I think the exact point is that hosts buy renters from Airbnb. Airbnb comment system and reputation points a couple of the reasons a host would choose to take the risk they normally wouldn't and Airbnb provides it. I'm talking the true home hosts as opposed to commercial providers that dropped into the Airbnb space.

The flip side is also true. It's a negotiated position. They look at them as much as I do. That's why reviews are so important to me.

I have explained step by step all the things that are involved that Airbnb does for me. And Airbnb customer services excellent. Seriously. When the database behind their website does strange things, which it does, the people we call on the normal customer service line typically can go right in and fix stuff.

I don't really feel the slice of what Airbnb takes. I set my price of what I'm willing to take. I look around and see what other people are setting. I see the density of competition which is three houses in my neighborhood. I look at the local motels and see what they're charging, which typically varies, but I can never be sure why. Sometimes it's seasonal, but sometimes it's just based on their fill.

All these things come into play for the price I set for what I'm willing to take as compared to what it costs to keep the place going and the extra costs associated with the Airbnb.

Plus M seriously believes in the breakfast part of Airbnb even though no one else ever seemed to. We stock the fridge with eggs and bagels and muffins and orange juice and milk and butter and cream cheese. All fresh. Plus they have infinite little Keurig cups of coffee.

I have to take into account the energy differences when we have guests versus when we don't, the spa chemical consumption which adds up when you are shocking between guests as opposed to once a week (or longer) when people normally do it. If I wanted to go to extreme savings mode I would turn everything off for a year and still survive but it wouldn't be any fun.

You'd say that the spa would be there anyway, but no, I leave the cover on and that's a dramatic difference in energy consumption. I can't expect guests to pull the cover over it every time they get out.

Plus I have serious lights going at night to make sure no one trips in the dark. Everything would get turned off if I wasn't hosting. I don't wander out there at night. That's for the animals.

But back to not feeling the Airbnb slice. It's on top of the price I set. Every interaction I have with them is based on my numbers. Whatever numbers on top they add as part of their service fees, which they do, and I have to take into account when comparing against the full price of a non Airbnb host, I don't feel.

They give me a great wrapper of services for the slice they take and there's no way I would ever want to do it myself. I've rented a couple times in my life to other people and I've gotten screwed every time.