> Why would anyone use them? Are the savings that much?
It's not about money, for me at least, but the experience. Hotels are generally boring, soulless, and isolated, whereas AirBnBs tend to be more like an actual home: comfortable, with personality, located in the place you are there to visit. You generally get access to a kitchen. A hotel is more convenient if you're just crashing somewhere for a night or two, but if you are trying to visit a place, and enjoy the time you spend living there, an AirBnB is better.
It's not about money, for me at least, but the experience. Hotels are generally boring, soulless, and isolated, whereas AirBnBs tend to be more like an actual home: comfortable, with personality, located in the place you are there to visit. You generally get access to a kitchen. A hotel is more convenient if you're just crashing somewhere for a night or two, but if you are trying to visit a place, and enjoy the time you spend living there, an AirBnB is better.