Customers are choosing to book short-term rentals such as Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway for accommodations over hotels.
Hotel News Resource revealed that a recent study by The GO Group LLC that travelers these days are opting for a more home-like environment on vacation as opposed to a stuffy hotel room with no amenities. There are two few reasons people are choosing to ditch the hotel, and it is not because the hotel rooms are hard to come by.
RELATED: AIRBNB COULD STOP ADDING UNEXPECTED COSTS AT THE END OF STAYS FOLLOWING NEW MOVEMENT
The survey consisted of 343 travelers with over half of them admitting to using a short-term rental such as Airbnb. Those who chose not to book hotels did so for a couple of reasons. Over half of those who stayed in a short-term rental did so because of the price. Generally, an Airbnb is cheaper per-night than even an affordable yet safe hotel. It is probably the top reason people chose to not stay in a hotel.
One of the other top reasons is space. Short-term rentals can consist of a simple room, to an apartment and even a big huge house. The space factor is a big one; especially if a big group of people is traveling together, booking an Airbnb gives them more options. Think about it instead of separate hotel rooms everyone can stay in one house or apartment.
People are also choosing short-term rentals because of comfort. Even if space is not significant, they were at least comfortable, giving people a sense of a home away from home. Finally, the last reason was that there were no hotel or motel rooms available and booking an Airbnb was the traveler's only option.
Short-term rentals are becoming much more popular as people opt to forgo the stuffy, dull hotel rooms instead of more space, more comfort, and a cheaper place to stay. If you have ever stayed in an Airbnb, you will know they are fabulous. However, just like when booking a hotel, you have to do your research, read the reviews and look at the pictures.
What are your thoughts on staying in an Airbnb-like place over a hotel on vacation? Do you have a preference?