
2. Read between the lines of the reviews. Because the average Airbnb rating is 4.7 out of 5 stars, it’s essential to have a critical eye. “Everybody feels socially pressured to write positive reviews, so if something is the slightest bit negative, pay attention to that,’’ says Leigh Gallagher, author of “The Airbnb Story.’’ If someone says an apartment is “on the small side,’’ it could well be tiny; if they say that it’s “a little run-down,’’ it could be a dump.
3. Choose a property that has many reviews. Airbnb’s “superhosts’’ have hosted at least 10 times in a year and received a 5-star review for at least 80 percent of stays, so listings with that status are a good bet. In general, look for a property that has at least eight to 10 reviews, Gallagher says. You’ll glean more helpful information from a reviewer with similar tastes and preferences to yours, something you can determine from other properties they’ve reviewed.
4. Leave nothing to chance. Manage your own expectations by double-checking everything from how many people can shower before the hot water runs out to whether the kitchen has a microwave and a coffee maker. Available amenities such as Wi-Fi will be shown on the listing, but if you don’t see something, don’t assume it will be there. When in doubt, ask the host — before making a reservation.
5. Negotiate a discount. If your favorite option is a bit rich for your budget, Consumer Reports suggests trying your luck at asking for a discount. “As a host, I’ll often negotiate on price if I’m not booked solid,’’ says an Airbnb host in Las Vegas who goes by the username Anand. She’s particularly persuadable if the guests write a nice note explaining who they are and why they like her house. “Yes, sucking up can work,’’ she says
For more, visit www.ConsumerReports.org.
