Almost every Airbnb I've stayed in has felt a bit like this--like I'm not really supposed to be there--and it's a reason I tend to stay in hotels.
I appreciate the premise of staying in a city a bit more like a local and having a kitchen, but I'm at a loss for how people get over how it always feels a bit sketchy and anxiety around the inconsistent process.
100% agreed. I've used Airbnb several times now, and any time I'm in any kind of shared housing environment (e.g. an apartment), I've felt this. At this point, I solely use it for renting entire houses, and that's been fairly fraught with difficulty. (E.g. the last house I was in trying to scam me out of $15k for plumbing damage myself and my guests couldn't have possibly caused.)
I've had many great experiences in Airbnb through trial an error. A few lessons I have learned through trial by fire:
1) Preferentially select super hosts.
2) Preferentially select places with at least a washer.
3) Never rent places that are run with an absent owner unless I am renting the entire place (i.e owner has multiple properties and runs them like businesses).
4) Never rent places that have restrictions (i.e. no kitchen access or partial kitchen access).
5) Never rent exclusively on price.
6) The look and feel have a big impact on if I will rent.
7) I will rent again from hosts that I like. I never chase a new renting experience.
I've used AirBnB to stay in, what was essentially, a motel, and also a room in someone's home.
Both felt above-board, even if they were illegal in the area - which I don't think they were (Because I wasn't taking a full-fledged apartment off the rental market.)
I've noticed prices between hotels and Airbnb are closer. I think part of this is cities have caught on and are either charging fees (like SF) or are enforcing more regulations, which limits supply.
In the past (2014/2015), AirBNBs were generally 30% cheaper than hotels and provided better amenities (like a kitchen).
It's the same NIMBYism and real-estate-related corruption ring in many large cities that should be upended. If they don't even care about reasonble-cost housing for their own residents, even less so will they care about reasonable-cost lodging for guests.
"Compromise" on location? Some locations are zoned so they have no hotels/Airbnb at all, so if you want to be in a convenient place, especially without a car, you can only get Airbnb. If you add up all the costs of a trip, you absolutely save money.
I appreciate the premise of staying in a city a bit more like a local and having a kitchen, but I'm at a loss for how people get over how it always feels a bit sketchy and anxiety around the inconsistent process.