@Jason242
Jason, what can I say!
I could say sorry you have had difficulty with Airbnb!
I could say there are a lot of hoops you have to jump through to become an Airbnb guest!
I could say there are some unscrupulous hosts on Airbnb just as there are on any travel booking platform!
But I 'will' tell you that, as an Airbnb host, I have met a lot of wonderful people from around the world.....some of whom have become my friends. I, like every other host here go out of our way to make the experiences of our guests, just like you, special!
When I initially joined Airbnb as a guest, like you I thought it was just not worth it....all the bulls*it I had to go through with verifications, credit card details, references....a never ending amount of stupid detail, just to get a room for a couple of days....talk about cross 'T's and dot 'I's!!!
But it was worth it! The first (and only) listing I stayed in was a great experience and I thought...."I want a piece of that"!
I had a cottage in my rear garden just sitting there and I went through all those hoops again just to put a page up to try and attract guests. One hundred and ten + hostings later I have to tell you it is one of the best things I have ever done. And it is that way because of all that 'nightmare' that you go through to be accepted as an Airbnb guest or host.
You are special Jason, and don't write off Airbnb! Over the past decade it has become by far the most successfull booking platform, and it is that way because Airbnb makes sure that you as a guest will get a deal you cannot get anywhere else, and as a host you will be provided with a class of guest you would not get on any other platform....I know because I have been there, I have hosted elsewhere!
Don't write us off Jason, we have a lot to offer!
Cheers.....Rob