Booking a place to stay

[bucknaway]

Have any of you used airbnb.com to book a place to stay anywhere?
I just heard about them. I am thinking of giving them a try if I can find avoid place on there.

I just tested that site against one or two places I know - it's way over the odds money-wise.

Decide where you want to stay, then contact the place directly.

"Decide where you want to stay, then contact the place directly."

Perhaps though just be aware that if the place you have chosen is listed on Agoda / Wotif etc they cannot "undercut" Agoda's rate, I was told this by a hotel manager in Pattaya not a week ago ( who had no vested interest as it was actually him making a booking for himself elsewhere for his own holiday) but apparently there is a clause in the standard room letting contract between Agoda (etc) and the hotel and if the hotel IS caught being cheaper than Agoda etc they lose their listing - I'm sure the odd time if does happen where you get a deal depending on time of year etc but I have double checked and tested this fact perhaps six times over the last month alone and can confirm that Agoda where very slightly ( or quite a lot ) cheaper on each occasion, hope this helps.

Good point, some of the booking agencies can be be really quite nasty and intimidating to the owners of guesthouses and hotels...

BUT.. we must not concede on this..

If you are coming to Thailand, shout out loud - what you want - where you want to go - DON'T hold back...

..all the seasoned guys here, listen in and advise - BUT.. - if you own a guesthouse, don't play 'clever' and hide in the wings - today's newbies are tomorrow's regulars - come clean and talk straight..

Hmm - think I was a bit pissed when I typed that last post..

..oh well..!

[andrewcraig]

I am in the market for 2 rooms in Jomtien complex in october, or a large double.

Do Poseiden still have that all in all day breakfast. Awesome.

[soi_toi]

I am in the market for 2 rooms in Jomtien complex in october, or a large double.

Do Poseiden still have that all in all day breakfast. Awesome.

They moved the buffet to their other restaurant in South Pattaya, Casa Pascal.

http://www.restaurant-in-pattaya.com/me ... ch-buffet/ (http://www.restaurant-in-pattaya.com/menu/breakfast-lunch-buffet/)

[lukylok]

There is a new breakfast buffet in Poseidon, even better thant the previous one, and it has been entirely redecorated in black and red.
I was staying there in July and much appreciated it. The restaurant was to open from the 1st August.

[soi_toi]

There is a new breakfast buffet in Poseidon, even better thant the previous one, and it has been entirely redecorated in black and red.
I was staying there in July and much appreciated it. The restaurant was to open from the 1st August.

Thanks....good to know I won't have far to go for a decent breakfast next time. I really love the taste of bbq bacon, so hopefully they kept the bbq. .

Looking at their website, there's no mention they even have a restaurant.

[Beachlover]

Perhaps though just be aware that if the place you have chosen is listed on Agoda / Wotif etc they cannot "undercut" Agoda's rate, I was told this by a hotel manager in Pattaya not a week ago ( who had no vested interest as it was actually him making a booking for himself elsewhere for his own holiday) but apparently there is a clause in the standard room letting contract between Agoda (etc) and the hotel and if the hotel IS caught being cheaper than Agoda etc they lose their listing - I'm sure the odd time if does happen where you get a deal depending on time of year etc but I have double checked and tested this fact perhaps six times over the last month alone and can confirm that Agoda where very slightly ( or quite a lot ) cheaper on each occasion, hope this helps.
That's true. The only exception I've ever experienced to that is when somehow, a travel agent (yes, the old fashion type) got me a better rate than Agoda for the Swissotel in Singapore earlier this year. Not sure how she did it but it was a nice... saved something like $40/night.

Having said that, I think you're better booking through the hotel if you can get the same rate Agoda offers as if there are any issues, you can negotiate direct with the hotel, instead of via Agoda. Same applies for if refunds or reimbursements need to be negotiated.

[bucknaway]

So far I have booked my Pattaya hotel at view tally. My first two days in Bangkok are booked at Babylon.
Still I have to book the following two days in Bangkok. I saw the Swiss lodge near silom but I may go back to the bandara for those twondays befor I head to Pattaya.

That only leaves my final few days in Bangkok to book after my time in Pattaya. Maybe I will go back to bandara again.

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

So far I have booked my Pattaya hotel at view tally. My first two days in Bangkok are booked at Babylon.
Still I have to book the following two days in Bangkok. I saw the Swiss lodge near silom but I may go back to the bandara for those twondays befor I head to Pattaya.

That only leaves my final few days in Bangkok to book after my time in Pattaya. Maybe I will go back to bandara again.


hello Dear..I see you are no longer a Republican !! :headbang:

[cameroncat]

The idea behind AirBNB was that you would rent out your house while you were away to someone wanting to vacation in your town. What's actually happening is that most of the places you find on AirBNB are empty rental units. There was a big news story last week about one women that did rent out her home through AirBNB and the renters totally trashed her house all the while placing calls to the owner telling the owner how much they were enjoying staying at her "lovely" house.. AirBNB takes no responsibility for such damage. The story has really hurt AirBNB's reputation and business.

[soi_toi]

Unfortunately there will be 'bad apples' where ever we go.

AirBNB is addressing the incident regarding the lady you mentioned. They admit they 'dropped the ball' and they say they're offering compensation to the lady for the damage to he home. This compensation package will be available to members who're lucky enough to get such total idiots.

