Would you rent a room in someone's home to save $$?

I think there have been a couple folks who have done that and reported about it on Fodors, you can probably find them by searching on airbnb

Personally, I would not as I'm not remotely interested in that kind of accommodation (a room in someone's home). But I suppose this is partly a personal preference (I don't even like official B&Bs, don't like that whole homey thing) and partly a function of your budget, of course.

No, not interested either.

No, I wouldn't, although I would stay and have stayed in a B&B, gite, guesthouse, or even a hostel. We have found inexpensive places to stay many times across France, Spain and Italy. Look at 2 star hotels, which sometimes only have 2 stars because they don't have elevators or they just haven't wanted to apply for 3 star status to keep their tax rate down. Explore directories and websites such as Logis de France. In the countryside you can find gites or small hotels with rates that include breakfast and dinner. Venere.com has been useful to me for years.

We were in SW France in 2010, staying in a friends flat for a month, but we did short overnight trips to Uzes, Montpellier, and Pezenas and found small hotels for 45 - 80€ per night.

Our one experience in Europe did not go well. We rented a "private room" for four days in Amsterdam. We knew it would be a shared bath, but we figured we could deal with sharing with another couple. When we arrived, the owner said he had made a mistake in the rent, and wanted an additional €140. We showed him our printout of the Airbnb agreement, and said we would look at the room and talk about the price later.

We found that the place was sort of a group/party home and our "private room" was down a few stairs from the one bathroom, and the entrance to the kitchen. That meant that everyone in the house would be clumping past our doorway all the time as they went to the loo and or kitchen.

What immediately caught our attention was the fact that our "private room" had no door; just the opening off the well lit hallway to our stairs. "Hey", says I, "Where in the hell is the door? We will have no privacy, the light will be going on and off all night, and we will not be able to sleep with all the traffic? Besides, how can we secure our stuff with no door to lock?"

We got no satisfactory answer, other than, "Sorry about that!"

Our next question was, "How many people will be using that bathroom?" The answer, which was the straw that broke the camel's back was, "Nine."

"We are out of here", we said, and we walked. The owner charmingly said, "Best of luck finding a room in Amsterdam on a Friday night!"

We contacted Airbnb immediately, and they made it partially right for us, as they do not transfer the money to the owner for 24 hours after you arrive. Unfortunately, that left us walking the Amsterdam streets on a Friday evening, with the Tourist Office closed, and no place to stay.

It all worked out in the end. We found a charming hotel, and really had a wonderful stay in Amsterdam.

Don't take this tale of woe as a condemnation of Airbnb, however. We have used their services in the States a number of times with great success, and will not hesitate to use them again in Europe. We will however check the reviews more carefully, and ask a bunch more questions of the owner before committing.

I think that we will only stay in apartments with their own bathrooms in future, and we will surely get assurances there is a door.

It is not "they". this is not a rental agent - it is a mathcing company - and all of the offerings will be different - some good, some awful - some as promised and some not.

There is a long thread on the US board that you should read before deciding to do this.

As for staying in someone's spare room - not a chance in hell.

When I first started going to europe - 30 years ago - we would stay in gasthauses and pensions - but these were operated as a business and the guests' quarters were completely separate from those of the family. (Now that we have more money and less time we go for full-service hotels except for chateaux or similar).

If you do Air bnb - be sure to check in detail about the specific property you are interested in - since they vary enormously.

To answer the question your title asks: of course. That's exactly what most British and Irish B&Bs are, and they're often the right option in certain parts of the country, or under certain circs. The term "B&B" to describe a poncified small hotel serving inedibly ostentatious breakfasts is a uniquely American useage.

Where I live, B&Bs are simply rooms in people's houses. For those who like that sort of thing, that's part of their appeal: for those who, say, need to be right next door to an elderly relative's carehome or hospital, B&Bs' homeliness is a minor irritant worth putting up with to be close by, cheaply.

The uniqueness of Airbnb is that, unlike most B&Bs in the British Isles, they're subject to no regulation at all, and the concept's still immature: nukesafe's problem wasn't "a room in someone's house", but that pre-auditing Ai BnB properties hasn't yet evolved. Incidentally, the property nukesafe describes might well be perfectly acceptable to people otherwise staying in a hostel: it sounds quite luxurious compared to places I stayed in Greece in my late teens.

Until it does, I wouldn't use Air BnB in a place like Amsterdam, where there are loads of alternatives. I might well use it in very remote places if the alternative was a very long drive.

