Airbnb vs. Hotel: What Are the Pros and Cons of Each?

It’s the ultimate battle royale: Airbnb vs. hotel. Both avid and occasional travelers know that the choice can be a difficult one. Especially when we travel somewhere new, there’s a lot of pressure to find the right accommodations for our specific wants and needs.

To take some of that pressure off, here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of Airbnb vs. hotel stays, including considerations such as safety, price, and overall quality:

Pros of Airbnb

Opportunities to meet locals

Staying in a private room in someone’s home through Airbnb can be a great opportunity to meet locals, if that’s what you’re hoping to do. When Airbnb first launched, the platform was more like a paid version of Couchsurfing. Hosts would receive guests in their homes, who would rent a room at a fraction of the cost of a hotel. When I first used Airbnb in 2017 (I was a little late to the game, I know), this was my experience. I stayed in Bogotá with a lovely couple of artists who even showed me around the city and invited me out to drinks with their friends.

The platform has changed a lot since then, with more and more options to rent entire places. You can still rent a room in someone’s home like in the beginning, but more often people look for a more private stay.

Overall, it can be toss-up if you choose to rent a room, because chances are you’ll interact a lot more with your host. I’ve had great experiences with this, and others that were just “meh.”

Can be more affordable than hotels

This isn’t always true for every destination, but in many places around the world, Airbnb offers much cheaper accommodations that give you a bigger bang for your buck. Sometimes when I travel around Mexico, for example, I’ll compare prices at hotels to Airbnbs, and almost always Airbnbs end up much cheaper, even after all the extra fees.

Typically, private rooms in a shared home are the cheapest option on Airbnb. These either have a private or shared bathroom, plus access to common areas, such as the living room and kitchen. It’s also possible to find completely private rooms, suites, and entire apartments on Airbnb that are cheaper than a hotel room.

More unique options (glamping, treehouses, etc.)

In recent years, Airbnb has leveled up its selection of unique stays. Now you can find glamping options, treehouses, yurts, Airstreams, and more on the platform. Places like these can be hard to come by if you don’t know where else to…