“The Era Of Airbnb Is Done”: TikToker Rants About Airbnb Hosts “Destroying” The Service, Goes Viral With Almost 1M Views
Every Internet service, like any phenomenon in this life, has its own evolution, when the initial positioning collides with the ruthless laws of the market – and then the adjustment to the new reality takes place. It happened with Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and it happens with Airbnb.
A long time ago, in the late 00s and early 10s, the service was conceived as an inexpensive alternative to hotels, as well as an opportunity for hosts who have a free room to earn some side money and meet new friends from all over the world. Now it is a huge international business, and the former romance seems to have gone with the wind.
A TikToker, who goes by the nickname @mrchrischill for finance, news and travel, recently made a video sharing the results of his lengthy research into Airbnb’s mechanics and policies. According to Chris, he understood the essence of the service’s main problem. The video went viral, gaining nearly 1M views as of today.
More info: TikTok
Finance and travel blogger makes a viral video based on the results of his investigation regarding Airbnb
Image credits: @hisnameisguapo
As the Original Poster correctly points out, the initial essence of Airbnb was in its name – that is, bed and breakfast. That is, any person who had free space in their house or apartment could earn some extra money on the side.
Image credits: @mrchrischill
The initial Airbnb concept was hidden directly in the words “bed and breakfast” in its title
On the other hand, tourists who did not have enough money for a hotel could spend the night and have breakfast in a new place for a relatively small amount, get a new unique experience. Now, according to Chris, Airbnb no longer provides anything like this.
Image credits: @mrchrischill
The OP and his team spent several months investigating Airbnb’s business model, finances and philosophy
According to the OP, he and a whole group of enthusiastic researchers spent several months studying the Airbnb business model, their finances and philosophy. The results are not encouraging – instead of grandmas who rent out their son’s room after he got married and moved out, now development companies run everything. They specially build entire apartment buildings, and then simply rent most of them on Airbnb.
Image credits: @mrchrischill
Now, Airbnb is literally a hotel business but without hotel service
It turns out to be a full-fledged hotel business, but without hotel service, because development companies, of course, do not have specific experience in this area. However, these hosts are now encouraged by Airbnb’s “growth first” philosophy.
Image credits: @mrchrischill
Thus, the company has a huge number of hosts, but cannot fully and effectively manage them. According to Chris, this makes him very sad, because the initial Airbnb concept was extremely cool, so it’s a pity that over the years it has changed more and more.
Image credits: @mrchrischill
The OP believes that company managers destroyed its huge potential but he wants to make Airbnb great again
The OP notes that he and his team were led, first of all, by the desire to understand everything, to return Airbnb to the previous concept, so he would gladly share all his findings with the company’s representatives. Chris believes that Airbnb initially had great potential, but eventually destroyed it, and now the management does not know how to deal with it all.
Image credits: Open Grid Scheduler / Grid
@mrchrischill @Guapo P wouldnt let me stitch him, guve his vid a like | #airbnb #travel @airbnb @airbnbtok #airbnbfinds #traveltok #traveltiktok #fyp ♬ original sound – Mr. Chris Chill
People in the comments confirmed almost every word said by the OP
Most of the commenters on the video agreed with Chris in full, confirming that the service has largely destroyed the housing market, and now everyone is just trying to make passive income with Airbnb. Previously, as people say, the cost per night was really low, but now it is almost on par with hotels.
As some people sadly pointed out, Airbnb is now just a hotel business with no guest service department. And don’t forget the outrageous $200 cleaning fees – and the host also expects you to do some chores before you leave. Of course, there are still quite a few ordinary people left on the service who rent their free rooms, but now this is rather a minority.
We don’t know if you agree with the original poster, so feel free to voice your opinion in the comments on the post. You can also, for example, check out this collection of tweets from people who were disappointed with their experience using Airbnb, or just check out this post with really weird and ridiculous host rules as well.
Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I found these secret places where you can stay, called hotels. Much less fees and someone is downstairs 24/7 if you need something. I'm glad someone thought up these places. So much better than AirBNBs!
That's literally what people said. "Forget Airbnb I'll be at a hotel". Like it's at the very top of the post
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I used AirBnb once and the renter was insane. We rented a small granny flat from her (one bedroom, one bathroom, kitchenette, and a living room) with a separate entrance and down the hall from her apartment. We went straight to bed the first night we arrived because we were exhausted. The next day, we had to go to a wedding so some relatives picked us up. When we returned that evening, we returned to the flat to find her and a man in our space going through our things. I was enraged and began yelling and she turned it on us saying she had every right to know who was staying there and to go through our things to make sure no drugs were being used. The she screamed that we couldn't have guests there (We didn't. She was referring to the people that picked us up, they didn't even enter the flat). We ended up grabbing our stuff and leaving and going to a hotel. When we called Airbnb to complain, we were told that the homeowner sets the rules and they couldn't help us.