My response on your other thread:
>>>We'll probably rent a room thru AirBNB for the shorter stays (Has anyone used AirBNB?) <<<

I prefer to rent directly from the B&B. Why pay a third party? For Italy, I use bed-and-breakfast.it as it has the owner's websites or contact. You can narrow you search within each region including selecting if you want to be in the center. You can also select amenities on the advanced search. You can do a blanket e-mail request through them to the B&B's for specials/offers.
http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-italy.com/

If you are looking for very low budget, you might want to consider convents and monasteries also. You can book directly with most of them. Using a third party booking agent like Monastery Stays drives the prices up.

You would be better off stating exactly what amenities you need and your price per night. People will come back with suggestions once you decide that and your cities/towns.

I've stayed in this convent in Orvieto and I think I paid 75€ for a double in high season in 2010 (31€ for a single in 2008). Curfew was midnight.
http://www.monasterosanlodovico.it/English/english.htm

I paid 45€ a night for the smallest apartment (La Serra) at this place in Tuscany (Pienza) a few years ago in September. Weekly rates are bit cheaper.
http://www.ilgiardinosegretopienza.it/

Air BnB doens not have actual commercial BnBs - with any sort of regulation or organizaation.

It's just random people who feel like renting out an extra room - or closet or sofa - not done on any sort of professional level - like a real BnB, pension or gasthaus. It's a half a step up from couch surfing.

Our budget is $100 u.s a night but we're hoping to go cheaper. Looking at renting for a week in Tuscany or umbria and also a week in Sorrento.

Air bnb has expanded greatly since its early days - they now commonly have apartments and rental agents listings for cheaper then going through a regular agency. we have stayed in the US and Europe in a combination of private rooms (US) and flats (Europe) and have had great times at all of them. It's not JUST random peopelealthough of curse there are some.

BUT and this is an important warning - we are meticulous about checking any references, reviews, reports, googling the person or agency if the name is available before booking etc. We do a LOT of due diligence to save $$ (Not saying the poster who was burned didn't do that) But with our checking and rechecking we've gotten great deals in Paris, London, Hawaii, New York and other places.

I think it sounds like it is simiar to VRBO, that's all, a place that is being rented by the owner and is bypassing any possible regulations or laws in the country. Whether it is rooms or now sometimes entire apartments. It is random people any way you want to call it, as it isn't regulated.

I don't like any kind of B&Bs, poncified hotels or rooms in people's houses, I just don't like them. The kind I might like are the ones that really are small hotels, except in the US, those tend to be "cutesy", with stuffed bunnies around and stuff that is very infantile in the decor. The ones I'm thinking of are on the California coast (such as in Monterey) and aren't really up to the caliber of a hotel, actually, but are expensive. Most of the ones I've seen in the US go with the bunnies and childish decor.

I don't think that is solely an American usage of the term any more (poncified hotels), as I think there are rather expensive boutique hotels in London that call themself a B&B that I've seen when looking, at least that was my impression. Maybe it was the website calling them that.

Christina, I have been having some medical problems lately, and I think I must have died and been reincarnated as you. Your second paragraph states my feelings exactly.

If I never see another bow, angel, doll, stuffed animal, ruffle, furbelow or doily, it will be too soon. Even worse are potpourri, scented candles, "our special muffins" at breakfast and the like.

My wife and I stayed at a refreshing minimalist B&B/guest house/boutique hotel in Portsmouth, NH, the Ale House Inn. None of that. All sleek. Great bed. Keurig coffee. Easy walk to restaurants for dinner and a cooked breakfast.

I have stayed in plenty of the sort of B&B's that flanneruk describes, a few rooms in someone's house. With one moldy exception they have been fine to excellent and cheap to fairly priced. I have found most of them through the local tourist office or by recommendation from another host.

Being #9 in line for 1 toilet with no fan in AM no fun.
eurocheapo.com hostelbookers.com way better usually cheaper
than airbnb many quality control issues scammers lawsuits
actually ILLEGAL in many cities like Paris. If you have signicicant problems u are SOL.I always pay with CC never wire money. To be fair some good but luck of the draw many better ways to go.

