is cook travel legitimate

Cook Travel

based on 4 locations

About Cook Travel

Cook Travel has an average rating of 3.5 from 33 reviews. The rating indicates that most customers are generally satisfied. The official website is cooktravel.net. Cook Travel is popular for Travel Services, Hotels & Travel. Cook Travel has 4 locations on Yelp across the US. Read below to see the top rated Cook Travel businesses on Yelp and their customer service rating.

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Reviews 4.7.

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We booked a few trips with Fabrizo when…

We booked a few trips with Fabrizo when my Mom was still alive and we needed full priced tickets for her. We had lots of AA miles then. Now we are out of miles and still traveling so we took a chance that Fabrizio was still there. Not only was he there he remembered my first name! He's super and still getting good fares for us. Between an ex-airline employee and spouse's miles through business, we really appreciate good fares!

Date of experience : 19 March 2024

Excellent travel agency

Fabrizio is an awesome travel agent! He was very effective at locating a less expensive business class fare for 3 people traveling to Rome! He was quick, thorough and followed up with us! I have called him in the past, when I needed business class fares. He was great then, too!

Date of experience : 04 March 2024

I called Cook travel for travel to…

I called Cook travel for travel to SOUTH AFRICA and was very lucky to get agent Fabrizio Peralta he was absolutely BRILLIANT and knew exactly what I needed and he was very knowledgeable ( I will definitely be using him again for my travel needs) Thanks Cook travel for having him employed in your Company) Marsha O'Loughlin

Date of experience : 28 February 2024

A money saving call!

Upon a recommendation from our travel agent, I contacted Kausha regarding airfare for an upcoming trip. She not only found us a great schedule, she saved us just under $3,000 on our 1st class fare! She was professional and courteous, responding when she said she would and answering all my questions. We have another trip coming up in the fall and I will most certainly reach out to her again.

Date of experience : 21 February 2024

Terrific help in booking my flights

Terrific help in booking my flights. Fabrizio was patient, friendly and found us great flights and seats in business. I highly recommend him and cook travel.

Date of experience : 01 March 2024

A Good Experience and a Good Deal

Beata was extremely helpful as we planned our trip to the UK and EU. The fares she found were exceptionally good, and the process was efficient, quick, and pleasant. And it was a lot less nerve wracking than using the flight and hotel sites--and we ended up getting more value for less cost.

Date of experience : 12 February 2024

Fabrizio was wonderful-- so responsive

Fabrizio was wonderful-- so responsive, professional and lovley to work with! Made things very simple and efficient.

Date of experience : 18 March 2024

Simple, caring, easy and efficient

As soon I called Fabrizio at Cook Travel, he was able to give me all the answers for a multi-cities trip to Africa, Europe and the US and 15 minutes later I had two proposed itineraries and potential to choose different price alternatives. He also gave me excellent advice. We hadn't spoken in several years and he recognized me right away. Thank you

Date of experience : 02 February 2024

The review Cookflights.com is…

The review Cookflights.com is connected with the review of Cook Travel. Are they the same holding or something wrong with Cookflights.com Cookflights.com is abusing the review of Cook travel.

Reply from Cook Travel

Please contact the company you actually did business with. Hope you find a prompt resolution to your issue. If you fear that you have been scam it might be best for you to contact your bank and dispute the charge.

Fabricio was extremely responsive in…

Fabricio was extremely responsive in providing alternative routes and prices. In the end we selected the first one he presented, but it was much appreciated that he providing several alternant routes. We've worked with Fabricio several times before and there are good reasons we keep coming back. Fast, efficient, friendly and effective service, we'll be back.

Date of experience : 20 February 2024

This is our 1st time using Cook Travel

This is our 1st time using Cook for our business class flights. This agency is different, hopefully in a good way. They were able to quote a savings above those found on just about any other site. The personal attention from Fabrizio was excellent. I suggest that clients confirm with your representative the commission policy. Our trip is in May ‘24 & we have high expectations from the tickets purchased through Cook Travel. We will follow up to let you know! This could be our new “go to” for business travel 😃

Date of experience : 12 January 2024

Responsive. Met needs

Date of experience : 26 March 2024

Francis Tan at Cook Travel

Francis Tan and Cook Travel are, by far, the best travel agents I’ve ever worked with. I’ve been working with travel agents for over 20 years and I’ve never felt so well taken care of. Francis in particular is responsive, thorough, polite and professional. I trust him with both my family and business travels. I feel so fortunate to have found Francis and Cook Travel.

