Airbnb hosting

[Hot Flatus]

One night in Derby is one night too many.

Little chef used to have something on their dessert menu called a 'Brown Derby'.

I've no idea what it was, but it sounds like something rogerzilla would do for fun.

[citoyen]

Little chef used to have something on their dessert menu called a 'Brown Derby'.

I've no idea what it was, but it sounds like something rogerzilla would do for fun.

That was Wimpy - although maybe Little Chef had it on their menu as well. It was a doughnut topped with Mr Whippy ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. It was my childhood ambition to try one, and needless to say when I finally did, I was disappointed.

[Cudzoziemiec]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Derby

[mattc]

Even so, I still wouldn't trust them not to be hiding in the wardrobe. Dressed as clowns. With axes.

But hotel staff can do that too.   [In parts of Berlin it's a standard extra. I hear ... ]


"Normal" B&Bs have always had the same gamble; if you get nice hosts, and/or ones that stay out of your way the right amount, they're MUCH nicer than cold hotels. But there will be weirdos out there who insist on bugging you every hour, and chatting through breakfast.

The most generous hosts I've had were in Belgium and Germany (although we fooled the germans by arriving at 3am - they gave us a fantastic welcome, then immediately went straight to bed and we let ourselves out early in the morning. Bloody Audaxers ... ).

But perhaps the nicest was in Herefordshire - technically it was " a room in someone's house", but the owners were never around; they just left everything we needed accessible. That place had the benefit of a "proper" dining room, plus use of kitchen and fridge, and a lounge-wiv-telly; facilities we could never have afforded in a hotel, and they felt homely, instead of corporate.

No doubt my next rental will be hideous. With clowns ...

[ian]

As I travel a lot, I'm inclined to avoid surprises when I arrive places. Especially clown-based surprises. I suppose that's the benefit of the ordinarily tedious business hotels. They're reliably tedious. No one arrives in a Hilton or Marriot and says 'oh, this is nice.' You know what you are getting.

I, of course, would hide in the wardrobe. Dressed as a clown. With an axe.

No one can masturbate, frantically or otherwise, not if they're worrying there's an axe-wielding clown in the wardrobe. If you don't believe me, try it.

[jiberjaber]

As I travel a lot, I'm inclined to avoid surprises when I arrive places. Especially clown-based surprises. I suppose that's the benefit of the ordinarily tedious business hotels. They're reliably tedious. No one arrives in a Hilton or Marriot and says 'oh, this is nice.' You know what you are getting.

I, of course, would hide in the wardrobe. Dressed as a clown. With an axe.

No one can masturbate, frantically or otherwise, not if they're worrying there's an axe-wielding clown in the wardrobe. If you don't believe me, try it.

Hmmm... http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Coulrophilia

After last year's creepy clown sightings, Pornhub searches for "clown porn" went up 213 percent—and women were apparently 33 percent more likely to search for it than men. So what's the attraction?

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/ev47da/inside-the-kinky-brightly-colored-world-of-clown-fetishists

[ian]

OK, it's a niche thing. Besides there's a fundamental difference between axe- and dildo-wielding clowns.

Though, in principle, I'm all for avoiding both.

[mattc]

Anyone used Airbnb recently? I've just booked somewhere in Germany; they seem to have changed the "messaging" etiquette.

Looks like you have to use the web-interface* now. I understand why they do this, but it was very useful in previous years to have a mobile number that I could text arrival time updates to. Does this still exist, I've just failed to spot it?


[*SMS is faaaaaaaaar easier from my phone than powering up the browser on a small screen ]

[Jaded]

Well, we have just been to Germany and availed ourselves of two AirBnB things. An experience and a place to stay. Comms was a mix of through AirBnB and not, without necessarily trying to bypass one or the othe.r

[Poly Hive]

Just a fly in the proverbial to ponder.

Yes, it is probably cheaper than a B&B or hotel but... has it been fire inspected? Does it have a fire alarm system? Are they insured in case your precious belongings are stolen, vandalised or turned to ashes?

Have a good night.

PH

[jsabine]

Nice bit of FUD-spreading - didn't you used to run a B&B?

FWIW, Air BnB reckon to have insurance in place offering primary coverage for claims from renters.

[Jaded]

Has any hotel been fire inspected, does it comply, and do you check when you book, and again when you arrive?

[Pickled Onion]

Once you've booked you should get the direct number of the host, and if that's not a mobile number you can ask for it, AirBnb will let it through. I'm fairly sure you can also reply to an SMS message from the host and it will be routed to them (via AirBnb).

PH - you can book a range of places through AirBnb, from hotels through serviced apartments, down to someone's spare room in their house. The standards are generally exactly what you would expect according to type, I wouldn't expect a spare room to be fire inspected, though AirBnb do require hosts to have smoke detectors, etc. For a hotel or guest house it's the same as if you turned up and booked on arrival. As for insurance, I would generally expect to be claiming on my own insurance if those things happened, and if not, claiming through AirBnb would probably be easier than direct against a foreign guest house.

[citoyen]

Anyone used Airbnb recently? I've just booked somewhere in Germany; they seem to have changed the "messaging" etiquette.

Looks like you have to use the web-interface* now. I understand why they do this, but it was very useful in previous years to have a mobile number that I could text arrival time updates to. Does this still exist, I've just failed to spot it?


[*SMS is faaaaaaaaar easier from my phone than powering up the browser on a small screen ]

Have you tried using the app? It has an SMS-style messaging function. Last time we stayed in an Airbnb, all our contact with the host was messaging via the app.

[mattc]

Once you've booked you should get the direct number of the host, and if that's not a mobile number you can ask for it, AirBnb will let it through. I'm fairly sure you can also reply to an SMS message from the host and it will be routed to them (via AirBnb).

Yes, thankyou, that's more-or-less what happened.  For some reason the initial email (and web-page) didn't show it. But I am now good to go (and checked that my host was happy for me to use that number).

( I will probably die horribly in a fire, but it's very cheap, and I will already have finished my big ride for the year so that's what matters   )