I rarely go for airbnb if I don't find a good deal, whether in terms of price, location, architecture etc. Sometimes there are good properties on airbnb. And yes, a lot of it is just run by buisnessmen and rich landlords. But there are also decently located cheap apartments sometimes.

If I travel alone and need to be on budget and only need a bed I can always go for a good dorm.

My kids are coeliac so we have a greater need to cook meals for ourselves. So we prefer staying in rented apartments / villas etc when on holiday. There are some aparthotels where a kitchen and actual bedrooms are available and we'll use those if they are affordable. Private accommodation also tends to be larger though and if airbnb seems sketchy there are also property rental companies - when we're in Florida we tend to rent a villa from one of these and it's been all fine. We're going to Turkey this year and have rented a top floor apartment overlooking a marina.

Yall have some rough luck with ABNB properties. I stay 4-6 times per year and it’s been a breeze.

Airbnb is much better for families whereas hotels cater to everyone else basically.