Date of experience : 27 January 2024

We’ve worked with Fabrizio on multiple…

We’ve worked with Fabrizio on multiple trips and whenever I need an airline ticket, I keep coming back because he is easy to work with, listens and responds to what I want whether it is business class, premium economy, or economy, and he answers my questions quickly and proficiently. I really appreciate how he has simplified and was able to get good prices on some complicated air travel. We’ve found them to be reliable and upfront. Thank you, Fabrizio.

Date of experience : 02 November 2023

Why I will use Cook Travel again …

The original response was prompt and exactly what i was looking for. Even though it took a week to get agreement from both clients, Fabrizio was patient and came through with another great quote which we sold immediately. He was thorough in letting me know exactly what information was needed for ticketing. The final items which impressed me was that he made sure he had the correct address for the commission check and when I asked about the procedure for seat assignments, he already had it done!! I will be doing business with you in the future.

Date of experience : 02 December 2023

Amazingly efficient and reasonable…

Amazingly efficient and reasonable price! We have worked with Beata for several years to find us excellent flight connections and business class seats at a reasonable price. SHE is priceless! Beata always responds to my inquiries within minutes with good information. She rescued us recently when we wanted to make a change to our return flight. Within a day we had new seat assignments at a great price. Thank you again!

Date of experience : 23 May 2023

I hadn't talked with Fabrizio in years

I hadn't talked with Fabrizio in years, but he remembered me. He was a great help in booking my airline ticket to Berlin.

Date of experience : 06 February 2024

Quick and accurate

Very quick response; got exactly what we were looking for.

Date of experience : 06 March 2024

Fabrizio did a bang up job for my…

Fabrizio did a bang up job for my Ireland trip. Made sure everything was right...then made sure again... meanwhile guaranteeing he could fix it either way. Very pleased.

Fabrizio, our agent, was so helpful.

What made our experience so great was our agent, Fabrizio Peralta. He really worked hard with me to find the perfect routing and schedule and answered my many questions and was so helpful.

Date of experience : 16 December 2023

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Cook Travel has been rated on BBB website as A+ for discounted first/business class fares. Is it a legitimate agency ? Travelling to Europe and the fare they have offered is almost $500 US less than the published fares.

This is a forum with contributors from all over the world. You don’t have a city location showing under your username and photo so we don’t know where in the US you are based. Is Cook Travel a local Travel Agency just in your city, or is it a Travel Agency chain across the US?

If you clarify where this Agency is maybe someone from that area might know. Or we can redirect you to the relevant city forum on Tripadvisor to ask if people know it. Every city, region, island and country has its own forum on here.

No - its just Cook Travel- Its listed as offices in NY but on website it says they are consolidators and sell first class tickets at much better prices

The agency is listed as based in NY with offices in Miami

Look up their reviews on Yelp and then run away from them as fast as you can. Anyone offering discounted First and Business tickets is suspect in my opinion.

Here is one topic from the Air Travel forum about discounted business class or first class tickets. The topic has some replies removed, but do read through what’s there as it contains warnings -

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k6647029-Business_class_tickets_from_3rd_party_companies-Air_Travel.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ForumHome

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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How to Save Money Flying Business Class

Premium-class tickets can cost 10 times the price of coach. brokers might be your best bet to snagging steep discounts., sharing is nice.

We respect your privacy . All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story.

Flying coach on an international flight can leave you exhausted and in knots, while being pampered in business or first class can leave you rested and ready to go. But a premium-class ticket can easily cost 10 times the price of coach. Ticket brokers, aka ticket consolidators, can bring luxury within reach by offering savings of 10 to 30 percent or more off the price of premium-class tickets.

"The airlines want to fill every seat, but they don't want to be seen as discounting their own fares," says Blake Fleetwood, president of Cook Travel, a broker in New York. So, Fleetwood explains, the airlines turn to discount ticket brokers who can discreetly offload unsold first- and business-class seats at steep savings.

Cook Travel recently offered a nonstop business-class fare from New York to London in early December on a major U.S. carrier for $3,658—more than 40 percent off the price of other nonstop flights during the same period. Another broker, Business Class Consolidator, recently offered a round-trip business-class fare from San Francisco to Hong Kong via Taipei, Taiwan, for $2,728 on Eva Air. A ticket for a nonstop flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong on American Airlines would have cost $6,801.

