I’m a fan of AirBnb and have used it about a dozen times in at least 3 cities.
Today I’m booking a room in NY for tomorrow night. I’m heading up to lead a class, meet some startups, talk with investors, and experience NYC winter winds.
I booked my room on Hotwire.com this time.
As much as I like AirBnb, and as much as I like meeting new people, I feel the need for certainty in travel as a businessperson. While some AirBnb rooms/places have adequate wifi, most don’t have an adequate workspace. My sole interest in NY is having great meetings, which to me means prepping for the meetings. And I always have coding to do. I can’t tell you how annoying it is to code without an adequate desk and my own environment (sound, distraction control, etc).
The other factor is price. If NY hotels feel expensive, I’ll try to do a day trip or AirBnb. But this week they’re relatively cheap, with a number of options for 3-star hotels (lower chance of bedbugs) under $90.
So for me the choices are certainty and cost, and this time around, Hotwire wins out. Now, perhaps I should have shopped a bit, because the location of the hotel isn’t great for my meetings, and Hotwire doesn’t give specifics until you book.
But it’s good enough 🙂