janisj

Oh -- great to know -- last time I was in the area was in late September and it was a mess.

northie

Hi janisj - even the construction sheds etc in Soho are gone . There is plenty of other construction around though - new buildings everywhere but apart from some footpaths and road changes doesn't bother us.

Alamojo

Airbnb in my opinion and experience is a HORRIBLE choice. I made the mistake of booking with them. My experience: their customer service is arrogant and they are in my example untrustworthy. I was planning a South American vacation in June and heard about Airbnb. I went to their website and thought it was a cool concept. I could save money and try something new. What a mistake. After booking and paying for my room some 35 days in advance I thought everything was set and cool. At the last minute, practically on the eve of my departure, they suspended my account and canceled my paid reservation without explanation. I only found out through a private message from my chosen host as I was packing to leave. When I tried to correct Airbnb over the matter they demanded a copy of my passport, access to my Face Book and Google accounts and reconfirmation of my cell number. I didn't want a last-minute derailment of my plans so I unwisely complied. After all that, they wrote that my already 30 days ahead paid reservation was illegitimate and that my account was suspended. Attempts to receive a reason were ignored and I was repeatedly told that they didn't have to give an explanation and were not liable in any way for the mess. Subsequently I had to revoke their permissions, change passwords and accept their corporate hubris / insulting customer service as the "final word". I am now very committed to telling the world of my wretched experience in hopes of sparing other trusting travelers a similar big steaming pile or Airbnb treatment. The good news is, my money was refunded (they had no choice really), I didn't add to their profits and my host of choice understood and received me with a nice welcome. Beware of Airbnb. They might jerk you around as you're in departure as well. I am glad to say that already 4 other friends have now dumped their plans to use Airbnb and I will continue on a righteous mission to share my experience honestly as a cautionary tale regarding Airbnb. The exponential result should make it worthwhile. Choose wisely and seek accommodations elsewhere.

wjm457

I've used Airbnb twice in London and have another stay coming up in December with no problems. I suppose bad things can happen with any type of accomodation.

tom_mn

If you are looking for late evenings out you have picked a good location. Else heed the comments about noise and bring earplugs.

sumrcr

I have always been on the fence about Airb&b but do not trust third-party sites in general. The New York Times this morning (Aug. 15) has an article aptly titled Airb&b Horror Story that illustrates an extreme case of what can go wrong.
It is online at
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/yo...ecautions.html

MmePerdu

The article mentions that the subject was one of 800,000 people staying at Airbnb locations that night. That number is approaching the "1 in a million" phrase we use to describe something that's the rarest of the rare.

People afraid to fly are told how much safer it is than driving because of the unlikeness of being in an air accident. I think using Airbnb is similar, so few mishaps as to not be worth mentioning, unless you want people to read your newspaper. Safer than driving, too, I suspect.

Of course "things" happen, in room renting as in other aspects of life, and reporting of "horror stories" will always be with us, but it's just silly to think they mean danger in most of our lives or to worry, beyond taking sensible precautions.

tom_mn

sumrcr: I read that but I wonder if the rate of violent incidents is any different than hotels or hostels where similar things must also occur.

I was surprised that for 3 of my 4 recent European rentals (Copenhagen, Rome, Florence) there was no way to unlock the front door without leaving the key in. It just seemed so dangerous firewise (esp since rentals always seem to be tucked into the top floor) to have this kind of a being-locked-in situation. We were careful to always leave the key in the lock but I wondered how local laws could allow this, esp since Europeans are so smug about fire codes and restricting the number of people in hotel rooms because of fire safety.

sofarsogood

<<esp since Europeans are so smug about fire codes and restricting the number of people in hotel rooms because of fire safety.>>

lol

iris1745

I agree, that Airbnb has so many listing that something is bound to happen.

We have used them twice with NO problems and thinking of using them in Hawaii.

Each time we used them, they were so professional.

One time with a 2pm arrival time, they let us in at 12 noon.

Don't know anything that is perfect.

sumrcr

Nobody expects perfection, but there is such a thing as criminal negligence. If you have not read the NYT story, I would suggest you do so before dismissing the claims out of hand. The comments accompanying that story have been more informative than anything I have read about Airbnb in travel forums, including this one.

MmePerdu

I give greater weight to the multitude of opinions of those, like myself, whose travel life has been transformed by the advent of Airbnb. I know I can now travel almost anywhere in the world and have good, inexpensive lodgings and pay for them in advance in my own currency by credit card. Don't dismiss it out of hand over a few mostly sensationalized stories, and until you try it yourself. There are those that prefer hotels and whose budget need not take cost as much into account. The rest of us are the beneficiaries. No new thing grows without an occasional mishap, but the vast majority of users are satisfied.