The Fine Print

Though the savings are tempting, there are things to keep in mind before purchasing from a broker. You might not be flying on a U.S. airline. Instead, you could be booked on a foreign carrier from a country such as China, Turkey, or the Philippines. You also might not be on a nonstop flight. Many business-class cabins have lie-flat seats, power ports, and personal entertainment, but others are less luxurious. Always check the website of the airline you'll be flying to research the seat size, legroom, recline, and amenities before you purchase a ticket.

Ed Perkins, consumer advocate at SmarterTravel and a former Consumer Reports travel editor, says consumers should beware of discounters that sell tickets bought with frequent-flyer miles. It's against airline rules and could cost you much more if the airline finds out and cancels the ticket. (A ticket that doesn't earn mileage credit might be one tip-off.)

Always pay with a credit card, check Better Business Bureau ratings, and try to stick to companies that have been in business for at least 10 years. Membership in trade associations, such as the American Society of Travel Advisors and the International Airlines Travel Agent Network, suggests legitimacy but does not guarantee it.

Other Ways to Save

Look for sales and deep discounts offered by the airlines. Aer Lingus, Alitalia, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, and other carriers allow coach-class ticketholders to bid on upgrades for savings off the standard premium fare. La Compagnie, an all-business-class carrier, offers fares ranging from about $1,700 to $2,500 round-trip from New York to Paris, which is well below the going rate of about $9,000 on Air France. The trade-off: Its seats are not fully flat. And low-cost carriers such as Norwegian Air have premium sections on certain flights that offer many business-class-style perks, sometimes for as little as $500 more than a coach seat.

Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the December 2018 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

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 “PlanetAmex and Cook Travel… are both reputable consolidators.”

 “Established discount travel agencies like Cook Travel… save clients money by passing along volume discounts and finding novel routing options.”

 “Recently offered a nonstop business-class fare for over 40 percent off.”

Cook Travel

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Reviews 4.7.

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We have booked with Beata several times…

We have booked with Beata several times and she has been wonderful. She works very hard to find us the best deals for our destination and is on top of every problem (cancellations, etc.) before we are even aware that there is a problem. I would strongly recommend her and Cook’s Travel for all your travel needs!

Date of experience : February 14, 2023

Cook Travel Is Straight Forward and Found Me a Great Price

Francis worked so hard to get me a great fare. I like the fact that the ticket is 100% "regular" and accrues miles. He patiently answered all of my questions. Francis also took the initiative and recommended the best seats for my requirements and then booked them.

Date of experience : April 18, 2023

Dennis is great to work with and I feel confident when he is there for me.

Dennis is great to work with. We have had a working relationship for years and as happens in travel there's some fires that need to be put out and Dennis is always there to rescue and help me with suggestions in ways I didn't think of. He's been a partner to me.

Date of experience : April 06, 2023

Beata Lubitz is a top employee of Cook Travel

Beata Lubitz is a reliable and personable agent. She is very knowledgeable and is always there to help. When our flight from Nairobi was canceled she spent hours getting us a flight so we could return to the United States. I highly recommend Cook Travel.

Date of experience : February 04, 2023

Fabrizio was outstanding to work with

Fabrizio was outstanding to work with. He gave me multiple flight options at various prices and was very responsive, always getting back to me in a very timely manner. I will definitely use Cook again

Date of experience : May 26, 2023

Cook Travel unresponsive to cancelling or crediting Europe business tickets

I got well priced LAX-Bari Italy business tickets on Air France and Alitalia in September from Cook Travel for a wedding in Italy. The wedding has been cancelled. I have attempted multiple times to contract Cook Travel with no success. A human never answers the phone. The airlines won't help.

Date of experience : June 05, 2020

Fabrizio always gives us prompt Service

Fabrizio always gives us prompt, courteous and excellent service. We have been a client for years and will continue to be so. Kerry Dennis San Diego, CA

Date of experience : September 15, 2023

Great service from Katrina. Many thanks.

Kat is always responsive and a pleasure to deal with. On our latest trip we had to change overseas travel a couple of times plus the airline cancelled the flight. Kat worked tirelessly to protect us from fare increases and change fees.

Date of experience : June 08, 2023

Poor customer service and followup.

Booked 2 business class tickets to Greece using Cook Travel. Booked tickets in January 2019 for travel in April 2020. Airlines cancelled the flights in April 2020 due to covid issues. Airlines indicated all refunds etc. had to be handled vis travel agent Cook agent confirmed my tickets and flights all cancelled and a refund was coming. It is now September and no refund. Cook Travel nor my agent answer phone calls or texts. I received one form text from my agent suggesting a possible voucher but no instructions on how to respond and what to do next. Agents do not reply to followup texts or phone calls. I could not recommend Cook Travel to future travelers.

