A British consumer group, Which?, has published a study arguing that hotels are a cheaper alternative to Airbnb and similar vacation rentals, despite a general perception that the opposite is true.
Which? surveyed prices and options in 13 UK locations and 37 elsewhere in the world, and says It found that a one-night stay in a hotel was an average of £101, compared with £120 across Airbnb and Vrbo. Differences were even starker in numbers of cities.
The study eliminated 5-star hotels from its averages, and only considered listings for entire properties as opposed to shared spaces. However, there are a number of factors that were not considered, including the advantage that a private booking can offer for larger groups that would need more than one hotel room, or the savings from having kitchen facilities available.
Given the number of factors to be considered, perhaps the best conclusion from the article would be: Check all alternatives, don’t make assumptions.