Fortunately, we had booked with a major credit card, and the card let us reverse the charges when we told them what happened. Now when I go on vacation, I rent from either VRBO or a local rental company.
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Airbnb literally destroyed the housing and apartment market. People bought houses to rent on Airbnb and now apartments rent out apartments on Airbnb because they'll get more money. This is what's causing the housing shortage and astronomical spike in prices in the US.
Especially in remote/high tourist areas. Places without a lot of housing to begin with, people buy up vacation homes and rent them out. And then complain that there's no one to work at the diner and bar and the grocery stores in town.
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I'll brace myself but here goes. My wife and I bought a little house 6 years ago in an area in New England that we go to regularly to mountain bike. It wasn't expensive and we are not wealthy but also not struggling. We have nothing but 5 star reviews. Why? Because we are all about offering something at a fair price and CUSTOMER SERVICE-ing the heck out of our guests. They love us and come back and re-book regularly. Now as far as the fees that people complain about in comparison to hotels, here's what we do. We charge $100 per stay to clean. $100 whether you stay 12 days or 3 days because we pay a local person to do the cleaning. The other option is to build it in to the price of the stay but it would be MORE per night for an average stay (which is 2.5 nights) than it would be if we did it the way that we do. And hotels charge you for the same things... they just build it in to the price. But it's like anything- it all comes down to the hosts. Don't paint it all with a broad brush...
Thing is, there are great hosts, ok hosts, and terrible hosts. The company, apparently, does absolutely nothing for a renter with a bad experience.
Load More Replies... 
I've used Air B&B once, for a short break not far from home. It was mostly great, a little cottage that I could easily live in full time, and the fee for staying there was going to help fund a farm animal sanctuary but omg the fees. Adding in the cleaning fee, the Air B&B fee and god knows what else literally doubled the nightly fee. Hotels for me from now on.
You go to any hotel booking websites and the same properties on Airbnb are there too! Shamelessly competing with legit hotels with almost the same prices! I've done Airbnb once and it's not worth it. I'd rather pay a little more for a hotel room.
I used to stay at Airbnb because when I went to visit my nieces, they'd like to do a sleepover with their aunt. We'd all have a comfy space for everyone (there's 4 of them) and they'd feel like they were having a treat day to be spoiled and have fun, have mini spa nights and eat junk all night. With the high fees, bs cleaning asks, lack of privacy (one lady lived in the attached garage the entire time we were there and didn't tell us), I just can't see the point. Hotels are cheaper, leave me the hell alone, and will tidy up after I leave. EVEN ones with kitchens. Plus I get points for free nights. So what's the point anymore?
Most Dutch cities now have restricted the amount of time any location can be rented out via AirBnB or similar, and legally require permits for such use. And charge Tourist Tax
I’ve traveled a lot and had some really amazing Airbnb experiences and learned how to spot good ones. But recently, I had an awful Airbnb experience. The place was *disgusting* when I got there. Crumbs and dirt everywhere on the surfaces, couches, chairs, etc. stained furniture. Evidence of a termite infestation. Cobwebs/spiderwebs. Trash on the floors. Mold all over the shower and curtain. And the front door gate didn’t lock. It was so dingy but the real kicker was the smear of BLOOD on the bathroom wall 🤢. For $200 a night *before* fees. I tried to battle it out with the host who insisted everything had been cleaned despite photo evidence. Airbnb customer service was absolutely no help and just kept transferring me between agents. And then to really seal the deal the host threatened to leave me negative reviews and slander my name if I left him an accurate review. So I didn’t, and after being a total twat to me, left me a glowing review—I guess because I didn’t leave him a review?
I don't trust hotels to not have cameras watching my every move--why would I trust some rando with no union and no safety precautions to not film me?
I stay in hotels often. Just spent 3 weeks traveling the country. The only disturbance we had was one night outside the hotel with some idiots with fireworks.
Air bnb use to be a great way to travel but with all the service charges and cleaning fees that are being added now, we might as well stay in a hotel. There are no benefits to an air bnb anymore
I have never experienced an airbnb but I've read several articles about how the hosts can.be an absolute nightmare. The cost was astronomical to rent for just one weekend. I won't be using one anytime soon. I'm convinced hotels are the better way to go. Having a nightmare host can ruin your entire trip.
