We have a lot of experience running vacation rental programs using all the top 5 platforms. Airbnb consistently stands out as the best. The website is easy to use and the rental histories are clearly highlighted. Airbnb* hosts with a record of rentals strive to maintain good reviews. Airbnb is fairly consistently the best value with the lowest charge to the customer and to the host. Above all if something goes wrong Airbnb* has your back especially if you follow these simple steps.
- Review carefully what is being provided (double check if there is Air conditioning and if that is an additional cost**). If you require something else request it many hosts are willing to provide little extras like irons or hair dryers.
- Put all your requests in the form of an email. Ideally use the Airbnb communication portal.
- If there is a dispute or lack of service document it through the Airbnb communication portal (this normally forwards through your personal email). Document it as it happens as much as you possibly can this is important.
- Be FAIR. Unfortunately there are people in the world that will complain regardless of circumstance. They will damage a good host’s reputation to some degree and every host knows they are out there. They are rushing to collect their karma (also remember the host reviews you). Please don’t be one of them. If you do not take a lot of vacations and don’t know what exactly to expect read and re-read the listing. Whatever is in the listing on AIrbnb is what you should expect. We sincerely hope you will have your best vacation 🙂
- Power supply there are frequent power outages in the Dominican republic. If backup power is important to you ask about it. Many backup systems can not run Air Conditioning but can run fans. If you are there in the high season fans should be sufficient to keep you cool. In the Dominican republic summer some people will prefer to have Air Conditioning available at all times. Your host cannot predict the future but they can give you an idea of how often the power might go out. In Santo Domingo for example there are areas where it is shut off at certain times of the day every day in summer. In many areas power outages are around 3 hours a week. Chances are you will not be affected but it is worth considering.
**In the Dominican Republic it is important to double check electricity costs. They are often additional to the rental cost.
*We do list on Airbnb but we receive no compensation for advertising that they are the platform we prefer.
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