Gifts for airbnb hosts?

I've never left a gift for an airbnb host...it is at it's core, a business arrangement. That said, I'm sure the hosts would love it! Most people I've stayed with who host on airbnb are personable and really do go out of their way to make you comfortable. If that's your style, then why not?

“(I know - you get what you pay for, but I'm staying positive for now).”

While I have stayed in some truly great hotels and B&Bs over the years, the absolute best accommodations I have ever enjoyed on many levels have all been in apartments/condos via airbnb. You certainly don’t have anything to be worried about in my opinion. I use airbnb almost exclusively now and have never, ever had a bad experience. As for your gift idea, it’s not really necessary unless you actually meet your host in person and wouldn’t mind getting to know him/her a little bit better. And in that case, I would suggest meeting for coffee sometime before you leave. You could even give them your small gift box of chocolates at that time if you think it’s appropriate. I have never offered or left a gift, but I have gotten to know some hosts, and there are some really cool people hosting with airbnb. Enjoy the experience!

I almost neglected to mention that, just like any other lodging, a great rate doesn’t necessarily mean a great place. Ensure the place is in a part of town that’s okay for you, and read the reviews. Not only will the place have reviews, but the hosts themselves will often have reviews from other hosts (a lot of airbnb hosts travel and use airbnb themselves). When you get back, take the time to submit a review, and expect a review of you from the host. It all helps the airbnb community in a good way!

Will you be staying in a room in the host's home or are you renting the entire property? It is a business arrangement so it's not like someone is hosting you as their guest. If you feel better about bringing a small gift I'm sure it would be appreciated. We will be staying in our first airbnb rentals later this year, but in all 3 places we are renting the entire apartment. I never considered a gift for the hosts, any more than I consider bringing a gift for B&B owners or owners of VRBO apartments I've rented.

We stayed in two Airbnb properties in Paris last September. One was owned and managed by the same person - we did not leave a "gift/tip"`. The other was owned by one person and she had an onsite manager who helped us in many ways during our stay. She took us on a guided tour through the neighborhood when we arrived, offered to make restaurant reservations for us and arranged a taxi to pick us up upon our departure. We did leave a
gratuity for her for the extra help she provided.

I know a couple less than stellar people that rent on AirBnB. I read a post here once where a person who rented his apartment on AirBnB made the statement that people should expect the occasional hair in the shower because AirBnB is like renting grandma's bedroom and grandma doesn't clean every day. Yikes!!!!!!

You are dealing with individuals or companies; both advertise on AirBnB. Some take it seriously and others do it as a part time hobby. But I would say its a business and no one is expecting a tip or a gift.

I'm not trying to sound negative about renting apartments; I do it all the time. I just think people give AirBnB too much credit for the good apartment. You can do just as good with any of a number of rental fronts like FlipKey or directly from the owner or management company.

It may not hurt to have something - and if you don't gift it - you can eat it! As someone who has used airbnb a dozen times over the last few years, we have run the gamut from stand alone apartments to having the owner present. If they go above and beyond, it may be nice to give them a small token, but ultimately, you are paying for the room. The only one I ever gave some candy too (and I take locally made maple cream chocolates when I travel) was a lady in Villefranche who not only cooked us supper, but took us in her car the next day to Eze - she certainly didn't have to. I had the chocolates to give to our couchsurfing hosts (who host you for free) so I just gave a package to her...I had extra in case I wanted to eat one. Otherwise, I don't bother with a gift.

Give them the same thing you give the desk guy at Motel 6.

Ed sort of boiled it down to the most fundamentally-correct answer. A few more thoughts...

So, one may expect to find an occasional hair in the bedroom when renting through airbnb because the owner may not clean every day? Perhaps. But I have not yet found the hotel room that is completely hair free, and I have stayed in some very nice properties over the years, especially when travelling on business and someone else is picking up the tab. As stated earlier, you need to do a little due diligence and read the reviews, just like you would for any other lodging. As for those less than stellar folks who rent on airbnb, their host will most likely provide less than stellar reviews of them if they aren’t good guests, which may hurt their chances of renting again in the future. Alternatively, when less than stellar hosts have a place that isn’t acceptable, it will more than likely show up in reviews. I will agree that there are many good options for renting apartments, but my own personal choice is airbnb, which is the option the OP is using and asking about. BTW, when I see negative reviews on a property on airbnb, it’s almost always on a company who uses airbnb to advertise multiple properties. It’s a completely different gig than individual owners renting their own place. Have a great trip!

Thanks so much -- excellent points all around.

In both Paris and London, we'll be renting the only available room from owners who live in the home. The reviews for both said how personable and helpful the owners were, which is what led me to wondering about host gifts.

After reading the comments here, I remembered that my sisters and our families have stayed in several bed and breakfasts here in the US, and no matter how personable the owners, I never considered a gift for any of them.

If our experiences turn out as well as I expect them to, I think maybe the best gift will be a good airbnb review once my daughter and I return home.

Thanks again for the useful insights and feedback!

Good reviews for small businesses are like money in the bank for them. If all was well, do write one. That would be much more appreciated than a box of chocolates or some flowers.

Yours is a timely question, as we just checked out of our Airbnb accommodations in Budapest on Wednesday.

We did bring a gift to our host, as he was to pick us up from the airport on arrival and bring us to the train station on departure, at no extra charge. Since I was flying in from Greece, I brought him a couple of small bottles of olive oil. The gift was appreciated. I took the time yesterday to write a detailed positive review and I saw his response this morning. As Jo said, leaving a deserved positive review is a very important thing to do for your host.

If you anticipate, from others' reviews and the outcome of your own communications with your host/hostess, that service above and beyond will be forthcoming, then a gift is not too much to consider.

They all like Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey! Nothing is more American than that. I've given it a number of times, and I've gotten lots of "freebies" because of it.

The more you can give them the better. A lot of them will be happiest with CASH. AirBnB doesn't necessarily mean that the person that greets you and gets you settled in is the apartment owner. Many are professionally (or not so professionally) managed so be sure when you offer up that huge wad of cash as a tip that you direct it to go to the Apartment owner and not the management company. I know for a fact that if the tip is large enough many apartment owners will rush out and light a candle for you, so don't be cheap.

And another thing you can do is to hand over all that unused euros and forints and pounds, etc. That will gain you great respect by demonstrating that you are brilliant enough to know that you will just loose if you try and convert it back to dollars.