The two of you haven’t been to DC since you chaperoned your son’s 8th grade field trip, which, truth be told, wasn’t the optimum way to experience the city. You’re planning to stay for five days this time and you really want a special place to stay. You’ve travelled enough to know that the accommodation can make or break the trip. You’re looking for a place that is intimate, charming, comfortable, convenient and affordable. A place to call “home” for five days. So, not a big hotel.
AIRBNB offers an abundance of options to choose from in DC – lots of accommodations in lots of neighborhoods at lots of price points. You can correspond with the “host” and ask questions or get advice. You can read reviews and get a pretty good idea of the kind of experience awaiting you.
So, is AIRBNB your answer?
Personally, I would say, “No.” I would look for an intimate, charming, comfortable, convenient, and affordable REAL B&B instead! In fact, I would look at DCINNS.com to find a couple of incredible REAL B&B’s – Embassy Circle Guest House and Woodley Park Guest House – for my DC vacation.
While picking an AIRBNB in Washington DC offers some nice advantages, there are risks and disadvantages as well. A couple of those risks and disadvantages are particularly important, as they can really have a negative impact on your trip.
1. Guaranteed Reservations
DCINNS reservations are guaranteed. When you book a room with us, we guarantee that a room will be available for you when you arrive. You’ve committed to us. We’ve committed to you. It’s mutual – and you can depend on it!
AIRBNB reservations are not guaranteed – AIRBNB “hosts” have been known to cancel reservations at the last minute. If the current guest decides to stay longer, or the hosts decide not to leave town that weekend, you can find yourself without a room – and no time to make alternate arrangements.
2. Breakfast
DCINNS – Embassy Circle Guest House and Woodley Park Guest House – serve lovely breakfasts! Our breakfasts are fresh and healthy, sweet and savory, protein and carb. And we have gluten free and lactose free options as well.
AIRBNB’s don’t serve breakfast. We’re not sure what the second “B” in AIRBNB stands for, but it doesn’t stand for “breakfast”.
3. Housekeeping Standards
DCINNS housekeeping standards are the highest in the industry. We give our housekeepers enough time to do a thorough job, so our rooms are spotless – cleaner than an AIRBNB accommodation, and cleaner than hotel rooms as well! And once our housekeepers have finished, our innkeepers get to work, fluffing pillows, straightening pictures and lamp shades, checking the amenities and turning on the lights, to make sure the room is perfect when you arrive. Perfect! Really!
Most AIRBNB hosts are amateurs, and amateur hosts generally have amateur housekeeping standards. “Clean enough” may be OK in our own homes, but when we travel, we like our accommodations to be “REALLY CLEAN”. We don’t want the smudge of a stranger’s toothpaste in the sink. And we NEVER want to wonder if the sheets were changed after the last guests.
4. Knowledgeable, Available Hosts
DCINNS innkeepers are on-site, knowledgeable and available. It’s nice to have a list of restaurants, but it’s even nicer to go over the list with one of us. We can tell you which restaurants are “buzzy”, quiet, casual, elegant, good for a special occasion, or good for a gluten-free diet. And if you stay with us, we’re not your only sources of information. You can chat with all the other guests. They’re awesome! Ask them where they went for dinner last night? Where are they going this evening? How did they get tickets to the new Museum of African American History? Would they recommend the Spy Museum, or the nighttime tour of the monuments? Which Metro station is closest to the ball park? Great advice and suggestions can turn an average trip into a spectacular trip!
Most AIRBNB hosts are available via cell phone, text or email. That’s nice if you have a quick question, but it’s not optimal if you want more detailed information or advice.
At DCINNS – Woodley Park Guest House and Embassy Circle Guest House – we’re here to make sure you have the best vacation possible. Everything we do is aimed at ensuring and increasing your enjoyment of our beautiful city and our beautiful neighborhoods. Staying with us is like staying in the beautiful home of good friends. Relaxing. Comfortable. Helpful. Social. Perfect!