
Airbnb in the Himalayas - bookofjoe
https://veridici.com/how-airbnb-is-silently-changing-himalayan-villages/
======
dang
All: if you're going to post in a thread like this, make sure your comment
relates to the specifics of the article. If you just vent some generic feeling
or opinion provoked by the shallowest aspect (e.g. a provocative name in the
title), that is a poor use of HN which lowers the signal/noise ratio. The more
generic a discussion gets, the more predictable it gets, and thus less
interesting. That's what the site guidelines call a generic tangent:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

(In case anyone's wondering, yes we say that about plenty of topics, not just
this one [1]. Normally I'd hesitate to intervene in a thread about Airbnb [2],
but this thread is particularly awful so far, with only one comment responding
to the article.)

1\.
[https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...](https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&query=by%3Adang%20%22generic%20tangent%22&sort=byDate&type=comment)

2\.
[https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...](https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&query=by%3Adang%20moderate%20less%20not%20more%20yc&sort=byDate&type=comment)

~~~
Kiro
I'm glad you're highlighting this. I see this happening all the time, with
threads filled with generic comments about X just because X is in the title.

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meesles
This was a neat article, the part about AirBnB's attempt at creating a trust
economy was my favorite part.

On the one hand, the online reputation does work to a degree; we value lots of
reviews and a high average score. On the other hand it fails to prevent many
of the usual problems with dealing with people. He calls out the opportunists
who have no impulse control, but there's plenty of other archetypes of people
who will take advantage of a situation when they get a chance and think they
might get away with it. Maybe it's the cynic in me, but this article resonates
with my general trepidation when trusting anyone or anything too quickly,
especially online. No amount of features so far has solved this.

~~~
deadmanoncampus
Those are my favorite passages too. For short-term stay, a perfect rating with
lots of review is almost a guarantee that you'll have a great experience.

~~~
spraak
I'm curious why you're downvoted. Do people disagree?

~~~
dazc
Experiences suggest otherwise?

~~~
spraak
Sorry I mean that I would like to hear more detail rather than just a
downvote.

~~~
dazc
Can't speak for the parent comment, or the reason you were downvoted, but
relying upon a high number of good ratings isn't necessarily reliable.

From my own experience, here's a few reasons:

A high number of ratings is more likely an indicator that the place has been
on the market for a long time rather than being an especially great place to
stay.

The nationality/culture of the guest can have a huge influence of how they
rate a place. In Europe, for instance, a guest from Southern Italy/Spain may
not be particularly bothered by noise from neighbours, barking dogs, etc.
Conversely, those coming from Northern Europe are likely to be the exact
opposite.

Some hosts are incredibly pro-active in garnering ratings (to the point of
constant harassment). Others less so.

Some hosts will not accept groups of people, parties, short stays or stays
from people with no reputation. As a consequence, they are going to get far
less reviews than a less careful host.

Hope that helps?

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dougmwne
Western online review systems and algorithmic pricing meets very isolated
traditional society. The corporation's understanding of human psychology wins
out over the villagers and the villagers are colonised, moving their norms to
more closely match Western expectations. Software continues to eat the world.

------
11235813213455
Flights and travels for tourism or business makes me and the environment sad,
Airbnb or not

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anon1m0us
airbnb lost me forever at, "Oh, that'll be another 10%" and then again at
"Yeah, that $89/night place is actually $264/night after all the fees and
ridiculousness."

Fraud all the way down...

I don't care _where_ they are. I will _never_ stay at one of my own free will.

~~~
starpilot
That'll be a $300 cleaning fee for 2 nights, oh and here's a snippy message
about how you left hair in the drain and used an extra towel. Be a dear and
don't use the toilet next time too, that's extra.

~~~
deadmanoncampus
The cleaning fee isn't supposed to be higher than 10%. You can ask for a
refund through Airbnb.

~~~
starpilot
If you charge a high cleaning fee it's utter bullshit to expect guests to
leave the place spotless. I am paying you to clean it. The hair in the drain
thing actually happened. Any human in your house will leave hair, that is part
of normal cleaning in an occupied place along with washing sheets and towels.
This is why I've switched to hotels and hostels. The hospitality contract is
far more explicit, I don't need to deal with asshole hosts on vacation.

~~~
nitelord
In the roughly 10 times I've stayed in an Airbnb I've never had an issue with
the condition I've left the place. Often times my family (and dog) have made a
mess, but always do some clean-up before leaving. Cleaning fees are typically
$20-60 for the stay which seems reasonable for cleaning an entire home.
Normally the airbnb service fees are larger than the cleaning fee. There are
certainly some hosts who are charging high cleaning fees to lower their
nightly amount, however.

~~~
deadmanoncampus
There's a rule it shouldn't be higher than 10%. In India, nobody I know
charges a cleaning fee.

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spicyramen
I tried Airbnb many times, but exchanging keys, meeting with strangers and
that force interaction I don't want in my vacation, rooms that look different
in picture...no thanks already had 2 very bad experiences: 1 in Brazil and 1
in Oaxaca. Now just use regular hotel

~~~
Guest0918231
I've stayed in my fair share of Airbnbs, and the forced interaction can be
annoying at times.

Another thing I hate. I was in about 5 Airbnbs this month, and almost every
time I'm told not to let property management know I'm from Airbnb. I'm paying
a few hundred dollars a night, and I'm given strict instructions to tell the
concierge I work for their company and I'm staying in their apartment for
business. Or, they need to meet me on the street, so they can escort me into
the building and introduce me to management as their good friend from out of
town that is visiting for the week.

Airbnb needs to get more strict on hosts. I'm paying money for a service. I
shouldn't arrive at my accommodation and be given a script filled with lies to
follow, otherwise risk being evicted.

~~~
himlion
This happens way too often and ruins my trip by making me feel anxiety over
something I have little control over. Unfortunately doing anything about this
isn't in Airbnb's interest until it starts costing them customers.

~~~
dorchadas
Which it sadly won't. It'll just cost the cities and the actual inhabitants of
the places.

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zatkin
The last experiences I had at an Airbnb was less than ideal. The place I
reserved was a co-habit (like a hostel, but in an apartment), but failed
accidentally/intentionally to mention this anywhere. There was no photo of the
bunk bed I found out I had to sleep in when I arrived.

It's back to hotels for the foreseeable future.

~~~
deadmanoncampus
It's very easy to avoid such experiences. Just pick any property which has
more than 50 reviews, and a rating of above 4.95, but higher than better.

~~~
dazc
In my experience, this indicates a place that accepts a lot of short-term
stays. It's no guarantee you won't have problems, just that they may not be
immediately apparent.

Ironically, the only place I've ever returned to happened to be a new listing
with no reviews.

