With higher prices, it's getting harder to narrow down where to stay during a trip: a hotel or a rental home.
The days of cheap stays -- during the pandemic -- are long gone, wherever you want to stay.
Allison Whipple says rental home prices are getting too high for her.
"The cleaning fees have gotten so bad that honestly I might as well go to a hotel, it's not as good a deal anymore," she said.
But Jahana Esselle still prefers a rental home to a hotel.
"I like Airbnb better," she said. "It's more like home, a house."
Sally French with NerdWallet says it can be frustrating to pay higher hotel prices but get fewer perks.
"So, you used to get cleaning service every day," she said. "Now, hotels often say it's by request or we only offer it every fifth day."
Hotel vs rental home pricing
As for hotel rates, they are higher than pre-COVID times, but averaging $197 per night over the 4th of July weekend.
But that is still lower than rental home prices.
So which should you choose: a Hotel or a rental on Airbnb or Vrbo?
French says it really depends on the length of your stay, and the size of your group.
"Airbnbs tend to be a lot more worth it for longer trips as well as trips that involve a big group," she said.
According to NerdWallet the median price for a one-night stay on Airbnb is now $314.
The median drops to $213 for a seven-night stay, a 32 percent drop.
"That's a big difference from hotels where typically you just pay per night," she said,
However, Airbnb gives you many options: you can rent full homes or apartments, or just a room for prices as low as $30 or $40 a night.
With Vrbo, you get the whole vacation home, as their commercials state.
French says it's important to crunch all the numbers before you book, including:
- Parking (which can be $30 a night at big city hotels).
- Groceries or dining out every day, if you don't have a kitchen.
- Time and cost of doing laundry.
- Cleaning fees with rental homes.
Whichever you choose, Allison Whipple says plan ahead.
"I am definitely a book in advance person," she said.
And that way you don't waste your money.
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