Why Your Airbnb Looks Like a Sad Office Building (And Where to Find Places That Actually Feel Like Home)

Your friend just spent €120/night to stay in what looks like the waiting room at a very sad insurance office. Congratulations! They've experienced the modern Airbnb: sterile, overpriced, and about as welcoming as a dentist appointment.

Look, we've all been there. You scroll through Airbnb listings, and everything looks the same: white walls, gray furniture, maybe a single sad plant if you're lucky. It's like someone took the concept of "home" and ran it through a corporate focus group until all the personality leaked out.

I figured this out the hard way when Isa and I started StayCloseBy. We kept getting messages from people who were tired of staying in places that felt like expensive prison cells. "Can't I just stay somewhere that feels... human?" one person asked.

And honestly? We felt that. Because somewhere along the way, the accommodation industry forgot that people don't just need a bed - they need to feel at home.

*Cue us realizing that maybe there's a better way to do this whole "staying somewhere" thing.*

The Real Problem (That Nobody Wants to Admit)

Here's the thing everyone knows but won't say: most Airbnbs have become soulless cash machines. Investors buy up apartments, strip out anything with personality, paint everything white, and charge premium prices for the "luxury" of staying in a beige box.

You're paying hotel prices to stay in someone's investment property that feels about as welcoming as a hospital room. And somehow we all just... accepted this? Like we forgot what it feels like to stay in a place where someone actually lives and has opinions about throw pillows.

The worst part? It's not even cheaper anymore. You're spending €120+ per night in Rotterdam for the privilege of sleeping somewhere that makes you want to leave as soon as you arrive. Meanwhile, the host has probably never even seen the place and manages it through some property management app.

We've turned accommodation into a commodity, and surprise surprise - it now feels exactly like a commodity.

What Actually Happens When You Stay Somewhere Soulless

My mate Sarah experienced this firsthand last year. She booked what looked like a nice flat in Amsterdam for a weekend away. €150 per night, great reviews, professionally managed. She was proper excited.

The place was... technically fine. Clean, functional, had all the amenities listed. But she texted me on her second night: "I feel like I'm staying in a display home. There's literally nothing here that suggests a human has ever lived here. I'm going mental."

The kitchen looked impressive in the photos - all stainless steel and modern lines. But when she tried to make breakfast, there were no plates or cutlery anywhere. Just two ancient pots with Teflon coating so scratched off they looked like they'd survived a house fire. Everything else was for show - fancy appliances she was afraid to touch because they looked more expensive than her car.

The bathroom was even worse. The shower looked absolutely stunning in the listing photos - all glass and chrome, very Instagram-worthy. But the moment she tried to use it, the door fell clean off its hinges. Turns out all the fixtures were cheap AliExpress knockoffs dressed up to look fancy. And then there was the smell.

Oh, the smell. The entire flat had this underlying sewage odour that hit you about an hour after arrival, once your nose adjusted from the outside air. Clearly a cheap renovation job with no proper drain ventilation - something you definitely can't detect from those carefully staged photos when you're booking, can you?

The living room had a single uncomfortable couch facing a massive TV - no books, no personal touches, not even decent lighting for anything other than watching Netflix. By day two, she was spending most of her time at cafés because the flat felt like a waiting room that smelled faintly of sewage.

And that's when it hit me: we've forgotten what makes a place feel like home. It's not the thread count of the sheets or whether the coffee machine is a fancy brand. It's the little things - art that someone chose because they loved it, plants that someone actually waters, books that someone reads.

The Rotterdam Reality Check

Rotterdam's got the same problem as everywhere else, but somehow it's even more depressing here because Rotterdam is actually brilliant. This is a city with proper character - amazing architecture, great food scene, people who actually talk to you on the tram. And yet most of the accommodation makes you feel like you're staying in a corporate hotel from 1987.

Here's what we discovered when we started looking at Rotterdam stays:

And the maddening thing? Rotterdam has incredible flats where real people live - places with character, warmth, and soul. You just can't book them through the usual platforms because they're not set up as soulless investment properties.

How to Spot a Place That Actually Has Soul

Before you book your next stay, here's what to look for if you want to feel human:

Better Alternatives That Don't Suck

The good news? There are ways to stay somewhere that feels like home without paying through the nose for the privilege of sleeping in a corporate waiting room.

How We Accidentally Figured This Out

When we started StayCloseBy, we weren't trying to solve the accommodation industry. We were just bloody tired of staying in places that made us feel like we were camping in an office building. And we had mates who needed places to stay without selling a kidney.

Turns out when you focus on creating actual human connections instead of maximising profit, everything else sorts itself out. Our places feel like home because they are homes. They're affordable because there's no corporate middleman taking a cut. And they're comfortable because they're designed for living, not Instagram.

What to Do if You've Already Booked Something Soul-Crushing

If you've already booked a sterile corporate rental, here's how to salvage your sanity:

1. Bring your own personality - pack some books, a colourful scarf, anything to make it feel less like a waiting room
2. Get out as much as possible - find local cafés, parks, anywhere with actual atmosphere
3. Leave an honest review about the lack of warmth so others know what they're getting
4. For next time, look for places run by actual humans who live in the neighbourhood

The Bottom Line

You deserve better than staying in corporate waiting rooms that charge premium prices. Rotterdam is an incredible city full of character and warmth - your accommodation should reflect that, not feel like you're sleeping in a business hotel from the 1990s.

Life's too short to pay €120/night for the privilege of feeling dead inside. There are alternatives where you can stay in actual homes with actual people who care about your experience and won't charge you through the nose for basic human comfort.

The difference between staying somewhere sterile and staying somewhere with soul isn't just about comfort - it's about remembering what it feels like to be welcomed into a community instead of processed through a corporate machine.

P.S. - If you're a host reading this, we'd love to meet you for coffee. Bring your personality, leave the corporate speak at home.