I've travelled for about 6 years throughout Europe and exclusively used Airbnb. Nothing but private homes and apartments, cheaper, clean, and right inside real neighborhoods, Rome, Florence, Venice, Prague, Budapest, London, Glasgow etc.
What I like about AirBnb: I can go on a trip with three friends, each of us gets our own bedroom, access to a kitchen, a living room, etc. for a lot less than three hotel rooms. What I don't like: It's wrecking housing markets. I have had all positive experiences using the service, but I have seen listings with huge cleaning and other fees that make it just silly. I've only ever been asked to strip the beds, gather trash and place in a big trash can, and maybe move the stripped bedding to a laundry area. The only rules I've had are basically noise ordinance-type stuff (quiet after 10 PM or before 8 AM), no parties, and "please report any damage right away". Also, I've only used the service 6 times over 7 years.
Oh, and to add, if I go somewhere by myself, I most certainly use a hotel.
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I use regular B&Bs and other licensed accommodations, preferably run by local people. Families and groups may find a house on AirBnB more practical, so I'll leave that to them since a room is fine for me. AirBnB has caused housing shortages in some areas. Years before AirBnB, I read of families in Cape Cod having to stay in tents during the summer because the landlords were renting out their homes to tourists. This was after I went there to babysit for family friends on vacation there. I had to wonder afterwards if we had taken over someone's home.
It started okay before the big money. And then people started running it like a full blown business, not a side hustle kind of deal. That's when things go sideways. Before the pandemic, there were people pooling money and starting companies to do this at a large scale. Basically a "hotel" run with only external contractors. From the consumers' perspective, it's just not a good deal all round.
It's ludicrous to tout one (hotels or Airbnb) as being better than the other. People's personal preferences drive the decision where to stay. I'm an avid traveler; I've stayed in at least 75 rental properties and some are better than others. But I want space and a kitchen when I travel and a hotel room is unacceptable and usually much more expensive. My experience? People who have bad experiences with Airbnb don't read the reviews and don't research the area and then blame the whole platform.
Yeah does anyone remember couchsurfing? That was great. I used it many times when traveling. It was the same as Airbnb in the beginning but it was free and more focused on communities and their culture. I met so many great people through there, tasted so much great home cooking and heard so many interesting stories. Then Airbnb came and people realized they can make money while doing that. And then more money and more money and then it went wrong. Well it is the same as Uber/Bolt - same idea, the same thing that went wrong.
AirBnb's are parasites on communities, they latch on and destroy the host environment until the community suffers.
If you don't read the reviews and/or look at the photos of the rental and you get a sucky rental, that's on you. And I don't understand people who are upset that they have to clean up after themselves when they leave a rental. Those aren't chores. That's what decent people do. I love Airbnb and I use it often, but I research every aspect of the rental before I commit. I'll never stay in a hotel again if I can help it. I've stayed in historic buildings, places with amazing views, places in amazing neighborhoods.... In all the years that I've rented Airbnb rentals I've never had a problem with something being corrected when there's an issue. And I found many that are actually cheaper than good hotels. I like having a kitchen. I like being able to choose a place with several bathrooms if a group of us are going somewhere. having extra living space is amazing if you want to go to bed and everyone else wants to stay up.
I totally agree on most of the points you have - no discussion. Don't get me wrong please, but why on earth did it take you and your "team" several month to find out something that obvious?
Because correlation is not causation. Your personal experience may be the catalyst that spurs you in to looking deeper, but it is not causation. You. Need. Facts. THOROUGH investigations take time. Time to get in touch with company people and renters alike. Time to learn about a business. Time to go to work for a company undercover, in order to get the inside scoop of what management is doing. Time to verify and re-verify your findings. Time to pool information and sort it out. Then time to write up the results and publish them. So, several months to conduct a thorough investigation for something like this isn’t bad.
Load More Replies... I think it's funny to see people complaining about the cleaning fees -- which went up DURING THE PANDEMIC. Sorry, but I would rather stay somewhere that has been thoroughly cleaned, thanks very much. If you have a problem with that, then you should stay in a hotel room and just shut up.
You know how else this could be applied? If you don't like reading posts about AirBnB then don't read them!
Load More Replies... Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I found these secret places where you can stay, called hotels. Much less fees and someone is downstairs 24/7 if you need something. I'm glad someone thought up these places. So much better than AirBNBs!
