I remember when I first heard about the Airbnb platform, I was in shock that someone would pay money to live in a stranger’s home for a night; it’s nearing the end of 2022 and I am someone who has paid money to live in a stranger’s home. Contrary to my initial opinion of the idea, my experience with the platform has gone pleasantly well as long as I was mindful of a few things. I’ve listed some details that you should always pay attention to when reserving an Airbnb to make sure that you are getting the best possible experience out of the platform and your potential booking. Here are five things to always look for while you are trying to reserve a home share on a platform like Airbnb:

5 Details I Look At Before Booking an Airbnb

Compare the Reviews

As someone who works from my computer, it’s important for me to make sure that my desired space has an area for me to work. Although some Airbnb hosts claim to have a working space, some of those listings don’t even include counter space or outlets nearby; completely unrealistic for someone who plans on working from a laptop. As I read the reviews I make sure to look for ones that specifically detail what type of experience I desire so I can get the best understanding of what’s included, especially if the photos don’t do it justice.

Avoid Clustered Reviews

Airbnb gives automatic reviews to hosts that cancel their upcoming reservations. This review appears just like any other review, but it explains that the host is the reason for the canceled reservation; the host may respond to that review just like a review given from a customer. Making sure that you thoroughly read the reviews and take a note of how many cancellations your prospective host makes is important. You don’t want to have your whole vacation dependent on a flaky host.

Avoid Repeat Reviewers

My first tip was to read all the reviews, but what does it mean when most of the reviews are from the same people? Well, it can mean that this listing is popular among working travelers and gets a high rate of repeat customers or it might mean that the reviewers are a friend of the host; I wouldn’t know which is which.

I personally would avoid a location with the same people reviewing it. From my perspective, it seems as though they are spoofing their numbers and acquiring a high number of reviews from false transactions; they may do this to compete with a higher-reviewed, more desirable accommodation. This is something that can be overlooked if you don’t purposefully look through the reviews yourself.

Google the Listing Photos

Last, but certainly not least I would try to Google search the available images to the listing that I’m interested in. By Google searching the images I’m able to see if these photos are on other parts of the Internet. Doing this research will allow me to cross-reference the information included to make sure that it is a legitimate place from a legitimate host; the alternate option would be that the host you are reviewing may have borrowed photos from another listing that they are not the owner of. Of course, if you follow all the previous steps, you more than likely won’t fall for some of the tricks that those newer listings may use to entice customers.

What tips do you use while searching for a place to sleep?

Do you take as many steps as I do before pressing the book button or are you more of a free-spirited traveler? I would love to hear what tips you recommend for anyone searching for home shares online and what platforms you use to find unique accommodations. With so many people having the opportunity to host strangers in their space, I’m excited for more accommodation options outside of tourist areas.