For those who like this sort of thing, there is also The Affordable Travel Club. I am not a member but know someone who is. Basically it is a group of members with a spare room -there are hundreds spread over every continent other than Antartica. The deal is you hoin the club for $65 -85/year, get a directory of members worldwide, list your room as open for guests -they say you should expect about 3 requests/year but it is up to you how often you want to have guests if at all. You contact the host and if you decide to stay there and the host is willing to have you at the time you need, you simply arrive. The host gets a "gratuity" for expenses of $20 for 2, $10 each for extra persons, and some host outside of the US ask for $30 for 2. Most serve breakfast of some sort. That is it. It is probably the cheapest way to travel - hostels often cost more than that.
www.affordabletravelclub.net

I've stayed in B&B's in England and Ireland. It isn't really my preference, but as someone else said, there aren't always a lot of options in rural areas. I wouldn't rent from someplace that wasn't a well-established B&B. I was able to find reviews for all of the places I stayed on my last trip to Ireland before booking. There was never any reason to use a third party to book.

In Italy I would stay in 1 star hotels or convents to save money rather than get a room in someone's home.

I have stayed in B&Bs in GB and Ireland but they were registered places and I was comfortable doing that. A room in someone's home seems to be different from a B&B.

I looked at your other thread and you have $240 per day for 2 people which should not be a problem (budget of 5K).

I would stay in Venice rather than "near Venice" for the wonderful evening experience. You can find budget lodging that will keep you within budget.

"I think it sounds like it is simiar to VRBO,"

IMO it is more like craigslist than vrbo. And no, I personally wouldn't. I stay in rural B&Bs all the time, and usually rent apartments in big cities. For short city stops, I'll stay in a hotel or use priceline.

There are some airB&B lovers here on Fodors, and some airB&B haters. Neither has swayed me one way or the other. I just wouldn't use it myself.

Nope, I wouldn't do it. But I highly value my privacy. I'd find a way to stay in an inexpensive regular hotel. I don't do B&B's either. I hate forced interaction with strangers and any savings would NOT be worth it to me.

I agree aiaB&B is NOT like VRBO at all. More like Craig's List or even Couchsurfing.

I think Airbnb has been changing. Since I have been aware of it a couple of years ago it has shifted from spare rooms in someone's house to cover all sorts of rentals. I think the owners who have been using agencies, and VRBO see that they can list with Airbnb for no cost to them unless they get a booking -- so why not?

You can see that if you look at the listings for big cities. Paris is an example, and you can find the same apartment listed on multiple sites.

You can tell that a lot of owners find it attractive. Eighteen months ago I looked at the Paris site and found a couple of hundred properties listed. I just looked this morning, and there are 4,365 now listed for the Paris area. No, that's not a typo!

I have never used airbnb,but I would consider it for an entire apartment (but not a shared room in someone's home). One thing I've read on several sites is that people who have left negative reviews say that those reviews were deleted. Since I have read negative reviews on airbnb, I know this isn't always the case, but it does appear some negative reviews are not making onto the site. In my research, I came across a couple of links you may find useful:

The original article is from Sept 2010, but many of the comments are recent:
http://www.letsflycheaper.com/blog/booking-airbnb/
Lonely Planet:http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2134301

Also, have you looked at flipkey?:http://www.flipkey.com/italy-vacation-rentals/g187768/

i have recently booked a few places on airbnb for the first time-- because we just had to find less expensive options. however-- all the places we chose are in our own apartment with our own bathroom. will get back to everyone when we return from our trip, in late may. hoping for the best... but not counting on it!

For B&Bs with style and no furbelows, look at
www.sawdays.co.uk

Never saw that wore, "furbelow", before. Looked it up, and it is a real word. Learn something every day.

bookmarking - thank you

wow, if I didn't know I was reading fodor's, I'd be amazed at the amount of misinformation on this thread about airbNb.

Afernico,

First of all, try posting your question about airBnB on Frommer's. You'll get far more accurate information from travelers who have done it.

As for Italy (where I live), I've never booked throu airBnB, but I have rented apartments in people's homes when I travel. It can be wonderful to stay with an Italian family. Italian apartments are often HUGE and divided into separate quarters. So you end up with a lot of privacy. Best of all, the family very often invites you to dinner. I've done it in Naples and Ortygia (Sicily) and would do it again anywhere in Italy.

Just so my post is clear, when I say I rented apartments in people's homes, these were bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms that either had their own separate entrance or down a hallway from the main family quarters. I was given breakfast, but I didn't have use of the kitchen.

Thanks, Tarquin

I would love to try AirBNB but my DH won't agree to it. I wouldn't mind staying in someone's house, I think it would be great to talk with locals who know the area.