That's literally what people said. "Forget Airbnb I'll be at a hotel". Like it's at the very top of the post
Load More Replies... I used AirBnb once and the renter was insane. We rented a small granny flat from her (one bedroom, one bathroom, kitchenette, and a living room) with a separate entrance and down the hall from her apartment. We went straight to bed the first night we arrived because we were exhausted. The next day, we had to go to a wedding so some relatives picked us up. When we returned that evening, we returned to the flat to find her and a man in our space going through our things. I was enraged and began yelling and she turned it on us saying she had every right to know who was staying there and to go through our things to make sure no drugs were being used. The she screamed that we couldn't have guests there (We didn't. She was referring to the people that picked us up, they didn't even enter the flat). We ended up grabbing our stuff and leaving and going to a hotel. When we called Airbnb to complain, we were told that the homeowner sets the rules and they couldn't help us.
Fortunately, we had booked with a major credit card, and the card let us reverse the charges when we told them what happened. Now when I go on vacation, I rent from either VRBO or a local rental company.
Load More Replies... Airbnb literally destroyed the housing and apartment market. People bought houses to rent on Airbnb and now apartments rent out apartments on Airbnb because they'll get more money. This is what's causing the housing shortage and astronomical spike in prices in the US.
Especially in remote/high tourist areas. Places without a lot of housing to begin with, people buy up vacation homes and rent them out. And then complain that there's no one to work at the diner and bar and the grocery stores in town.
Load More Replies... I'll brace myself but here goes. My wife and I bought a little house 6 years ago in an area in New England that we go to regularly to mountain bike. It wasn't expensive and we are not wealthy but also not struggling. We have nothing but 5 star reviews. Why? Because we are all about offering something at a fair price and CUSTOMER SERVICE-ing the heck out of our guests. They love us and come back and re-book regularly. Now as far as the fees that people complain about in comparison to hotels, here's what we do. We charge $100 per stay to clean. $100 whether you stay 12 days or 3 days because we pay a local person to do the cleaning. The other option is to build it in to the price of the stay but it would be MORE per night for an average stay (which is 2.5 nights) than it would be if we did it the way that we do. And hotels charge you for the same things... they just build it in to the price. But it's like anything- it all comes down to the hosts. Don't paint it all with a broad brush...
Thing is, there are great hosts, ok hosts, and terrible hosts. The company, apparently, does absolutely nothing for a renter with a bad experience.
Load More Replies... I've used Air B&B once, for a short break not far from home. It was mostly great, a little cottage that I could easily live in full time, and the fee for staying there was going to help fund a farm animal sanctuary but omg the fees. Adding in the cleaning fee, the Air B&B fee and god knows what else literally doubled the nightly fee. Hotels for me from now on.
You go to any hotel booking websites and the same properties on Airbnb are there too! Shamelessly competing with legit hotels with almost the same prices! I've done Airbnb once and it's not worth it. I'd rather pay a little more for a hotel room.
I used to stay at Airbnb because when I went to visit my nieces, they'd like to do a sleepover with their aunt. We'd all have a comfy space for everyone (there's 4 of them) and they'd feel like they were having a treat day to be spoiled and have fun, have mini spa nights and eat junk all night. With the high fees, bs cleaning asks, lack of privacy (one lady lived in the attached garage the entire time we were there and didn't tell us), I just can't see the point. Hotels are cheaper, leave me the hell alone, and will tidy up after I leave. EVEN ones with kitchens. Plus I get points for free nights. So what's the point anymore?
Most Dutch cities now have restricted the amount of time any location can be rented out via AirBnB or similar, and legally require permits for such use. And charge Tourist Tax
I’ve traveled a lot and had some really amazing Airbnb experiences and learned how to spot good ones. But recently, I had an awful Airbnb experience. The place was *disgusting* when I got there. Crumbs and dirt everywhere on the surfaces, couches, chairs, etc. stained furniture. Evidence of a termite infestation. Cobwebs/spiderwebs. Trash on the floors. Mold all over the shower and curtain. And the front door gate didn’t lock. It was so dingy but the real kicker was the smear of BLOOD on the bathroom wall 🤢. For $200 a night *before* fees. I tried to battle it out with the host who insisted everything had been cleaned despite photo evidence. Airbnb customer service was absolutely no help and just kept transferring me between agents. And then to really seal the deal the host threatened to leave me negative reviews and slander my name if I left him an accurate review. So I didn’t, and after being a total twat to me, left me a glowing review—I guess because I didn’t leave him a review?
I don't trust hotels to not have cameras watching my every move--why would I trust some rando with no union and no safety precautions to not film me?
I stay in hotels often. Just spent 3 weeks traveling the country. The only disturbance we had was one night outside the hotel with some idiots with fireworks.
