What does private room mean?

[Jessica1]

Soo, I'm kind of confused on what exactly a private room entails. How much is shared vs private generally? 

[Pip0]

Staying in a Private Room means you have exclusive access to the bedroom/sleeping area of the listing. Other parts of the home are likely open either to the host or even other guests. This could include the living room, kitchen, and even bathroom. Be sure to check with your host before booking to see who will be sharing those spaces with you!

[Deborah0]

Airbnb has 3 categories for types of spaces:  (1) entire house/apartment, (2) private room, (3) shared room.  

ENtire house/apartment generally means a full unit with bedroom, full bath, full kitchen.  PRivate room generally means you get your own private bedroom that as Pip says, no one has access to but you (eg you are not sharing it with the host or another guest).  Shared room means you are sharing a room with someone else -- perhaps the host, perhaps another guest.  Perhaps you are to stay on the couch in the host's living room, so it is not really private -- it's a living room during the day, you sleep there at night.

This helps guests know some of the basics about what is being offered, but these 3 categories are not actually sufficient to cover all possible permutations of what hosts may be offering to guests.  For instance, what does one call a cabin in the woods or in the backyard, which has a bedroom, but no bath or kitchen?  Calling it a private room,  guests may assume that it is inside someone's home and may not expect the amount of privacy that they could actually get if they booked this listing, which may be located in a separate structure, perhaps 25 ft or even 200 yards away from a house.  Conversely, calling it an "entire house" would not be accurate as it has no bathroom or kitchen.  What if it has a bathroom but no kitchen? Or a toilet and sink but no bathing facilities?  What do you call it then?  I think Airbnb would do well to have some way to distinguish listings of "private room plus private bath" from those which are just "private room".  Since some people really like having a private bath available to them.  

Other possible situations that dont' fit into the three offered categories:  a host has  two storey house, and offers to guests the entire second floor, which has two bedrooms and a full bath.  This is MORE than a "private room", but since it lacks a private kitchen, it is not an "entire apartment."  Or -- host offers guest a first floor unit, with two bedrooms, living room, full bath and full kitchen, but can't call it an "entire apartment", since the host lives upstairs, and has to walk through this living room in the guest's area, to get to her own living quarters.  I really think Airbnb needs to add a 4th category, the "suite" category which will be for just this type of situation -- where it's more than a private room, but not a full separate apartment or house.  

[Shannon0]

It means it is a room with 4 walls that you get all to yourself.

Most hosts offer several rooms in their homes.

I have two, you can rent them both.

However, one must rent them seperately.

Perhaps someday folks needing 2 rooms will be able to search for hosts with more than 1 private

room to offer.

Have a great day.

Shannon in

Charleston, SC

[Anand-And-Chef-Mason-Gre0]

yah, you know it would be kinda nice to be able to tie 2 seperate private rooms together somehow in the listings... Like a widget that says, if you like this room, you might also like the hosts additional room on the same property.

[Raymond-and-Elaine0]

We have two listings,the first is for one double room with private bathroom, private lounge and dining room , no kitchen , which we rent out first, (as a private room). The second listing is for two double rooms sharing the bathroom, lounge and dining room. I only rent out the two bedrooms to the same family or to two couples who are friends. In the first listing I do mention the availability of a second room for a supplement just in case they hadn't noticed the other listing.

[Helga0]

Shannon, you could apply Elaine's solution, just add a third listing including both rooms. You'll have to be careful to block it as soon as one of the rooms is booked, otherwise you'll have to cede your room 😉

[Lucia1]

Are completely in tune with Deborah, airbnb must insert other types of choice. I have 2 rooms with bathroom on the top floor of my house, but I also offer breakfast and if you want dinner in my room, how do I identify it as a private room? and even as an entire house. I wish it were a solution, I think the series is very wide and it is urgent to find ways to identify precisely these housing units, especially for guests, for their tranquility and serenity and also to correct for them and our. 

[Kristi0]

Wow do I need help with this one. I list my Casita as a Private room but some may consider it Entire House. Please check out my listing and tell me what you all think.

My Casita has a private entrance into what you would call a master bedroom with kitchenette. It is blocked off from my home by a door. Its in the 4 walls of my home. My guests share no interior space. They have a large room, full bath and small kitchnette all to themselves. We share the front and back yards and jacuzzi, fireplace and BBQ. With sharing.......mostly its all theirs because were a super busy couple. 

Thanks in advance to all those who give me some imput.

[Kristi0]

I am still wondering about this. Could someone check my listing & let me know if you think it should be Private or Entire Place. Thanks in advance. www.airbnb.com/rooms/1718668

[Margaret0]

@Kristi0

If looks like entire place to me a studio or one bed apartment just attached to the main house. They never go into your home so its not a private room. Some of your reviews say that 

[Kristi0]

@Margaret0    Thanks so much for checking it out and for the response. No they never come into my house. The Casita is within the 4 walls of our home though and so they will hear normal house sounds and I have indicated that in my listing. I just might change it from Private to Entire. I know when I am traveling I want my own space and to come and go as I please without always having to interact. Oh of course when I am in Ireland and then I love all the BnB's! So where are you located. Share your listing with me I can seem to get to the listing from these forums like the older version. Thanks again and Slainte'.

[Birgit0]

Kristi,

You have a beautiful place. If it has a private entrance, I would call it a studio apartment, list that in the title, and list it under whole house/apartment.  But you need to add a pic of the kitchenette. I did not see that. Without a orivate entrance, I would include the word suite in the title, but list under "private room."

[Ann286]

HI Kristi

I have the same issue in San Francisco. 

Have you gotten resolve on this? 

Thanks, Ann 

[Amy218]

Kristi, mine issue is similar to yours. I offer my daylight basement which has a separate entrance. The stairwell between the two floors has a locking door so no rooms are shared whatesover. I listed it as "private room" because it doesn't have a kitchen but I really wish airbnb had a 4th category for "private suite in somebody's house." 🙂