This email was sent out to members about two weeks ago. It's a little lengthy, but clearly they're trying to deal with it.




Dear ....

Last month, the home of a San Francisco host named EJ was tragically vandalized by a guest. The damage was so bad that her life was turned upside down. When we learned of this our hearts sank. We felt paralyzed, and over the last four weeks, we have really screwed things up. Earlier this week, I wrote a blog post trying to explain the situation, but it didnтАЩt reflect my true feelings. So here we go.

There have been a lot of questions swirling around, and I would like to apologize and set the record straight in my own words. In the last few days we have had a crash course in crisis management. I hope this can be a valuable lesson to other businesses about what not to do in a time of crisis, and why you should always uphold your values and trust your instincts.

With regards to EJ, we let her down, and for that we are very sorry. We should have responded faster, communicated more sensitively, and taken more decisive action to make sure she felt safe and secure. But we werenтАЩt prepared for the crisis and we dropped the ball. Now weтАЩre dealing with the consequences. In working with the San Francisco Police Department, we are happy to say a suspect is now in custody. Even so, we realize that we have disappointed the community. To EJ, and all the other hosts who have had bad experiences, we know you deserve better from us.

We want to make it right. On August 15th, we will be implementing a $50,000 Airbnb Guarantee, protecting the property of hosts from damage by Airbnb guests who book reservations through our website. We will extend this program to EJ and any other hosts who may have reported such property damage while renting on Airbnb in the past.

WeтАЩve built this company by listening to our community. Guided by your feedback, we have iterated to become safer and more secure. Our jobтАЩs not done yet; weтАЩre still evolving. In the wake of these recent events, weтАЩve heard an uproar from people, both inside and outside our community. Know that we were closely listening.

Today we are launching a new safety section of the website (http://www.airbnb.com/safety) with the following offerings:

Airbnb Guarantee
Starting August 15th, when hosts book reservations through Airbnb their personal property will be covered for loss or damage due to vandalism or theft caused by an Airbnb guest up to $50,000 with our Airbnb Guarantee. Terms will apply to the program and may vary (e.g. by country). This program will also apply retroactively to any hosts who may have reported such property damage prior to August 1, 2011.
24-Hour Customer Hotline
Beginning next week, we will have operators and customer support staff ready to provide around the clock phone and email support for anything big or small.
2x Customer Support Team
Since last month we have more than doubled our Customer Support team from forty-two to eighty-eight people, and will be bringing on a 10-year veteran from eBay as our Director of Customer Support next week.
Dedicated Trust & Safety Department
Airbnb now has an in-house task force devoted to the manual review of suspicious activity. This team will also build new security features based on community feedback.
Contact the CEO
If you canтАЩt get a hold of anyone or if you just want to contact me, email brian.chesky@airbnb.com.

WeтАЩve also added several other safety-related features to strengthen the trust and confidence of our community:

Safety Tips
Suggestions for both guests and hosts on how to utilize our tools to better inform your decisions.
Verified Profiles
Our updated user profiles chronicle their public history on Airbnb, giving you more insight than ever about a potential host or guest. Along with standard social information, youтАЩll also see if a user has verified their phone number, connected to their Facebook account, and whether the majority of their reviews are positive or negative. And as always, you can read their reviews and references.
Customized trust settings
We now give hosts the ability to set custom trust parameters for bookings; those who donтАЩt meet the specified requirements will be unable to make a reservation. Selections for Trust Settings include: verified phone numbers, profile descriptions, location information, with more coming soon.
Product suggestions poll
Have more ideas on improving safety? Now, you can submit and vote on the best ideas through our new product suggestions poll.

Many more product updates will be released in the coming days. In addition to these new features, there are safeguards already in place to protect the community. These include over 60 million Social Connections, private messaging to screen before booking, a secure reservation and payment system and transaction-based reviews. We also provide verified photographs, fraud detection algorithms, and flagging capabilities.

These steps are just the beginning. Improving the safety and security of our system is ongoing. Although we do have these measures in place, no system is without some risk, so we remind you to be vigilant and discerning. As a member of the community, you have invaluable experience that we hope to draw upon to improve our system. If you have any constructive ideas or feedback, please share them with us at http://www.airbnb.com/safety.

WhatтАЩs made us proud during this trying time is the response of our community. Emails of support to EJ poured in; many hosts offered her a place to stay in their homes. ItтАЩs been inspiring to see that Airbnb can really bring out the best in people. Like Airbnb, the world works on the idea that people are good, and weтАЩre in this together.

When we first started Airbnb, I told my mom about our plans for the business and she said, тАЬAre you crazy? IтАЩd never do that.тАЭ But when I told my late grandfather he said, тАЬOf course! Everyone used to stay in each othersтАЩ homes.тАЭ WeтАЩre bringing back this age-old idea with new technology. Now each day, you and the rest of the community are creating meaningful connections around the world.

Thank you for being part of Airbnb.

Sincerely,
Brian Chesky
CEO, Co-founder
Airbnb
brian.chesky@airbnb.com

[bucknaway]

hello Dear..I see you are no longer a Republican !! :headbang:

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Democrats RULE!
Republicans Drool!