Air bnb use to be a great way to travel but with all the service charges and cleaning fees that are being added now, we might as well stay in a hotel. There are no benefits to an air bnb anymore
I have never experienced an airbnb but I've read several articles about how the hosts can.be an absolute nightmare. The cost was astronomical to rent for just one weekend. I won't be using one anytime soon. I'm convinced hotels are the better way to go. Having a nightmare host can ruin your entire trip.
I've travelled for about 6 years throughout Europe and exclusively used Airbnb. Nothing but private homes and apartments, cheaper, clean, and right inside real neighborhoods, Rome, Florence, Venice, Prague, Budapest, London, Glasgow etc.
What I like about AirBnb: I can go on a trip with three friends, each of us gets our own bedroom, access to a kitchen, a living room, etc. for a lot less than three hotel rooms. What I don't like: It's wrecking housing markets. I have had all positive experiences using the service, but I have seen listings with huge cleaning and other fees that make it just silly. I've only ever been asked to strip the beds, gather trash and place in a big trash can, and maybe move the stripped bedding to a laundry area. The only rules I've had are basically noise ordinance-type stuff (quiet after 10 PM or before 8 AM), no parties, and "please report any damage right away". Also, I've only used the service 6 times over 7 years.
Oh, and to add, if I go somewhere by myself, I most certainly use a hotel.
Load More Replies... I use regular B&Bs and other licensed accommodations, preferably run by local people. Families and groups may find a house on AirBnB more practical, so I'll leave that to them since a room is fine for me. AirBnB has caused housing shortages in some areas. Years before AirBnB, I read of families in Cape Cod having to stay in tents during the summer because the landlords were renting out their homes to tourists. This was after I went there to babysit for family friends on vacation there. I had to wonder afterwards if we had taken over someone's home.
It started okay before the big money. And then people started running it like a full blown business, not a side hustle kind of deal. That's when things go sideways. Before the pandemic, there were people pooling money and starting companies to do this at a large scale. Basically a "hotel" run with only external contractors. From the consumers' perspective, it's just not a good deal all round.
It's ludicrous to tout one (hotels or Airbnb) as being better than the other. People's personal preferences drive the decision where to stay. I'm an avid traveler; I've stayed in at least 75 rental properties and some are better than others. But I want space and a kitchen when I travel and a hotel room is unacceptable and usually much more expensive. My experience? People who have bad experiences with Airbnb don't read the reviews and don't research the area and then blame the whole platform.
Yeah does anyone remember couchsurfing? That was great. I used it many times when traveling. It was the same as Airbnb in the beginning but it was free and more focused on communities and their culture. I met so many great people through there, tasted so much great home cooking and heard so many interesting stories. Then Airbnb came and people realized they can make money while doing that. And then more money and more money and then it went wrong. Well it is the same as Uber/Bolt - same idea, the same thing that went wrong.
AirBnb's are parasites on communities, they latch on and destroy the host environment until the community suffers.
If you don't read the reviews and/or look at the photos of the rental and you get a sucky rental, that's on you. And I don't understand people who are upset that they have to clean up after themselves when they leave a rental. Those aren't chores. That's what decent people do. I love Airbnb and I use it often, but I research every aspect of the rental before I commit. I'll never stay in a hotel again if I can help it. I've stayed in historic buildings, places with amazing views, places in amazing neighborhoods.... In all the years that I've rented Airbnb rentals I've never had a problem with something being corrected when there's an issue. And I found many that are actually cheaper than good hotels. I like having a kitchen. I like being able to choose a place with several bathrooms if a group of us are going somewhere. having extra living space is amazing if you want to go to bed and everyone else wants to stay up.
I totally agree on most of the points you have - no discussion. Don't get me wrong please, but why on earth did it take you and your "team" several month to find out something that obvious?
Because correlation is not causation. Your personal experience may be the catalyst that spurs you in to looking deeper, but it is not causation. You. Need. Facts. THOROUGH investigations take time. Time to get in touch with company people and renters alike. Time to learn about a business. Time to go to work for a company undercover, in order to get the inside scoop of what management is doing. Time to verify and re-verify your findings. Time to pool information and sort it out. Then time to write up the results and publish them. So, several months to conduct a thorough investigation for something like this isn’t bad.
Load More Replies... I think it's funny to see people complaining about the cleaning fees -- which went up DURING THE PANDEMIC. Sorry, but I would rather stay somewhere that has been thoroughly cleaned, thanks very much. If you have a problem with that, then you should stay in a hotel room and just shut up.
You know how else this could be applied? If you don't like reading posts about AirBnB then don't read them!
Load More Replies...
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