Isabel Heine
- Isabel Heine was an early user of Airbnb but now she only stays at hotels.
- She had second thoughts after hearing about locals being driven out by Airbnb investors.
- Heine also says that the Airbnb cleaning fees and rules were getting ridiculous.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Isabel Heine, a 40-year-old attorney from Queens, New York. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I was an early user of Airbnb. When it first came out in 2008, it seemed perfect for traveling with big groups, and I was in that stage of life where there was always a wedding or a bachelorette party to go to.