How Serviced apartments score over AIRBNB
AIRBNB has clearly established itself as one of the leaders of online marketers in hospitality service industry. While they may seem to have stay solutions for just about every kind of travel, there clearly exist some segments like corporate travel, where Serviced apartments score over AIRBNB over unverified and unregulated rentals on their portal. Here are the points:
1. Clarity
There is actually no way of knowing the property details when you book through AIRBNB other than the reviews posted by previous guests. As there are no regulations or quality checks for hosts to post their properties on their site, you can only hope that you have made the right choice. This is a risk that most business travelers are not willing to take. With serviced apartments, you have an assurance of quality as they primarily cater to the business class.
2. Quality control
Second point where Serviced apartments score over AIRBNB is quality control. AIRBNB allows hosts to post their properties on their site without any verification other than what the hosts themselves have to say about their properties. As there are no checks on quality, you are basically left to trust your own instinct while selecting a property. The reviews posted by previous guests can be useful but not when you want to be absolutely sure about the property. In the service apartment sector, due attention is paid to quality control and so you are much more assured of getting what you expect.
3. Assistance
This is a major aspect where serviced apartments hold an edge over AIRBNB. If you need any kind of assistance from a staff member of AIRBNB, in all likelihood you will have to wait for some time before it comes through as they deal with messages from all over the world. When you stay at a serviced apartment, you will be in direct contact with a small and dedicated team of people from whom you can expect immediate assistance.
4. Tariffs
You know exactly how much you are paying when you book a serviced apartment as the pricing is transparent with no hidden charges. The tariffs clearly mention the taxes and inclusive complimentary services. When you book an AIRBNB property, the price you pay is not the price that is advertised as AIRBNB. AIRBNB charges a 12% fee to the guest and 3% commission to the host. Also, in case of serviced apartments, the rates get cheaper as the stays get longer, so you get quality as well as value for money.
To sum it up, certainly AIRBNB has established itself in the travel industry, but serviced apartments provide the vital components essential for business travel, which are transparent pricing, quality apartments and service. Hence it is clearly visible that serviced apartments score over AIRBNB.