Recommending Air BnB, I used it in Belfast

While in Belfast last month, I stayed at the Europa Hotel. When the taxi driver was dropping off my boss Ehi and I at the hotel from the airport, he said "this hotel is the second most-bombed in the whole world". It didn't look it. The hotel was a little expensive though and I was going to have to cough up a little extra to stay there 3 nights. So I decided that after the 2nd night, I'd check out and find a cheaper place to stay. Enter +Airbnb aka Air Bed & Breakfast. I went to airbnb.com and started looking for a place for a night in Belfast. Knew friends who'd used the service, nothing to be scared off. It would give me a story to tell anyway :-)

Why does @Airbnb take your money before verifying your ID? This verifying your ID can take a lot of time too. Sigh. Not cool. #airbnb
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) February 21, 2014

Okay, this scared me. I knew I had to pay for the accommodation, thank you GT Bank Visa Card. But I didn't think that I would have to verify my identity after giving out the money. What if that went wrong?

@Abocco We apologize for any inconvenience the process caused you, but we're glad to see you've verified your account & booking's accepted
— Airbnb (@Airbnb) February 21, 2014 

@Airbnb Yeah! I got scared there for a moment! Great customer service here! Thanks a lot. Kudos! #airbnb
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) February 21, 2014

Because Air BnB is such an excellent service, they tweeted back at me when I finally verified my account and confirmed my booking. This was tres cool. I had to let them (and the whole world) know.

Staying in my 1st @AirBnB booked place tonight in #Belfast. Kinda excited. Maybe I'd become a host myself next time :-) cc @kafuiday #airbnb
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) February 21, 2014

@aireen233 well, my good friend & @Ghanathink colleague @Kafuiday hosts people via @Airbnb in #Accra. Know others who've used it too.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) February 21, 2014

Was excited to stay with a complete stranger for 26 pounds sterling that night. My friend & +GhanaThink Foundation colleague +Kafui Anson-Yevu hosts various people in Accra and I was able to convince +Irene Nyavor to try the service out next time.

#AirBnB is the truth! My host is so pleasant and nice. She's had many guests so she's slowing down on the Irish accent lol. #Belfast.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) February 21, 2014

My host, Mary, had many great reviews on Air BnB from people she's hosted. I like how she slowed down while talking to me because the Irish accent can be tough to grasp. When I had dinner with Ehi and 2 Intel employees on that Wednesday, I couldn't hear half of what our waitress said. In fact, Ehi and I thought her accent was so cool, we made her speak for like a minute so I could record what she was saying.

Going to get breakfast after a great night's sleep :-) RT "@Mangosyrup: I used #AirBNB in Croatia. It's a great service.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) February 22, 2014

Turns out Mary was hosting 2 other guys that night. I only found out when I had to rush to the airport. I enjoyed using AirBnB. +Ericka Engel can also testify, she used it in Croatia. Can't imagine when I would go to Croatia but if I do go to a place like Belfast where I don't know anyone and am alone, I'd very likely use AirBnB again.