Picking an Airbnb or a hotel for your travel is definitely a personal choice. And to be fair, sometimes you don’t have a choice especially if you’re visiting a remote area. But what to choose if you have the choice? Airbnb vs hotels! Here is my take.

It has been a while since I booked an Airbnb as I am 100% hotels right now. I have nothing against hosts and the Airbnb idea itself, but the inconsistent experience is too much for me. Let me explain.

When you book a hotel, you know what you’ll get: A room, toiletries, fresh towels, a minibar, all that normal stuff. For cleaning, you expect it will be cleaned each day with fresh towels, etc… That’s the universal hotel package, even if you take a low-star hotel. With an Airbnb however, every host has the right to provide what they want.

In one of my Airbnb experiences, the host provided us with half a roll of toilet paper, for two persons, for a week. Eventually, we did run out of toilet paper and I asked the host if it was stored somewhere in the house. Their answer was: During your stay (a day/week/month), we only provide one roll of toilet paper. Then added that they can provide more for extra money.

Another time, the same thing happened with towels. One towel, for a 5-day stay, in a beach city. Same thing as before, the host told us towels are extra.

On another occurrence, the host told us to place the bed sheets in the washing machine and to “clean” the house before moving out. Even though we paid the “cleaning fee”.

I’m not complaining about this. I have no problem with that if this was the universal Airbnb behavior. I would be happy to buy my toilet paper, bring my towels, and clean the room before leaving. But it’s inconsistent.

Some Airbnb hosts were kind enough to provide us with fresh towels, toiletries, and everything else. But others refuse to do so for absurd reasons and try to find ways to rip you off.

This disparity and inconsistency is what makes using Airbnb a pain. For each booking, you need to spend absurd time reading the description and deciphering what the host provides and what to bring with you.

So instead, I book a hotel for peace of mind.