YOUR HOME AWAY 
Did you know that as of 2022, there are more than 130,000 hotels in the United States alone? Many people wonder whether a hotel vs Airbnb is the better choice for extended stays. After all, both hotels and Airbnb’s are quite similar and they do allow you to stay in a specific place for long periods, but there are some important differences between them.
Also, one option may be better for your needs than the other. Keep reading and learn more about the difference between choosing an extended stay hotel and an Airbnb for a long-term stay and what factors you should consider when making your choice.
The first thing you need to think about is the quality of the place you’re staying. While there are both hotels and Airbnb’s that are very high-quality, you will find that it is easier to find high-quality hotels than it is to find high-quality Airbnb’s. But why might this be, you might ask?
While you can get an idea of the quality of the location based on reviews from those who previously stayed there, there is more to the quality of a location than just a few basic factors. If you want to have everything at your disposal when you stay someplace, you will often find your environment lacking when you choose an Airbnb.
For example, when you plan to stay in an extended stay Airbnb, you will only have so much at your disposal. You may have plenty of fresh towels and other necessary amenities, but you will often have to take care of the place yourself. You will need to wash the towels and other materials that you use and you will often need to go out and buy groceries to stock the home or apartment.
When you stay in a hotel for a long business trip or for another reason, you will find that everything will already be provided for you. Whatever is not provided can be brought to you by one of the staff members at the hotel. For example, instead of having to go out to the store to buy food, you can simply call for room service and you can get all the food you want.
If you run out of clean towels, you can call for more without any extra effort on your part. General housekeeping is also an important benefit that hotels have and Airbnb’s do not. This is important, especially if you have a busy schedule and don’t have time to do all the chores yourself.
The cost is where Airbnb’s tend to have a bit of an upper hand over hotels. In general, Airbnb’s are more affordable compared to hotels no matter where you plan on staying. However, the amount of money you will save will depend on a variety of factors.
For example, in certain locations, you might only save a few hundred dollars when staying in an Airbnb instead of a hotel. This may or may not be worth it, depending on your budget and other factors that you would like to have in the place you’re staying. An Airbnb may be much cheaper than a hotel if you are staying in a place that does not have many hotels available.
On the other hand, if you are staying in a place where there are many hotels, the Airbnb likely won’t be all that much cheaper. Also, keep in mind that saving a few dollars by staying in an Airbnb may not be worth it. The cheaper Airbnb’s may not be as high-quality as they seem to be in the pictures.
You may arrive and find that the house or apartment is quite dirty or has an unpleasant smell. You may also find that certain amenities aren’t all that they are supposed to be such as the reliability of the Wifi or having a working washer machine. If you pay more, you will likely end up with a good Airbnb, but the price will end up being closer to that of a hotel.
So, depending on your budget, it might be best to opt for a hotel in the first place. Even though it is slightly more expensive, you can rest easy knowing that everything you need is at your fingertips.
Flexible bookings and cancelations are very important when it comes to both hotels and Airbnb’s. Many hotels are quite flexible if you need to cancel before your arrival or if something goes awry on your travels. As long as a hotel has a good cancelation policy, you should be able to get your money back and rebook as you see fit.
Airbnb on the other hand has very different cancelation policies. This is because individual Airbnb hosts can set their own cancelation policies. For that reason, some may be much stricter than others.
Fortunately, you can check the cancelation policy before you book an Airbnb so you can plan ahead of time in case something goes wrong. Keep this in mind if you are worried about something coming up that might require you to cancel your stay.
When it comes to the question of a hotel vs Airbnb, you should know that they are both very good options for extended stays. However, hotels tend to have certain benefits that Airbnb’s don’t possess. For example, if you don’t want to do all the cooking and cleaning yourself, you should certainly stay in a hotel.
You should also stay in a hotel if you want a higher quality experience. To learn more, contact us here.