PARIS, Sept 19 — Quite often, when we book vacation accommodation, we first check the prices on rental booking websites before considering whether to look for a hotel. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that in 38 out of 50 popular destinations, a night in a hotel is actually a cheaper option.

When you’re looking at the destination for your next vacation and you’re not tempted by an all-inclusive holiday offer, you may be quick to log on to holiday rental platforms like Airbnb, especially if you’re looking for a bargain.

That’s hardly surprising, given that when Airbnb launched in 2008, the vacation rental giant capitalized on the promise of offering not only a home-stay experience (even if the host isn’t present), but above all a good deal.

Since then, the California-based start-up has come a long way, becoming a behemoth in the temporary rental market for apartments, houses and, above all, unique accommodations such as trailers, cabins and even castles.

Despite its evolution, travellers often still see the platform as a tool for finding cheaper accommodation than that offered by hotels. But according to a study carried out by British consumer association Which?, it’s usually not the case.

Out of 50 destinations analysed, 38 featured average hotel rates that are more affordable than what was available on rental platforms such as Airbnb or Vrbo, which is another vacation rental giant owned by the Expedia group.

This comparative analysis was based on prices posted by the two websites between May 2022 and May 2023, not taking into account service costs.

For hotels, the comparison used prices generated by online comparison site Kayak, based on the average price of a hotel room, excluding five-star establishments, again for the same analysis period.

For the rental platforms, the analysis was based on the average price of a one-bedroom rental.

Surprising as it may seem, even in popular destinations such as London, Dubai and Barcelona, where hotels are generally reputed to be expensive, the choice of hotel is a more budget-friendly option. You’d save £60 (approx. 70 euros or US$75), £56 (approx. 65 euros or US$70) and £45 (approx. 52 euros or US$56) respectively by choosing this type of accommodation.

Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, is the best place to follow this recommendation, since the budget for a night in a hotel would be 116 pounds (around 135 euros or US$144), compared to 183 pounds (around 212 euros or US$227) with a platform like Vrbo or Airbnb.

Taken as an ensemble, the average price of a one-bedroom private rental across these 50 destinations is 19 per cent more expensive than a hotel room.

In response to these results, the rental platforms emphasized that the vacation rentals most often include a kitchen, which can help travellers save money during their stay.

Which? admits that "private rentals can still offer good value however — and larger groups are more likely to save when compared to booking into a hotel.”

It’s also worth noting that the analysis was based on Kayak data, which provides the various offers of booking websites such as Booking, Hotels.com or Opodo, but does not include the direct websites of hoteliers, who sometimes offer more attractive rates.

Some of the destinations where it was worthwhile price-wise to book a private rental rather than a hotel were cities in Sicily, Italy (Palermo and Syracuse), as well as Vancouver (Canada), Seville (Spain) and Avignon (France). — ETX Studio