Over the weekend I read a couple interesting articles that caused a debate among my friends: hotel versus rental.

© Gustavo Frazao | Dreamstime.com

© Artur Szczybylo | Dreamstime.com

Last month, Brittany Shulman wrote an informative article for Turnkey’s blog covering Turnkey Vacation Rentals’ 2019 Consumer Travel Survey results which showed a 10 percent increase from its 2018 results in travelers that choose and/or prefer to stay in rental homes to hotels — to be exact, 64.5 percent out of 1,026 participants prefer to rent a vacation home.

It was interesting to learn about the different components/preferences that awaken our travel interests. Oddly enough, most of my friends agreed a rental (Airbnb in this particular discussion) would be the best option for our upcoming summer trip; the rest pointed out certain details that are easy to miss: For instance, do we want to prepare our own meals or experience the destination to the fullest and enjoy the local/traditional cuisine? It wouldn’t make sense to rent a vacation home and eat out every day for the duration of the trip, right?

I am pretty sure after reading the last sentence you said to yourself, “Huh, that’s a valid point,” but here’s where it gets even more interesting: Most of the women in the group pointed this out while the men showed more interest in the rental home. Granted, the majority of them highlighted the convenience in terms of privacy when it comes to rental homes but also emphasized that nothing beats getting back to a clean and organized room and not having to worry about it while you’re out enjoying your time off.

Turnkey’s survey results showed quite the opposite — and honestly, I was a bit surprised with my friends’ choices; I guess this really varies among the different age groups. As per usual, trazeetravel.com always has my back. As I searched for travel tips for Airbnb rentals, I came across my colleague Katie Skrzek’s article on “Tips for First-Time Airbnb Users” — so clutch! In her article, Skrzek highlights some of the most important things one should pay attention to when booking a vacation rental: discounts, location, how to take advantage of Airbnb.com and more.

Although we didn’t come to an agreement, at least now I know what I am more likely to sacrifice in terms of comfort and practicality when booking my next trip.

What would you prefer? Share your experiences with us!

— Yasser Ogando, production & advertising coordinator