# AirBnB veterans: are my expectations unrealistic? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 26, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170 "2017-07-26T15:48:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/41 "2017-07-27T13:10:45Z")
> [@Teacake](#): > > You’re paying practically nothing to stay almost in the centre of London. We’re not cooking your eggs as well. Wot? No soft boiled egg with soldiers!? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/42 "2017-07-27T13:20:39Z")
> [@edwardcoast](#): > > I’m curious, you paid $40.00 a night for this Airbnb. What was the lowest price, but acceptable to you hotel cost in the area? > > I’m asking, because I happen to be looking at Airbnb today for an out of state trip. The costs for what people want for an Airbnb for anything decent was more than good quality hotels in the area. I’ve never stayed at a Airbnb, but unlike a hotel, Airbnbs are not run by professionals. My experience is that AirBnB rentals offer cheaper nightly rates than most hotels in the area. The question is, what do you get for that cheaper rates? And this is usually the rub, which as has already been noted, comes down to expectations versus the reality once you arrive. The AirBnB’s that are more expensive than hotels usually offer things a hotel cannot, like being able to rent an entire condo on the 40th floor of a Manhattan high rise with a view of Central Park - you can expect to pay big bucks for that. It’s something you just can’t get in a hotel. AirBnB may not be hotel professionals but the more successful hosts learn pretty quickly. Many of them have a background in real estate, home remodeling, and other service-oriented industries, so they catch on quickly and tend to be responsive to the needs of guests. Those who don’t will not succeed at running an AirBnB ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/43 "2017-07-27T13:25:26Z")
> [@edwardcoast](#): > > That’s a good point. The OP wouldn’t want to unexpectedly be visited in the middle of the night by a group of Airbnb ruffians to get worked over while one of them reads out loud their complaints. lol! Nah, nothing like that. Usually by the time a review has been posted the guest is long gone - quite possibly overseas for all anyone knows. The risk is that you will become a persona non grata on AirBnB. As a renter, you’ll be less likely to find willing hosts. And it could also come back to haunt you if you ever decide to open your own AirBnB as guests might assume you’re the complaining, nit picky type who will smile and collect their money while there and then sully their rep once you’re out. AirBnB is socially driven, which means that unlike a hotel, your past experiences will follow you around forever. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/44 "2017-07-27T15:35:31Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > 10 minutes is not a normal shower, it’s decadent indulgence. 10 minutes is completely normal, as has already been shown upthread. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/45 "2017-07-27T15:45:29Z")
Considering that a space at a campground would be something like 30 bucks a night, I’d say 40 bucks and a real bed and a roof you didn’t have to set up yourself is a steal. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/46 "2017-07-27T18:22:40Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > 10 minutes is completely normal, as has already been shown upthread. 8 minutes is completely normal. 9 is just within the boundaries of decency. _Just_. 10 is just Caligulan excess. I may not be taking the shower thing completely seriously. Although more than three minutes \*is \*just wastage. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/47 "2017-07-27T18:37:29Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > 8 minutes is completely normal. 9 is just within the boundaries of decency. _Just_. 10 is just Caligulan excess. > > I may not be taking the shower thing completely seriously. Although more than three minutes \*is \*just wastage. 3 minutes? I can’t even shampoo and rinse in three minutes… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/48 "2017-07-27T19:42:27Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > 3 minutes? I can’t even shampoo and rinse in three minutes… What kind of Earth-hating reprobate keeps the water running while they’re shampooing their hair? Run the water 1 minute to wet yourself, shut it off, lather body and shampoo hair, run it again 1 minute to rinse off, shut it and condition, run one last minute to rinse off conditioner. Done. Next you water-profligate wasters are going to tell me y’all keep the water running while you brush your teeth… ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/49 "2017-07-27T19:53:57Z")
It comes right out of the tap forever! Why would you ever turn it off? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/50 "2017-07-27T20:02:50Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > It comes right out of the tap forever! Why would you ever turn it off? 🙂 In Iceland, hot water is essentially free. It’s piped from geothermal sources and unmetered. You can shower as long as you want. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/51 "2017-07-27T20:16:25Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > In Iceland, hot water is essentially free. It’s piped from geothermal sources and unmetered. You can shower as long as you want. That’s pretty cool, I didn’t know that. Not running out of hot water ever would be really nice. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/52 "2017-07-27T20:26:08Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > 3 minutes? I can’t even shampoo and rinse in three minutes… Get wash cloth mittens and maybe some liquid soap, and just focus! ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/53 "2017-07-27T21:40:58Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > What kind of Earth-hating reprobate keeps the water running while they’re shampooing their hair? Run the water 1 minute to wet yourself, shut it off, lather body and shampoo hair, run it again 1 minute to rinse off, shut it and condition, run one last minute to rinse off conditioner. Done. You turn our shower off, even for a few seconds, and when you turn it back on, you get 5 seconds OK, 10 seconds fffrreezing, then a 5 second burst of lava temperature before it returns to the temperature it’s set to. I let it run while I shampoo. I actually don’t use conditioner, despite having waist length hair. ---
**Author:** ![JHBoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/13edae/32.png) [@JHBoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHBoom)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/54 "2017-07-27T23:12:25Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Run the water 1 minute to wet yourself, shut it off, lather body and shampoo hair, run it again 1 minute to rinse off, shut it and condition, run one last minute to rinse off conditioner. Done. You weren’t, by chance, ever in the US Navy, were you? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/55 "2017-07-28T01:01:17Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > 10 minutes is not a normal shower, it’s decadent indulgence. Spoken like someone with short, short hair. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/56 "2017-07-28T09:14:29Z")
> [@JHBoom](#): > > You weren’t, by chance, ever in the US Navy, were you? Nope. Just an [AfrikaBurner](http://www.afrikaburn.com/) used to only using 5l of water per day total in the desert…and that is good annual practice for living in a drought-stricken city with current 87 litre/person/day water restrictions. > [@elfkin477](#): > > Spoken like someone with short, short hair. I’ll have you know my enormous 'fro absorbs water like a sponge… ---
**Author:** ![JHBoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/13edae/32.png) [@JHBoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHBoom)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/57 "2017-07-28T20:21:14Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Nope. Just an [AfrikaBurner](http://www.afrikaburn.com/) used to only using 5l of water per day total in the desert…and that is good annual practice for living in a drought-stricken city with current 87 litre/person/day water restrictions. Interesting, never heard of AfrikaBurn before. Looks a lot like what I understand Burning Man here in the US was like, before it became the cool thing to do. You described a “Navy shower” to a T; that’s why I asked. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/58 "2017-07-28T21:28:24Z")
> [@JHBoom](#): > > Interesting, never heard of AfrikaBurn before. Looks a lot like what I understand Burning Man here in the US was like, before it became the cool thing to do. It’s the local Burning Man offshoot. > [@](#): > > You described a “Navy shower” to a T; that’s why I asked. Our whole city’s supposed to be showering like that, now. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170/59 "2017-07-28T22:41:36Z")
OP, the $40 price is not going to get you the AirBNB places you prefer anywhere in the US; that’s a hostel price and you’ll get hostel-level accommodation. When I leave an AirBNB review, I mostly ether affirm or dispute the listing b/c that’s what I look at when choosing a place. Was it as described or not? If not, were the hosts accessible and did they correct the problem? To me, those are the bones of an AirBNB that amenities are hung on. The other things you mention are those I take into account no matter where I travel b/c I was a Girl Scout for 7 years and a military spouse that traveled and moved a lot for 7 years; I would rather have but not use than need and not have. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbnb-veterans-are-my-expectations-unrealistic/792170.md?page=2)