Is Abritel Safe And Reliable? Here's What Travellers Need To Know

When you're planning a trip, the first step is often booking a place to stay. With so many vacation rental sites out there, it's only natural to wonder if a site is legit. For example, Abritel is one such site that is very popular, especially in France. But is it safe and secure for travellers? Here's a primer on what you need to know.

What is Abritel?
Abritel is a website where people can rent out their homes, apartments, cottages or villas on a short-term basis. It's part of the HomeAway family, now under the larger umbrella of Vrbo and Expedia Group. Which means it's part of a big, well-known travel company, so you know there's a certain level of trust there.

Home Owners rent out on Abritel and Holiday Rentals. Abritel is a comprehensive rental listing site that provides a platform for owners to submit and renters to book their properties for holiday, family vacations and weekend getaways. You can search by location — and even some features, if you'd like a swimming pool or to bring pets. It operates similarly to other vacation rental sites, specialising in accommodations in France and neighbouring countries.

Is Abritel Safe to Use?
Safety is a big concern when renting online. Abritel safeguards all payments made via its secure payment methods from guests and proprietors. And when you pay on the platform, your money isn't provided to the host up front. That is locked in and available only after checking in. This serves to protect against scammers or last-minute hiccups.

Abritel, is verifying that listings are real. Most listings come with well-penned descriptions, photos and reviews by previous guests. The reviews themselves can be telling, and can also provide an idea of whether a property is as posh as it appears in its pictures.

And in case something does go wrong, Abritel offers a "Book with Confidence Guarantee." "If the host cancels last minute, or the property is not available when you check in, that should be covered." No system is fail-safe, but that assurance offers another layer of protection.

How Reliable Are the Hosts and Listings?
Abritel has many decent hosts who really do want their guests to enjoy their visit. Listings usually include star ratings and reviews, so you can be sure you're picking wisely. This is usually a safe property if your host has good ratings, a quick response time, and truthful descriptions.

You'll want to do a double-take before you book, though. Read the full listing, peruse photographs and look for guest reviews — especially new reviews that flag downsides. If a host is slow to respond or has iffy reviews, you might want to continue looking.

And definitely only talk through the Abritel platform. Do not send money or personal information off the site. "That way, you're governed by their rules and you have their customer service."

Does Abritel Offer Good Support?
Yes, Abritel has a customer support centre that you can call if you have questions. If you have a question or problem before booking and while staying, you can just ask their support team. There's even a help centre with FAQs, which is good if you're a beginner.

The application and the site are easy to use. You can browse rentals, save your favourites and message hosts directly. Planned travel seems easy, effortless.

Final Thoughts
Abritel, clear. There are some minimal precautions you will want to take, but provided you do, Abritel is a reliable and safe vacation rental platform. It is backed by solid businesses, it keeps customers' payments safe, and it provides travellers with tools like reviews, guarantees and customer service.

No site can prevent all problems, of course, but Abritel.com does a good job helping travellers book with confidence. If you actually read the listings, stay on the platform for all communication and booking and book only with hosts who have positive reviews, you're probably not going to have an issue.

So yes, as a rule of thumb, Abritel is a safe bet for travellers, providing you have a bit of common sense and you stay informed when making a booking.

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