this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2024
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[–] mPony 225 points 6 months ago (3 children)

a) good for Barcelona

b) fuck airBNB

c) also, fuck airBNB

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 months ago
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[–] mercano 168 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Air BnB is destroying the housing market in my area. That said, it’s exposing a demand for something that doesn’t otherwise exist. In addition to hotels, people also want to be able to rent larger spaces, with a kitchen so they don’t have to eat out every night, and multiple bedrooms so the adults don’t have to go to bed at the same time as the kids. Hotel developers should be taking notes.

[–] fireweed 53 points 6 months ago

You're completely correct on the exposed demand issue. I would also add that in most cities (in the United States anyway) hotels can only exist in very specific corners of the city due to zoning, often in just three places: downtown (expensive!), the suburbs (so not even in city limits), and "motel alley" (which is usually an old highway in askeevy part of town lined with mid-20th century fleabag accommodations that are slowly being abandoned/bulldozed). For some cities this isn't an issue, but in others it's a problem for accessing the tourist attractions, especially if the tourists in question don't have a rental car. Then there are the non-tourist visitors to consider: if you're in a city to visit family, you're probably going to want to stay as close to them as possible. Same with a lot of business travelers. This is a bit of a conundrum when the nearest hotel (or affordable/decent hotel) is a 30 minute drive away.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 6 months ago (2 children)

It's called an extended-stay hotel, they exist but unfortunately they're not that common.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 6 months ago (3 children)

They are also, guess what, as expensive as a hotel. What was airbnb? Cheap. In the end it does come down to the money because it used to be a big difference between some apartments offered on airbnb vs hotels. Nowadays this got smaller, since airbnb raised fees and whatnot.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Tbh, tourism should be expensive. We should prioritize the basic needs of people such as a place to live before offering cheap luxuries.

[–] TunaLobster 6 points 6 months ago

I fully agree with the prioritization of meeting basic needs before luxury. The detail I would like see happen is making sure that people have a chance to see more than their own area at some point in their lives. See how other people live for a time. I do think there can be better connections for humanity when we can see the lives of others.

I took a trip with some college buddies. We went on a cruise and stopped in Nassau and some of them had some real shock seeing a city with not as much wealth. The just hadn't considered that clean streets, sidewalks, and traffic lights didn't exist everywhere.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago (3 children)

airbnb isnt cheap tho, now a days it costs about as much as a hotel and they have way less amenities.

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[–] bitchkat 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I have never found airbnb to be cheaper than a hotel for my needs.

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[–] bulwark 9 points 6 months ago

candlewood suites, never had a bad experience.

[–] frickineh 17 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I haven't had any issue finding those amenities in hotels in Europe (at least in Berlin, Munich, Madrid, and Málaga, which is not an exhaustive study by any means). I've seen a few that look to be entire small apartment buildings converted into hotels, which isn't great for the local housing market, but all the ones I've stayed at were clearly built for that purpose. So that's the good news, I guess.

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[–] Donebrach 132 points 6 months ago (16 children)

Good, let the people who live there live there.

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[–] [email protected] 75 points 6 months ago (2 children)

AirBNB pisses me off, because if you're claiming to be a BNB, then where is my breakfast?

[–] [email protected] 40 points 6 months ago

It's like the Holy Roman Empire. It's not an airline, nor is it a bed and breakfast.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago

That's the air part

[–] poo 75 points 6 months ago (6 children)

On one hand, biting that hand that feeds

On the other, I've lived in buildings with AirBnBs and they're a scourge. The owners and renters of short term rental properties are mostly (not all) awful - residents should be owning property, not spoiled rich landlords eating up space for tourists. Fuck AirBnB.

I also visited Spain last month and I've never felt so unwelcomed in my life while in Barcelona and would never go back, so I guess the anti-tourism is working 😂

[–] kamenlady 49 points 6 months ago (6 children)

I can understand that locals are revolting around the world. The amount of tourism exploded in the last decades. The way tourists are behaving all around doesn't help.

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 6 months ago

Barcelona has 12 tourists per capita per year. They could easily do with a half of that.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

Barcelona is a diverse economic engine; it’s not a tourism monocrop town. It doesn’t need your patronage.

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 6 months ago

in huge blow for platforms like Airbnb

[–] slimarev92 33 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Good. That's what hotels are for.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

AirBNB is legit more expensive than hotels now for far worse service. It's a get rich quick scheme.

[–] RagingRobot 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It depends on the city really. I find that some cities hotels are just a way better value but other time air b and b can be good. Like for cabins and beach houses for example.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Renting out cabins and beach houses makes way more sense, since those are typically places you wouldn't live in full time. The rest of the short term housing rentals end up driving up the cost of living.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Airbnb sometimes offers a good user experience but it's not hard to understand that Airbnb is not benefiting the city's population. And I really don't mind going to a hotel. Actually I prefer it since I have a better idea of what to expect. Good for Barcelona, let the world follow their example!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago

I think it can benefit in certain situations. Like when we traveled to a European country we stayed in an AirBnB that was being rented out while the family who lived there was in summer vacation. So they essentially got to subsidize their vacation with Airbnb.

As far as units that are permanently Airbnb style short term rentals though I agree. Terrible for the actual residents in the city.

[–] OwlPaste 22 points 6 months ago

Good job, wish more places done this

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago

Multinational corporations that operate hotels like this 👍

[–] Evotech 8 points 6 months ago (2 children)

What is this license that they have?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago

2028... so plenty of time for appeals and there will be basically no downward pressure on the housing market there since there is no big rush to offload 10k units that won't make money.

It's too bad, would have been better if they just revoked it immediately and banned it in the city.

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