Hotel vs a true B&B vs Airbnb accommodation

You should stay in any accommodations that are right for you. It is amazing to me that of all the things in this world to politicize, lodging has made the list. What's next?

I don't think it's foolish at all. I mostly travel alone and feel most comfortable in a hotel or B&B where there is someone on duty or on site every day. I don't want to contribute to the Air B&B problems that many cities have.

There are a lot of places that have apart/hotels that gives one the best of both worlds. Myself and family have stayed in them in London, Paris, Florence, Aix-en-Provence to name just a few. Basic kitchens and often laundry facilities.

I think the challenge with AirBNB (and I live in a city that has seen lots of the negatives of it) is that the current version, in too many instances, is a far cry from what it started as, which was renting out a portion of one’s home. When AirBNBs take up too many condos or apartments in a building, the full time residents can understandably become frustrated with aspects that occur with the turn over of frequent visitors.

We have found that our favourite places to stay are small hotels, pensiones, or what used to be called bed and breakfasts. We enjoy the socialization in the morning, and we find that the staff or hosts are usually very helpful in telling you about their town. We hope that we are supporting someone local and it also gives us the opportunity to meet someone local.

Many of the rooms now seem to have a fridge, which we can keep some snacks or lunch in.

With only two of us, this works well. When we travelled with 3 kids it was of course harder to do this, although many hotels do also have access to an apartment or family room.
The Rick Steve's guidebooks do have a lot of the above in them, although I find they often book up early.

I agree with Threadwear and Grier. I won’t re-debate it, but the truth is that the facts don’t matter, if renting an AirBnb makes you uncomfortable, then don’t do it. But also, don’t beat yourself up over having done it in the past.

But be careful about hotels. In a few cities the airbnb rental bans have driven down real estate prices to the point that hotels can come in and buy entire blocks and convert the apartments to hotel rooms. So best to stay way out in the suburbs someplace. Away for anyplace anyone would want to live.

Hotel, true B&B, Airbnb. Looks like we litigate the issue every few days. Your choice, your money, your conscience. Me - I stay in Airbnbs exclusively while traveling in Europe because it's the cheapest option.

Keep in mind AirBnB doesn't just mean self contained apartments. You can opt to share space, in which case it suddenly looks like the old style B&B where folks rent out their spare rooms or beds and still share space.
I tried renting a B&B in Scotland recently and they all were more expensive and more 'boutique' than the aparthotels in some cities. Aparthotels became my favourites as there were front desks but the hotel room had a small kitchen and some had washers.

I usually travel alone in Spain and stay at upscale small hotels usually run by one family. I often get my room upgraded..In March in Barcelona I was treated to breakfast on my day of arrival and allow to check in before 10am.

Always get many little treats like chocolates, wines, savory snacks. Small lodging gt to know their guests personally ON my last check in off his other recent trip, a glorious bouquet of flowers in a crystal vase was set on one of my tables.

Last time in Sevilla I mentioned that I was too tired to walk to a certain ice cream shop near the hotel. I protest many time, but the front desk guy dashed out and brought me back a double cup of my favorirte flavors. He refused the tip I offered.e
When w4 checked out of Bgur to week ago, one of the worker handed me an endearing note includinging th thought o the entire staff, written in Catalan, a language I am trying to learn. I only wish I could post it here!

Maybe this would have happened at B&Bs but certainly not from rental apartment on the big platforms.

I do not use AirBnB for many other reasons, but I do stay in private lets, usually booked through Booking.com. Some of these places fall in a gray area, they may be more like an "aparthotel" where the whole building is made up of small apartments managed by a single entity, to private lets that likely also advertise on AirBnB, then of course they have hotels, hostals, B&Bs, and other options.

What type of accommodation I chose depends on the stay. For an upcoming trip, we or more are staying 5 or more nights in towns we have stayed before. In Madrid we are staying in more of a Hotel, a Hostal (Not to be confused with a Hostel). In Cadiz, an apartment type place, and likely the same in Malaga. For a longer stay, we like having a refrigerator, maybe a washing machine, and a little more room. If we were staying 2-3 nights someplace, we lean toward a Hotel or B&B, just for the convenience of being able to leave bags, and maybe check in early. A traditional B&B, we usually seek out in smaller towns, rather than a large city.

We are in Spain right now — on the meseta,Carrión Los Condes. While we personally would not use AirBnbs in Spain or other cities that have housing and over-tourism issues, others disagree. What I do want to stress is this: Spain, what a country! Wow!

Happy travels.

Airbnb Is only a portion of a more complex housing issue.

If you’re currently in Spain, avoid any of the protests that are currently going on in many locations throughout the country. In Madrid, protests have been going on between Atocha to Plaza de Cibeles; right past the Prado.

In Valencia a number of police officers have been injured so the protests can get out of hand.