I used AirBnB to Book My Stay in Manila During AsiaPop Comic Con and Here's How it Went

The AsiaPOP Comicon 2018 (APCC) was one of my most anticipated events of the year so far. And I flew all the way from Davao to Manila just to attend this biggest pop culture convention in the Philippines. It was my first time to attend APCC and it was definitely a blast. I initially decided that I was going to attend this event as soon as the APCC 2017 concluded and saw the highlight of it on YouTube. Since then a lot of preparations took place to make sure that my stay in the Metro would be as pleasant as it could be. Thanks to the internet all my transactions were entirely made online from booking my flight to buying APCC tickets down to reserving my accommodations through AirBnb. That being said and through this post, I will be sharing with you my experience of using AirBnb mobile app.

Originally I am from Antipolo City, we still have house in there up until this very moment. But it is just very far from where the AsiaPop Comicon was being held - at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, near SM Mall of Asia. Traveling from and to Antipolo was just going to cost me hours upon hours during the event's three-day period. So I decided to just look for places to rent the nearest and most affordable place from the venue. Of course the default go-to places are hotels. And while most of the offered services are really great, they are a bit pricey for my budget. Then I remembered AirBnd so I checked it out for the very first time to see if it would be any of help. In case you don't know what AirBnb is, the best way I can describe it is it works very similar to Uber and Grab, but instead of private cars and taxis, it is for accommodations such as private houses, hotels and condominium units.

I downloaded the AirBnd app from Google Play which only took me just a couple of minutes. One of the best things in using the app is that you can already browse available listings even if you are not logged in or have not signed up yet. There are ways to narrow down your searches, once you put in where you are staying and your desired budget per night, you will immediately see suggested listings together with the units' photos, descriptions, and even guest reviews on each place are available right then and there giving you enough information to help you decide which one to get.

From my personal experience, there were a lot to choose from. I only looked for units with price range around Php1,000 per night. What's nice with this price range is that most recommendations are from condominiums.

The one I ended up choosing was one of the units from the Urban Deca Tower along EDSA avenue. One of the reasons was this is very close to shopping malls like SM Megamall and Starmall, also EDSA avenue is the place I am most familiar with during my time working in the BPO industry in the nearby places.

I did all the booking while I was still in Davao City, all through this app alone. So I selected which dates I would be staying in and for how many nights. Good thing is, I didn't need to see the unit's owner or go to the bank to pay for the rent, I could do it within the AirBnd app using a credit or debit card. For my booking, I used my ever-reliable PayMaya account. Everything was settled right then and there. You can also communicate with the unit's owner within the AirBnb app. And yes, you would need to sign up first on AirBnd in order for you be able to book. Don't worry, the sign up process is very easy and quick.

In short, my AirBnb experience was really very convenient and great. I only paid what was shown during my booking and nothing more. When the dates arrived, I checked in and then checked out without any hassle.

In case you wonder, the unit I selected was from Hannah and hers is located at unit 2527 (25th floor). You can check out her listing here using the desktop or the app version on your mobile phone.

As for my stay in this unit, the experience was great as well. Hannah provided an extra touch to her unit by adding unique designs to the room. It is a well-maintained unit. Every available thing you can use such as the aircon, electric fan, mirrors, beddings, towels etc were all as good as new during my stay. Additionally, Hannah was very easy and convenient to do business with. 

Did you know? 

Did you know that if you are a first time AirBnb user, you can get a big discount on your first booking? Unfortunately, I did not. I have already paid mine when I learned about this promo for first timers. So if you are planning on booking your very first trip via AirBnb, please do search first for their current promos and see if you are eligible.

As of writing this post, first time AirBnb users can take advantage of Php1,600 worth of Airbnb credit when you signup through this link here.

That all being said, it is needless to say that I will definitely use AirBnd again whenever I am traveling outside of Davao. Hopefully one day I will also be able to use this abroad since it caters guests and hots internationally.