Airbnb Sinking in Japan

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Undaunted
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Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by Undaunted »

"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
fountainhall

Re: Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by fountainhall »

Long before AirBnB there has been an extensive, well organized and relatively inexpensive licensed homestay programme in Japan. I expect that organization along with the cheaper business hotels will have been lobbying hard against AirBnB.
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Re: Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by Asia Traveler »

My AirBnB paid up reservation was cancelled last month and I had to quickly rebook at a hotel. That was the reason I ask the board members for their knowledge on Shinjuku Hotels. I successfully booked into one of the hotels that was recommended here. Thanks you!
firecat69

Re: Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by firecat69 »

I had friends who last month used Airbnb in Kyoto for 5 nights with no problem. Reservation was made 90 days in advance and no problems encountered.

The fact that you had a reservation cancelled could just easily mean many other things. Such as long term stay wanted to extend their stay or some problem with a ,myriad of things such as plumbing . Which of course is why Airbnb carefully spells out it cancellation policy on both sides of the rental.

IMHO Airbnb is going nowhere . In some countries they may have to adjust cancellation policies , and length of stay to match Building Management .
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Re: Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by Undaunted »

I don't believe for a minute that Thailand's efforts to put an end to short term residential rentals has been sparked by irate condo owners but rather by the tremendous influence an economy highly dependent on tourism has from its thousands of hotels and resort properties.
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
firecat69

Re: Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by firecat69 »

I also forgot to mention that with Airbnb a cancellation is possible which is why I always have alternatives in in my Wish Lists for each location and it is easy for me to find a replacement. Only happened to me once and it was because the house burnt down which was true when I drove by it in South Africa.
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Re: Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by Asia Traveler »

My Airbnb booking in Japan was my first and not sure when I will try it again. The idea that I am paid in full long in advance and then be told my booked is cancelled is alarming for me. To be fair they did offer an alternative site but how could I be sure that would not be cancelled later as well? As to the reason they said it was a change in Japanese regulations so it seems to be inline with the article posted above but who knows for sure.
firecat69

Re: Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by firecat69 »

All I can say is that Japan may not be a good example so I would not give up on them. I have used Airbnb in 15 countries and probably 25 cities and had that one cancellation due to being burnt to the ground. 1 or 2 nights I look for a Hotel usually. Anything longer right to Airbnb.

I have never bothered using them in Pattaya since there are much better choices IMHO for rentals in various View Talay Buildings which have been my choice for many years . I t will be interesting to see if these rental agencies are really changed by the supposed crack down. In BKK I always stayed in upscale Hotels for free because of millions of accumulated points, thus I am not familiar with what is available on Airbnb.
fountainhall

Re: Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by fountainhall »

I believe firecat69 is correct in suggesting Japan is not a good example. In a culture where very few Japanese invite even fellow Japanese into their homes, inviting in gaijin to pay to stay will be generally thought by a great many to be alien to the Japanese way of life, even though it makes money for a few. Despite its wealth and seeming acceptance of modernity, Japan remains a very conservative country in many ways.

Mind you, I have never used Airbnb. I had hoped to find a nice one in Taipei so I could save a bit on hotels, although 3-star hotels there are very good and remarkably inexpensive. I checked on every apartment on airbnb's list and could find only one that fitted my criteria - area, looks comfortable, decor not too garish, decent-sized bed, clean shower, small kitchenette, access to satellite TV and not with windows opening on to a noisy road or street market. There were several large ones that looked very nice but were considerably more expensive than a hotel. The only one that fitted the bill was owned by a cute young Taiwanese professional who moves out when he has Airbnb guests. The problem is it, too, was fractionally more expensive than my usual hotel - and my hotel rate also gives me breakfast. Perhaps if he agreed to stay in the apartment with me I might have changed my mind! :o :o
firecat69

Re: Airbnb Sinking in Japan

Post by firecat69 »

I have friends who have used Airbnb in BKK and are very happy. But I recognize the breadth of choices in most of the world do not seem to be as available in many Asian countries. I believe Bali has many choices but really am not sure about many other Asian countries.

Since they first existed I used them all over Europe in almost every major city. and smaller ones. I have used them all over Mexico, South America, South Africa . I have used them all over Australia and New Zealand. Only once was I disappointed with my choice . I find the reviews to be spot on since no review is allowed until after check out and owner is allowed to read review and comment on any negative things mentioned if any.

I had one apartment in Madrid that did not live up to expectations but was still acceptable.

The one thing I have a problem with is that when you are searching you only know the general area of the apartment on a map. In big cities the actual location could be quite far from where you think it is. Most of the time with messages to the owner you can get a restaurant name or similar that will beat Airbnb's computer system which does not allow you to have exact location or phone numbers until the reservation is made.

If all else fails I make the reservation and deposit and actual address is revealed and if it does not work for me , I have 24 hours to cancel with no fees.

Since all of my travel is for pleasure now, I rarely don't spend 3 nights or more and thus my Hotel stays have been greatly reduced.
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