Date of experience : September 13, 2020

Reply from Cook Travel

Dear Mr. Seaman, We are deeply sorry that our customer service didn't meet your expectations. Our offices have been closed for six months, even today we only have limited access. One employee died and another got sick from the virus. We sent you an email on Monday morning regarding the credit voucher information. Please let us know if you did not received it. You can use this voucher to any destination, during 3 years from the date of issue and they are transferable. You can find the terms and conditions under which our tickets are sold at Cooktravel.net/terms-and-conditions/. Please contact us directly at [email protected] and we hope we can find a way to make it up. Thank you, Cook Travel

The agent had to be coaxed to get us…

The agent had to be coaxed to get us from Paris to a city closest to Parma, Italy via air. I came up with bologna he was clueless. Never got back yo me on hotels so I booked hotels myself. Plus didn’t obtain seating on our Air France leg of the trip ?????

Date of experience : May 17, 2023

My agent Beata Lubitz is always very…

My agent Beata Lubitz is always very helpful and knowledgeable. She finds great rates and always saves me money. I have been using her for several years I am a semi-retired travel agent with 40 years experience so I know a good agent when I find one.

Date of experience : January 28, 2020

Katrina was a nightmare to work with

Katrina was a nightmare to work with. She charged my friend’s flight to my cc & then wouldn’t respond to unravel it. Kausha was my fixer. At LAX I couldn’t use the TSA pass as Katrina neglected to enter it into my reservations. My friend went thru TSA, I stood in line for an hour to pass through. Our flight back is so tightly booked, 1 hour to get from our arrival in Amsterdam to our flight back to LAX. I don’t believe we can make it. I am sorely disappointed with the service!

Date of experience : May 20, 2023

Their pricing is competitive

Their pricing is competitive, but their service is somewhat lacking. I had an issue with a connecting flight; I sent my representative a text and he never even responded. After landing, going through passport control and making my way to my gate, the only reason I made my connection was because the flight was delayed due to poor weather conditions. They have to sharpen up their service game!

Date of experience : December 06, 2019

Hi Mr. John, We are terribly sorry you felt that our service didn't meet your standards. We always strive to go above and beyond to make sure our customers are always satisfied. We reviewed your flights and they were all legal connections approved by the airlines. However, we do agree that sometimes airlines make their connection times shorter of what they should and unfortunately we don't have control over that. We are still looking at ways to improve our customer service and greatly appreciate your feedback. We hope that you can give us another chance at providing you with outstanding service. Best, Cook Travel

Beata was knowledgeable

Beata was knowledgeable, timely and a delight to work with. She was recommended by a friend and I am so pleased that I know have her as a resource as we head to retirement and more travel.

Date of experience : August 21, 2023

The easier way to book travel

Fabrizio Peralta was easily reachable and able to give me all the quotes for a more complicated two-part trip And still come up with savings. I'm grateful for my friend's recommendation to use Fabrizio at Cook Travel.

Date of experience : July 28, 2023

Web site is very user unfriendly

Web site is very user unfriendly. When I tried to call for tech support I was on hold for twenty minutes first, and then another 10 mins. I gave up. The mobil app seemed somewhat better, but is such a small font that it also was useless. Our contact at Cook was excellent in handling airfare for six people to Spain.

Date of experience : April 15, 2023

Kausha found best deal

I had to make an international reservation in last minutes so the airfare was very expensive. Kausha took time to find the best deal for me. I appreciate the agent who cares and tries to find the solution.

Date of experience : April 26, 2023

I do not have anything to share in…

I do not have anything to share in terms of experience, at least for the time being. I just wonder why you do not change your company's name; as we all know "COOK" (the English one) went out of business last year.

Date of experience : January 25, 2020

After some initial difficulties with…

After some initial difficulties with one agent, I have worked with Fabrizio now a number of times and he has been very prompt in replying and very professional and I highly recommend working with him. He is terrific.

Date of experience : March 09, 2023

SERVICE - very rare this days. I have been dealing with Fabrizio Peralta for several years, and am fully satisfied. Have dealt with other travel agencies with poor results.

Date of experience : February 20, 2023

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Skylux - Anyone use this ticket discounter? - Air Travel Forum

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85 replies to this topic

Just use the search box on this forum or on the main forums homepage to search for existing topics on Skylux and read the complaints and warnings. But if you have already read complaints and warnings then I am unsure why you would still want to read more and still be interested in booking with Skylux.

