Let me just say, the recent tidal wave of irate AirBnB hosts over the updates to hosting rules that basically say that hosts can’t demand guests basically be their housekeepers anymore while pocketing egregious cleaning fees has been extremely, unexpectedly satisfying to witness. Because I’d shown some interest in the topic, The Algorithm has been spoon-feeding me content from both salty hosts as well as other likeminded spectators from the peanut gallery also finding amusement at the comeuppance to all these opportunistic property hoarders, and I haven’t minded it one bit.
We’ve all been in that position before, where we’re searching for some lodging, and thinking the AirBnB route, since they could offer up some unique locations and there used to be the belief that they were more economical. And then we find some ideal options, and about the pull the trigger, but upon getting to the checkout portion, we’re rudely awakened to some ridiculously high cleaning charges, which is perplexing considering the house rules stated a laundry list of rules and chores expected of guests, and the cost difference between AirBnB versus a hotel where you don’t have to do anything but vacate the premises suddenly doesn’t look as expansive as it did previously.
Personally, I’ve been fortunate to have not stayed at any AirBnBs where the rules were too bonkers; usually the extent of what I’ve ever done staying at someone else’s properties is like bagging up my own trash and putting it in a can outside, and consolidating used towels in a basket. But I’ve definitely heard of listings where people demand tasks such as wiping down surfaces, sweeping floors, stripping sheets off beds, starting laundry and other things that always beg the question, wtf is the cleaning fee for??
Mythical wife and I have leveraged AirBnB overseas numerous times, having stayed in rentals in places from Paris, Seoul to Budapest, and thankfully they’ve been a little more accommodating and understanding that they’re hospitality-adjacent and not drunk on their own Kool-Aid believing that they’re providing some sort of life-saving service like their American counterparts are, but I doubt that these were the hosts that were in mind when these sweeping policy changes were enacted.
Needless to say, it has been peak entertainment watching across the internet as AirBnB hosts all over are crashing out and raging amongst each other trying to cry victim and come up with other ways to make up for free revenue that cleaning fees were getting for them, and I love the arrogance in that they seem to think that raising their base rate isn’t just going to drive everyone back to hotels. Flip the hierarchy, to where hotels and actual hospitality businesses are the first option, and AirBnB becomes the second-tier when all the good hotel options aren’t available.
It got me thinking how I think the age of sharing as a service is probably coming to an end, because aside from AirBnB, I think about how ridesharing pricing has gotten to the point where there’s not nearly as much of a difference between taxis anymore, and that the only real benefit to an Uber or Lyft over a cab is the lack of a meter, so you can’t get gauged by a unethical cabbie.
Like, airport logistics have basically gotten back to pre-2010, where take Atlanta for example; going for a weekend jaunt, do you park your car, or take rideshare? Parking costs have skyrocketed to where “economy” parking is 20-25 a day, up from just 10-12 a few years ago, and all the third-party and offsite options have risen to commensurate, without any reduction in car storage safety. Alternatively, you opt for ridesharing to the airport, and at least from where I live, the average Uber/Lyft to the airport is usually around $50 not including the tipping that was implemented a decade ago, so now multiply that by two for the round trip, and you’re probably looking at like $120 in rideshare, or around $100 in on-site parking, neither of which is a particularly appealing option when you’re already spending a bunch to travel in the first place.
Leveraging friends or family members for rides is back to being the hopeful first option, but naturally that comes with its own cost of someone else’s fuel and time.
The point is, it feels like sharing as a service is kind of dying. It’s like when things are new/newish, there are a lot of early pioneers who get on the wagons early, go gangbusters in earning, and prove that it’s a viable way to live. But then other people see it, hop aboard the train, and as the playing field dilutes more and more, the viability comes down, and any gaps and holes in the infrastructure of the services start to open up, more oversight and maintenance is implemented, and we end up exactly where we are right now, with all these alternate options watered down to complete mediocrity.
It was fun few years when services like AirBnB, Uber and Lyft, Doordash and Postmates were fresh new ideas and were viable economic alternatives to the standards they were challenging, but I think the rides are crawling to their ends. The more policies and rules change, the cost of service increases, the more people are going to start crawling back to staying in hotels and pre-arranging cabs and shuttles over relying on sharing as a service once again.