Family Travel: Can Airbnb beat Hotels?

Our experience of travelling as a family over the past few years, can give some very interesting insight into how family hotels compare with Airbnb. We would be interested in hearing about your favourite places too…

An amazing villa in Montenegro with 4 bedrooms (<€90/night)

Background To Airbnb

We have been using Airbnb several times a year since 2015, and have found it to be a very useful alternative to other holiday accommodation types. So we thought we would share some of the pros and cons as well as a few tips on how to find great accommodation for your trips. The Airbnb system is built upon trust and you are able to read reviews from past guests before you book your stay. By booking through the Airbnb system, you are also protecting yourself from potential fraud.

Pros of Staying in Hotels

For ultimate hassle-free travel, it is hard to beat a good hotel. Especially if you use the good quality/value chain that each country seems to have.

24-hour check-in in most hotels makes life convenient and more flexible if your plans change on your day of arrival.
Social scene as you will be mixing with fellow travellers at the bar, in the restaurant or by the pool.
Easier to cancel, up until the day of arrival in many cases. Again offering more flexibility.
Facilities on site may offer additional activities, such as spa treatments, sports facilities and restaurants.

Great open-plan room in the barn conversion in England’s Peak District

Pros of Staying In An Airbnb

We have found that staying in an Airbnb often becomes more cost effective as the size of the group you’re travelling with increases. Other things that we like about Airbnbs include:

Space for families and groups can found more easily and can often be very affordable. For example, you can usually see each bedroom’s bed arrangement at the top of an Airbnb listing making it easier to decide who will sleep where before arriving.
Kitchen space with a fridge/freezer is often ideal for families on a budget and can make the trip more convenient.
Experience the Local Culture when you meet you host. Hosts are often sensitive to you needing your own privacy but can also provide a great way to get to know the local people. We remember a great trip in the Italian Alps where the grandfather told us about the history of the area using Google translate on his mobile phone.
Personal advice on your trip as we have found hosts very helpful in the initial booking/messaging stage at planning our trip.
If you select ‘entire place’ when searching, you will find that privacy and space are often much better. You could be in your own house with its own drive.
Entertainment is often better. Quite often there will be a TV, satellite subscription, DVDs, books and games.
Extras are most often provided, like towels and toilet paper, as you would expect in a hotel. Many standard holiday lets will not include this and often don’t include bedding but we have found that most Airbnbs do include these as standard.
The convenience of the location can also be much better. Whether you need to stay in the city or in the countryside, we have found an Airbnb right where we want to be. Whether that be beach front, on the farm or in the town centre.