Your concerned about negative reviews but are still considering them. How many positive comments do you need to offset the negatives

Did you read the complaints on the BBB site which comes up on the first page when you Google them? (although to my surprise they are actually BBB accredited).

are par for the course with most 3rd party booking sites and OTA’s. I can’t tell you of my experience because I would never use a booking site like this due to the sheer volume of complaints and issues.

It’s your money but I would never hand over money to a website like this to save such a small amount which could easily be eaten up by fees/charges/inclusions/pricing not actually been live etc. If things go wrong like schedule or routing changes, cancellations or amendments don’t expect much help from a cheap ticket flogger. The potential for things to go wrong these days is high so book direct with the airline or a reputable bricks and mortar travel agency.

Thanks for sharing. There are some sites where they have 4.5 and 4.7 ratings, but ratings are over a multi-year period. I was seeking recent info.

#4 thanks. You're confirming my assessment, but my husband felt otherwise and so I wanted to make sure my sense that Skylux was shady had merit. I'd rather spend the 10% savings and sleep better.

Be wary of some review sites as they can allow businesses to remove negative reviews.

Cheaper airfares is all about timing. Sign up to receive airlines emails and jump on a deal if/when they offer one and don’t look back.

Risk vs. reward: 90% is at stake in terms of risk / 10% as a reward

Question: Would you buy such a product from a bank? If no, why would you buy a ticket?

Advice: buy your ticket directly from an airline .

Not yet convinced? Then read the T&C's => https://www.skyluxtravel.com/terms

"YOU GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO GO TO COURT" => nice, to know that one cannot be taken to cour. Who would write something like that?

"tickets ... all service fees may not be refundable."

"If your ticket is not honored for any reason, please contact your agent immediately. Your ticket is guaranteed up to the amount paid for the ticket, and SkyLux Travel will replace your ticket within 24 hours or offer a full refund, or provide other alternative options within 24 hours." => they offer an options, not that you will fly within 24 hours!

In short: you are dealing with a mileage brocker. Not illegal but against airline rules. If the airline finds out, then your ticket will get cancelled.

Still not convinced? Go ahead but do not complain, if you happend to have problem, spoil your holidays and lose a lot of money.

Saving has a cost attached to it. It means awful or no support when things go wrong (how do you think they can sell tickets at a loss?).

Finally if they are indeed a mileage broker then you have the additional risk the airline could find out and cancel your ticket. Might not happen at the outbound, but what if it happens on the inbound? Stuck wherever you are having to buy new tickets at walk up prices.

I prefer to de risk my trips as much as I can. Maybe you like the adrenaline rush of gambling this works out.

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Atlanta Airport Cracks Down on 'Unticketed' People at Airport

The policy limits access to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to passengers, employees, and people with "legitimate" reasons to be there.

Madeline Holly-Carothers • Apr 25, 2024

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia will limit public access to the airport for the foreseeable future. The goal, according to Atlanta news station WBS-TV 2, is to, “Address the growing unhoused population at the airport” and to improve security protections. The idea is to limit public access to people without a flight or airport-related reason to be in the area.

Here’s what to know about the decision which took effect on April 22.

Improving Safety at the World’s Busiest Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. According to the airport’s website, it sees around 286,000 passengers a day, on average, with more than 2,000 flights arriving and departing daily. As one of the city’s epicenters, complaints from passengers or employees there about panhandling or harassment related to non-travelers at the airport seem to have prompted serious intervention.

Atlanta’s city council first approved the regulation in February. WSB-TV 2 reported that much of its support came from airport employees and travelers wanting safer experiences at the airport.

The city council’s decision rules out panhandling, loitering, or sleeping in the area . The airport’s access will now be limited to passengers with tickets, employees, and contract workers. People meeting passengers and anyone with “legitimate business” at the airport are also allowed inside, according to WSB-TV 2.

Who it Will Impact

The decision will likely affect people who don’t have housing and often find shelter by spending time at the airport. According to the Atlanta Mission , a faith-based nonprofit that has served the city’s homeless population since 1938, more than 2,000 people sleep on the city’s streets each night. Some have found pseudo-shelter, charity, and general interaction at Hartsfield-Jackson, but that option is now null.

The changes will also affect the airport’s Sky Train, parking decks, and even the car rental zone.

