Why Travel Expert Rick Steves Says You Should Rethink Booking An Airbnb

There's a lot to love about Airbnb. As opposed to staying in a cookie-cutter hotel room with barely any personality, Airbnb lets you immerse yourself in local neighborhoods because, a lot of the time, the properties are located smack dab in the middle of all the action. Airbnb also allows for more flexibility for both the hosts and the guests, catering to varying needs and preferences, and in some cases, accommodations found on Airbnb can be cheaper compared to conventional hotels, making it a no-brainer choice for travelers looking to minimize their spending. Even travel guru Rick Steves himself recognizes the convenience Airbnb offers and its transformative effect on how people travel the world. However, he also acknowledges that the app's popularity adversely impacts housing markets and communities.

"Airbnb [is] very efficient, very economic, but it has, in a lot of cases, a devastating impact on the fabric of communities because if you're a landlord, you can make a lot more money by getting rid of your traditional tenants and renting out one, two, three, four-night stays via Airbnb," he explained in a YouTube video. "It causes the traditional people, the fabric of the community, to move out and it becomes really a vacation destination without that community."

In the same clip, Steves noted that years ago, he used to stay in a bed and breakfast in Salema, Portugal, operated by fishermen families who rented rooms in their homes to supplement their income. While these rooms still exist today, they are outnumbered by Airbnb properties.

Rick Steves illustrated Airbnb's capability to disrupt once-vibrant communities when he visited Piazza dell'Anfiteatro in Italy, a famous tourist destination that used to be a Roman amphitheater. Steves said that the place sadly morphed into an "Airbnb amphitheater," as businesses and landlords were encouraged to accommodate tourists instead of locals due to the financial incentive.

"There's this phenomenon called Airbnb. And if you're a humble little pensioner living in a place up there, you could get a lot more money renting it out to tourists by the day," he explained in another YouTube video. "Consequently, the rent goes way up. It drives most of the locals out and it changes the personality of this neighborhood." Steves also lamented the fact that entrepreneurs who traditionally served locals, including low-income folks, have pivoted to target tourists. "When I used to come here, it was shops, and it was little places that dealt with the locals who lived here. And today, the businesses are for tourists."

But this issue isn't isolated to Tuscany. Many other places in the world have been affected by the ubiquity of Airbnb, so much so that some cities have started fighting back, with Paris considering a referendum on Airbnb's operations in the city. "We cannot tolerate that accommodations that could be rented to Parisians are now rented all year to tourists," French politician Ian Brossat told The New York Times. "Airbnb pretends to respect the law, but it's not the case."

In lieu of Airbnb, consider small hotels and bed and breakfasts instead. Rick Steves noted that not only are they usually cheaper, but they also offer a more culturally authentic experience. "A B&B offers double the warmth and cultural intimacy for half the price of a hotel," he told The Los Angeles Times, adding that if your priority is to save, you may also want to consider hostel beds. "Europe's 2,000 hostels have countless cheap dorm beds for half the price of beds in low-end hotels. And it's not limited to youths. Anyone can hostel."

Steves also advises booking directly with these smaller accommodations to avoid the commission fees charged by online booking platforms like Expedia and Booking.com. "It is only getting cheaper to call overseas and the language barrier is becoming less of an issue," he noted on his blog. "And I'm guessing the savings will become even greater."

With all these being said, it should be noted that Steves does not outright dismiss the use of Airbnb, but he urges travelers to consider the implications of their lodging choices. "Is it good? Is it bad? Well, I guess, you can decide, but it's a reality," he said in one of his YouTube vlogs. "When you're traveling, you'll notice that there's this Airbnb phenomenon that really is huge and it's changing the character of the iconic squares and boulevards and plazas that we have long known and love."