Airbnb recommendations for Paris

Just note that there is some sentiment against airbnb/vrbo for the effect they
have on local economy. If you go (not too far back, I don't think) in this subforum
you'll find recommendations for apartment rental companies in Paris.

As for location, I think the Marais/3rd is my favorite, but if you locate yourself near
a Metro stop, you can get around pretty easily and maybe save some $ if you're willing
to stay a bit farther out.

Recommendation - stay away unless you like late cancellations, being charged excessive amounts for "cleaning" but having a list of 20 things you need to do before you need to leave to clean (what's that fee for.. oh yes, it's just a way to raise the nightly rate without looking overpriced LOL!)

And no, the owner won't pay for "late cancellations" if they know the game

I book via reputable agencies who will take care of you if something goes wrong (I use Vacation in Paris or Guest Apartment Services but there are others.)

I'll offer a countervailing view: AirBnB has been a consistently excellent way for us to secure lodgings throughout Europe over the past three years, during which time we've stayed over 12 months total in Europe. Unfortunately, Paris is not among the cities we've stayed in recently; we stayed in an apartment in Versailles two summers ago (found it on AirBnB) and trained in daily to Paris. Worked great for us.

I understand there's an opinion that AirBnB has created massive economic problems for local populations, but I disagree. To the extent there are housing shortages in Europe, local officials can ease bureaucratic restrictions on housing construction and thereby solve the problem. And we've typically stayed in homes owned by individuals who use them to augment their other income streams, or in a few cases student housing that otherwise would be vacant in summer. I'm at a loss to see this as a bad thing.

Well I am anti-Airbnb. I live in a city where the downtown has been swallowed up by people looking to get rich and there's so little affordable housing left.

Cobblestone Paris, https://www.cobblestoneparis.com, and Apartments du Louvre, https://www.apartmentsdulouvre.com, I have used before. Apartments du Louvre has two buildings with a small elevator in them if needed.

Be aware that Paris has strict Airbnb rules. Before booking ask the host if you will be within their 120 day rental usage.

I like to go to Paris, and use Les FrenchiesFB page and youtubes (yes, I like them and their information is useful and relevant) reading their FB page, it is loaded with situations of travelers who were last minute canceled from their vacation rental looking for last minute lodging recommendations. Or the place they rented is nothing like what was presented, not clean, or had decent linens. Good luck.

This place is in a perfect area and you won't have to deal with AirBnB:
https://www.lebeaumarais.com/en
We stayed in one of their apartments last year. Very nice.

There are apartment hotel options throughout Paris that offer an alternative to the AirBNB alternative. Family members have had success at a Citadines location.

As others have mentioned, there are frequent last minute cancellations by AirBNB hosts; in many instances they are now limited to 90 days per year.

AirBNB has very much evolved from its original purpose of couch surfing. How did people travel prior to 15 years ago when it was just getting started? Apartment hotels have been around longer and are an excellent option. I think it is a bit much for any foreign tourists to expect local cities to shift the way they provide and build housing for locals just because tourists demand an apartment; its their home, not ours.

Actually, Paris has changed the regulations and you are now limited to 90 days in a year that you can rent your apartment on Airbnb. But of course the problem is you and I as renters have no way of knowing how many days the owner has rented for before you book.

These American retirees who travel fulltime do a pretty deep dive into hotel vs. Airbnb, they started out favoring the latter but have now changed over to hotels for the many reasons they cite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hmWmQEIB9o

Despite initial antipathy, I've been seduced by AirBnB and VRBO in the past few years (since starting to bring our daughter with us to Europe). We've rented in the south of France, Paris, Italy, Denmark and Belgium. We do try to rent from people that own only one or two properties, in thinking that these people are likely to be local entrepreneurs or people just trying to augment their income. We will confirm that the owners we book with list their property registration numbers (hopefully legitimate), are described as Superhosts and their spaces as Guest favorites and have many good recent reviews. Then we'll contact them through the app with a humble question like where's the nearest playground or something like that to see if they in fact know their neighborhoods.
While staying in the neighborhoods we'll shop and eat local as much as possible, and try to give back in some way. In the south of France we joined a beach cleanup for an hour one afternoon. We brought treats one afternoon to a playground to share. Something small in this vein.
At home I work in a hotel myself. Hotel owners are just as likely to be multiple property owners, faceless big corporations, with no genuine local links to their communities; and who hire the cheapest labor that they can pay poorly. Big hotel and restaurant associations in cities band together to steamroll independents and coerce the local politicians. So, though of course I am familiar with several very good hotels, I think that thinking of hoteliers as the ethical choice has its pitfalls too.

to mbrian,
Good food for thought from the perspective of someone in the hotel business. Thanks for the input!

These American retirees who travel fulltime do a pretty deep dive into hotel vs. Airbnb, they started out favoring the latter but have now changed over to hotels for the many reasons they cite

Certainly everyone should select the lodging option(s) they believe best meet their needs and wants. I just don't see AirBnB aficionados berating those who prefer hotels or other lodging choices. The converse happens frequently. With that said, it's matters little to me whether other travelers approve of my frequent use of the AirBnB option. So long as it works well for us, we'll continue to.

Thanks everyone.
We will keep all the mentioned points in mind.
I am down for anything that is within my budget
Last summer we were in Italy and used Airbnb everywhere we went. Had a very good experience and everywhere the hosts went out of their way to be helpful and hospitable. May be things are different in Paris/France.

Paris is limiting short-term rentals, so why need to be much more careful when renting thru Airbnb for Paris versus Italy. You could accidentally rent accommodations that are not legal and find yourself without a place to stay once you arrive if the owner is caught. Airbnb will have legal and not legal rentals listed.

Here's a thread regarding apartment agencies in Paris.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/paris-apartment-rental-company-7d3625a1-7fc5-4e35-a5bb-ec59405cb050

I have also used Airbnb/VRBO in the past and have had a good experience in Italy with them. But for my Paris trip, I chose to rent thru an agency for my 1 week stay.

Poor OP getting bombarded by something they did not ask for.

I am very jealous you are seeing Paris for the first time. My favourtie arrondissement to stay in, especially as a first timer, is the 6th. Close and walkable to a lot of places. For a cheaper alternative, look at the 5th.

The 3rd is also popular but I don't prefer that side of the river and personally think it's overrated especially for those who just want the top spots as first time visitors.

A cheaper alternative for the 6th and 5th is the the 14th (Montparnasse) especially close to the Luxembourg garden. You can walk to the garden within 5 minutes and 20 minutes to the centre or 10 minutes by metro. The appeal of this for me, besides what I mentioned, is that it is still a very vibrant neighborhood with a local feel.