Move Over, Airbnb: A Host of Tech Lets You Rent Out Your Digs
Which homeshare best fits your travel wants and needs?
Today, Airbnb gets the most attention of any homeshare business. In fact, Boston was named the most expensive city for users of the service. Airbnb may be rising in popularity, but there are a lot more homeshare services out there. We talked to representatives from Airbnb and five other homeshare networks to see what makes them stand out.
Airbnb Representative
Airbnb has endless amounts of travel opportunities and differing accommodations in more than 34,000 cities and over 190 countries. “More than just a great place to stay,’’ the representative said. “Airbnb strives to provide a sense of belonging for individuals who are traveling, no matter what city or country.’’
You can also get compensated for putting your home on Airbnb. The representative said that many Airbnb hosts “use the extra income to pay off a mortgage, fund a passion project or save up for a big trip.’’
Guests and hosts both review each other, which is how Airbnb keeps tabs on safety and user experience.
“Both guests and hosts review each other,’’ the representative said. “Unlike some travel sites, all Airbnb reviews are authentic: you can only review someone you’ve transacted with on Airbnb.’’
Other safety precautions include verifying host/guest identities by connecting on social networks, by scanning their official ID, or finding some way to confirm personal identification.
Jia En Teo, Co-founder
What makes Roomorama a little different is the demographic. They focus on mid-range to high-end professionally managed properties, with more than 50,000 properties worldwide, 90 percent of which are not shared with a host. Most users get a private travel experience. Teo said that what separates them from other sites is that users can book instantly.
“This kind of direct-connection, instant confirmation is not available on other travel sites,’’ she said. “We are ‘hotelifying’ the booking process by offering properties that can be booked instantly, without having to wait for hosts to reply.’’
She also said it can be very profitable for hosts.
“A host who has a one-bedroom home in a large city like New York, London, or Singapore, can easily make $180 to $200 per night.’’
Roomorama also verifies every host they have.
“We have a validations team that personally vets host accounts to ensure that we don’t have fraudsters who put the entire community at risk,’’ she said.
Sylvain Garms, Co-founder, project developer
As you might guess, this site is only for surfers.
“You have a profile for houses, but also a profile of surfers that live in the house,’’ Garms said. “It’s important to know who you are going to swap with.’’
Garms emphasized that what makes Swap and Surf different from other sites is the need to share interests and a passion between guest and host.
Right now, using this service costs no money and works “like a club.’’ Garms said in a year he expects they will have a $60 fee for using the site.
Clare Fairburn, Community Liaison Person
In this home-share, you don’t stay in a home, but a garden as an alternative to staying at a campground. (It seems to be most popular in Europe.)
“Garden camping tends to offer a degree of privacy and freedom that commercial accommodation cannot,’’ Fairburn said. “In Europe, in particular, people have to tolerate crowded and noisy commercial campsites, often very open and exposed.’’
But, don’t expect to make a profit giving up your garden, but also don’t expect to pay a lot to stay. The average nightly rate is between 7 to 10 dollars and campers are not hosted every night.
“For most hosts it’s something they like to do occasionally, enjoying the new company, cultural exchange, the feeling of helping people enjoy the area and – very important – having people share and make the most of their garden, and make all that mowing and weeding worthwhile,’’ Fairburn said.
But, is this safe?
“Campers private message and book through the site so that we have a record of visits,’’ Fairburn said. “We have a review system and include safety advice on the site, and will take a strong and proactive interest if we hear of any problems.’’
Erin Portman, PR Manager
“HomeAway’s inventory is focused more in vacation destinations and is always a free resource for travelers, unlike other sites,’’ Portman said.
It seems that HomeAway can be pretty profitable for hosts.
“The average owner listing on HomeAway books their property 18 weeks and grosses more than $26,000 in rental income each year,’’ Portman said.
Portman referenced a Vacation Rental Report survey that reports, “54 percent of HomeAway owners cover 75 percent or more of their mortgage by renting their home. 65 percent of HomeAway owners cover 50 percent or more of their mortgage by renting their home.’’
They also have an online booking tool through their site, and those who pay with this tool “are covered up to $10,000 at no extra cost.’’
“HomeAway’s Basic Rental Guarantee is free for all travelers and covers up to $1,000 to combat listing fraud, owner identity compromise, and impersonation,’’ Portman said. “Additional insurance coverage can be purchased to cover incidences of fraud up to $10,000, property damage up to $5,000, and trip cancellation protection up to $50,000.
Ben Wosskow, Chief Marketing Officer
Love Home Swap says they have “60,000 stylish homes available in 160 countries worldwide,’’ and that their members use the money they made to pay for vacations.
Wosskow said “members save an average of $3,500 on the cost of accommodation each time they travel through our site.’’
Their safety practices are based on trust, but they also have identity verification and deposit services.
“Trip reviews are a key element of building trust and we collect these from our members every time
He said what makes them unique is their use of points. Points are used when you cannot do a two way swap. According to their website, “You can use the time that you know your home will be sitting empty to earn points.’’
“Then [you can] use those points to book time in another member’s home – anywhere in the world – when it suits you,’’ said Wosskow.
You can also gain points when people stay at your second home.
Do any of these homeshares sound like they would work for you?
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