What is your experience with AirBnB as a guest, not a Landlord?

[Nathan Gesner]

Have you stayed in a few AirBnB rentals? VRBO? Have you stayed in the big city and then compared that to a place in the country near a tourist attraction? What was your experience?

I've stayed in a dozen or more AirBnB rentals, all of them in major cities (Austin, Dallas, Riverside, LA, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, etc.). Over half of them were illegally operated (in violation of HOA rules, city/county zoning, etc.). One of them was shut down the day before I arrived to check in (two days before Christmas in LA). Every single one of them, without exception, was poorly set up. One was a 3bed/2bath unit set up for ten guests, but it had a small 3.8 cubic foot dorm fridge that couldn't hold fit a gallon of milk and they didn't have a single picture, clock, or other decoration on any of the walls. They're usually filled with low-quality furniture that is uncomfortable and sometimes even unusable, like my latest that had four wicker chairs with no cushions so the broken pieces of wicker stabbed my backside every time I sat down. No guest book or welcome instructions. Terrible amenities (e.g. record table and classic records prominently featured in the advertising of a Nashville condo, but no speakers!). Just $300 could have made all these locations much more comfortable and welcoming, but the hosts just don't seem to care. They they all have 5-star reviews as if they've gone above and beyond.

I've also stayed in a few rentals found on VRBO or through private owners. Every single one of them, without exception, has been been legally operated, well furnished, and the owner goes above and beyond to make the stay special.

Am I just unlucky with AirBnB? Do big-city guests just not care? What has your experience been?