I've had good experiences with AirBnB I several countries as well. VRBO was trash for me, also with last min cancellations and the corresponding company inaction.
But really, I expect to be let down by airbnb at any point, and always plan for a hotel as plan B . Unregulated services have never been dependable in my experience .
* A lake house in Washington that had a boat that I could row to get to my friends house on the other side (a few hundred yards away).
* A cute apartment in the center of Bologna that had a secret bedroom behind a bookcase (perfect for young children!)
* a beautiful and large 3 bedroom in Knightsbridge for about the cost of a nice hotel (£500/nt). Went here after the first Airbnb had cockroaches (the owner came and met me and gave a full refund)
* bright and stylish 2 bedroom apartment in Palermo in Buenos Aires
Etc. when going on a trip with a large family or a set of friends, there are huge advantages to having a house/apartment to stay in. That said, I’ve mostly lost faith in Airbnb. Went to Banff with a group of 6 and instead of an Airbnb we found a hotel/Bnb that had 1 and 2 bedroom cabins. We were confident we weren’t going to get stuffed and that was worth more than any potential upside of all being in one place or a hot tub that may or may not be working.