How to use Airbnb to rent a room (and when to consider it)

We often recommend booking a vacation rental when traveling with kids: doing so allows families to travel more authentically, comfortably, and cheaply. But would you rent a single room in a stranger’s home?

how-to-use-airbnb

The vacation rental site airbnb offers rental homes and apartments to traveling families, much like companies such as HomeAway or VacationRoost. However, they also list single rooms, which are rented out in local’s homes. Honestly, I’d always prefer renting an entire home or apartment, as I’m a private person, but sometimes, cost or availability in the city to which I’m traveling has me considering a room rental.

My airbnb room rental experience:

In anticipation of using airbnb for an upcoming family trip to Europe, I decided to rent a room in Salt Lake City during the annual Outdoor Retailer show. It was the perfect time to try airbnb, as the city’s hotel rooms were sold out or unreasonably priced for this major event. I was traveling to Salt Lake City solo, so I needed less space, and was on a budget. I wouldn’t be in my room much during the day, so a nice hotel experience wasn’t necessary.

Checking airbnb four months prior to the show, I had no trouble finding suitable rooms to rent. My criteria:

  1. The room needed to be on or near a public transit line, in a safe neighborhood.
  2. The room needed to include a private bathroom.
  3. The room needed to be under $50/night. Bonus: it would be great if the home owner on the listing didn’t look too shady.

I quickly found this room listing which met my criteria. It lists for $30/night (far lower than a hotel room rate, of course), and comes with a private bathroom. The host is a woman with kids, which made me comfortable (wrong or right, this was my feeling as a woman traveling alone).

Once I’d contacted the host via airbnb and was accepted, I paid for the room via invoice through the site and was given a receipt, plus additional information from the host (such as the exact address). I was then sent a reminder text the week before my trip. My total payment was $157 for four nights ($30/night, plus cleaning fee and service fee from airbnb).

How did it turn out? I had a very pleasant stay. The house was in a nice, quiet neighborhood only 15 minutes from everywhere I needed to be. While, true, I was a guest in a stranger’s home, I never felt ‘weird’ about it…at least not much. While I was welcomed, the host family did their thing, and I did mine. I was given a key to the house, and told which areas were ‘mine’ to inhabit. My space was in the finished basement, which worked out just fine. If I’d had the whole family along, I would have felt like too much of an intrusion, so for those times, I’ll look for airbnb rentals where families can rent the entire house. For a solo adult, or a couple, however, my arrangement was perfect. Here’s a shot of my room:

airbnb-rental

Tips for renting a single room on airbnb:

1. Know what you’re getting. Because airbnb rental rooms are listed by individuals and are located in private homes, every one will be different. Some come with a shared bathroom (shared with the host family), while others are shared with other guests in additional rooms. If you want a private bathroom, search with this in mind.

Some room rentals come with breakfast, but most come only with kitchen space, so you can bring your own food with you and cook as needed. In some cases, mingling and socializing with the hosts is encouraged, and in others, discouraged. Searching the site, I didn’t have much trouble deducing which rentals had a lively social atmosphere and which were quieter. It helps to read the user reviews to know if hosts or other housemates were loud, enjoyed music late at night, or were generally unfriendly.

2. Remember you’ll be in someone’s home. Obviously, this means you’ll be respectful of property and people, but it also means there might be environmental elements you are not used to. The hosts may have pets (this is disclosed) or may smoke in the home. Most seem to allow smoking (outside) and alcoholic beverages, but some do stipulate rules, as is their right.

3. Research a potential rental room’s neighborhood. You are not given an exact address until your rental request is accepted by the host, but each room listing does include a city map and a fairly accurate idea of where the house is. Make sure it’s in a safe neighborhood, will offer public transit if you need it, or parking space for your vehicle.

Have you rented a vacation room in a private home? What was your experience?

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