Guide · Holiday rentals ·
Airbnb or Stayz: which holiday rental site suits you
This publication shares ownership with PeptaraLabs, Lab Ranked Agency, and Dental Link.
Airbnb or Stayz is a simple choice once you know what you want to book. Airbnb is a wide marketplace of spare rooms, homes and online experiences. Stayz is a holiday rental site built around whole houses, cottages and apartments, and it is part of Expedia Group. Both are easy to use, and both let the person renting out the place set their own rules.
This guide compares the two on the points that matter most to a guest: what you can book, what it costs, what happens if plans change, and who each site suits. It uses the sites' own pages as they stood in December 2020.
Sources for this section: Stayz home page, 15 December 2020; Airbnb Australia home page, 16 December 2020.
What each site offers
Stayz is focused on holiday homes. Its home page lists houses, studios, apartments, cabins, cottages, townhouses, villas, farmhouses and a few hotels and resorts. It says it connects travellers with over 2 million properties around the world. Its footer shows it belongs to the same family as Vrbo and the Bookabach site in New Zealand.
Airbnb covers a broader range. Its menu lists places to stay, experiences and online experiences, plus Airbnb Plus and Airbnb Luxe for higher-end homes. Airbnb also has a "Go Near" feature that suggests stays close to home, which suits 2020 travel.
| Point | Airbnb | Stayz |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Homes, rooms, experiences | Holiday houses and apartments |
| Parent | Airbnb, Inc. | Expedia Group |
| Extras | Plus, Luxe, online experiences | Book with Confidence Guarantee |
Sources for this section: Stayz home page, 15 December 2020; Airbnb Australia home page, 16 December 2020.
Fees for guests and hosts
Airbnb publishes its fee rules in its Help Centre. Most stays use a split fee. The host pays 3 percent, and most guests pay a service fee under 14.2 percent of the booking subtotal. That subtotal is the nightly rate plus any cleaning and extra guest fees, before taxes. Airbnb shows the guest fee at checkout, before you pay.
Some hosts use a host-only fee instead. In that case the guest pays no Airbnb service fee, and the host typically pays 14 to 16 percent. Airbnb says this is mandatory for hotels and some other hosts, so a hotel-style room may show a price with no separate service line.
Stayz is different on the owner side. In January 2016, an Australian property news site reported that Stayz had moved to a 10 percent commission, replacing a per-night fee of $15.90 plus a $164 annual fee. We could not find a December 2020 Stayz fee page to confirm today's rate, so treat that number as a past figure. As a guest, the best habit is the same on both sites: add the cleaning fee, any service fee and taxes before you compare two prices.
Sources for this section: Airbnb Help Centre, Airbnb service fees, 11 November 2020 copy; apartments.com.au news, 17 January 2016.
Cancellation rules
On Airbnb, the host picks one of several policies, and the listing shows which one applies. The Help Centre describes three standard ones, and two Super Strict policies that are by invitation only:
- Flexible: a full refund up to 24 hours before check-in.
- Moderate: a full refund up to 5 days before check-in.
- Strict: a full refund only within 48 hours of booking, and only if check-in is at least 14 days away. After that, half the nights are refunded up to 7 days before check-in.
Stays of 28 days or longer follow a separate long-term policy. In every case the refund covers the nightly rate, and Airbnb says refunds of its own guest fees depend on several factors.
COVID-19 changed the picture in 2020. Airbnb's extenuating circumstances page, updated on 1 October 2020, says bookings made after 14 March 2020 are not covered for travel restrictions, border closures or quarantine. The host's own policy applies as usual. Airbnb advises guests to choose a flexible option when they can.
Stayz did not show a single set of cancellation rules on its home page. Its Trust and Safety page promises secure payments, fraud protection and support around the clock, and its home page names a Book with Confidence Guarantee with 24/7 support. Read the terms on the listing itself before you pay a deposit.
Sources for this section: Airbnb Help Centre, Cancellation policies for your listing, 12 November 2020 copy; Airbnb Help Centre, Extenuating Circumstances Policy and the coronavirus, 4 December 2020 copy; Stayz Trust and Safety page, 16 December 2020; Stayz home page, 15 December 2020.
Where you get the most choice
Neither site publishes a simple Australian count that we could compare side by side, so we will not rank them by size. A better test is to search the same dates and place on both sites. Beach towns, wine regions and mountain villages often list the same house on more than one platform, so you may see the same place twice at slightly different prices.
As a rule, Stayz is a natural first stop for a family house near the coast. Airbnb can be stronger for a single room, a city flat, or a stay that comes with a local experience. Both offer filters for pets, pools and number of guests.
Sources for this section: Stayz home page, 15 December 2020; Airbnb Australia home page, 16 December 2020.
Which should you pick
Pick Airbnb if you want a wide range of stays, a clear fee shown at checkout and a choice of cancellation levels. Pick Stayz if you want a whole holiday house, and you like the idea of a site that sits inside a large travel group.
Whichever you use, a few checks help:
- Search the same dates on both sites.
- Compare the full price, with fees and taxes.
- Find the cancellation rule before you book, and screenshot it.
- Message the host with any question about the place.
- Pay inside the site, not by bank transfer to a stranger.
Travel rules have been shifting through 2020, so check state border rules and your host's policy again just before you go. If you are planning a longer trip, our guides list more ideas for where to stay.
Sources for this section: Airbnb Help Centre, Airbnb service fees and Cancellation policies for your listing; Stayz Trust and Safety page.
Sources
- Stayz home page (Internet Archive copy, 15 December 2020): stayz.com.au
- Stayz Trust and Safety (Internet Archive copy, 16 December 2020): stayz.com.au
- Airbnb, Airbnb service fees (Internet Archive copy, 11 November 2020): airbnb.com.au
- Airbnb, Cancellation policies for your listing (Internet Archive copy, 12 November 2020): airbnb.com.au
- Airbnb, Extenuating Circumstances Policy and the coronavirus (Internet Archive copy, 4 December 2020): airbnb.com
- Airbnb Australia home page (Internet Archive copy, 16 December 2020): airbnb.com.au
- apartments.com.au, Stayz raises holiday home rental commission to 10 percent, 17 January 2016: apartments.com.au