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‘Must love dogs and rude roommates’: the scramble to get around New York’s Airbnb crackdown

Strict rules have led to a wild west of rentals, with visitors choosing between huge hotel bills or word-of-mouth deals

U ntil recently, visitors to New York basically had two options: hotel rooms or short-term rental platforms like Airbnb. But in September 2023, the city started enforcing a 2022 law that banned people from renting their homes for fewer than 30 days (unless the host stayed in the home with guests).

Now the only legit option for people visiting the city is hotel rooms – and they’re unaffordable for many. Most of the Times Square hotels don’t have rooms for less than $300 a night. A search for Thursday 2 May found the Muse at $356, Hampton Inn at $323 and the Hard Rock at $459 (although, because of dynamic pricing, these are subject to regular change). They’re getting more expensive still. Hotel rates have increased between the first quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2023 at twice the rate of inflation, said Jan Freitag, an analyst at the real-estate data firm CoStar Group.

Many visitors and New Yorkers have turned to the black rental market, where Facebook groups, Craigslist posts, Instagram listingsand word of mouth have become the go-to for finding short-term rentals in the five boroughs.

If you have friends in New York, you’ve probably seen the Instagram stories. “Hi guys! Subletting my room in a 5 bed apartment for four days over Easter! Must be good with dogs and rude roommates! DM if interested!”

Other travelers have headed to New Jersey, causing the kaleidoscope of cities across the Hudson River to become the fastest-growing market for Airbnb demand in the nation, according to the analytics site AirDNA. Others have ponied up for hotels, which are only projected to get more expensive in the coming years. For many tourists, there’s no good answer yet to the so-called Airbnb ban.

Yoya Busquets, 56, considered an Airbnb in New Jersey, but really wants to be in the city when she visits from Barcelona in early September with her husband and two teenage daughters. She poked around on Facebook a bit and chatted on Messenger with some people advertising short-term rentals there. The last time she was in New York, in 2012, she stayed in an Airbnb in Brooklyn, and she wants a similar experience. She just might get lucky.

“I’m communicating with a girl who has a place available for one week and it’s posted on Airbnb as in New Jersey, but when you contact them they say it’s in Brooklyn,” she said.

The apartment also happens to be near the area she stayed last time, and it’s within her budget of $160 a night. It’s the best option she’s found, considering the cost of hotels and the space it offers for her daughters to unwind after busy days tromping around. But the setup probably falls foul of the new laws, which is why the apartment is listed in Jersey.

According to AirDNA, which tracks data from short-term rental sites like Airbnb and Vrbo, listings for stays of fewer than 30 days have fallen 83% since August 2023, when the regulations started being enforced. Once there were 22,200 short-term listings available in New York City; there are now just 3,700, according to AirDNA.

While juggling her thesis, finishing classes and searching for a job that will allow her to continue living in the US, Tehsin Pala, 24, has been looking for a place for her family to stay in May when she graduates from New York University’s graduate program for journalism.

“This is their first time coming to New York City and I want to give them a good experience,” Pala, from India, said of her parents and grandmother. “I thought I wanted to do an Airbnb so I can also cook for them,” so she was dismayed to learn short-term rentals really weren’t an option any more.

Pala wants a place where her family has room to congregate. As a show of gratitude and respect, she wants to cover the cost of her family’s accommodations and has budgeted about $200 (£160) a night for their week-long stay.

“I’m kind of stuck about what to do,” Pala said. “Probably a hotel, but I’ll have to pay like $400 a night and I don’t have money like that.”

Now, saddled with the dual stresses of finishing school and facing down hotel rates she isn’t able to float, she’s at a crossroads: does she opt for a hotel and have her parents pay or rent something in New York short term that’s not technically legal?

Without the accountability and protections that platforms such as Airbnb offered, avoiding scams has become a normal part of seeking a short-term rental. Because of that, Pala skipped scanning Craigslist entirely. Now she’s looking into booking an Airbnb in New Jersey, but she fears the slog on the local Path train could be inconvenient for her grandmother.

While the regulations were passed with the intention of curbing rents for New Yorkers by bringing apartment inventory back on to the market, they’ve also cut off an often crucial source of income for New York renters and homeowners who lived in their apartments but listed their places when they were out of town. Some New Yorkers are still finding ways to bring the money in.

Kathleen, whose last name is being withheld for privacy reasons, only recently started renting her East Village apartment on the black rental market. The 29-year-old travels a lot for her work in personal finance and to visit family in North Carolina. She’s out of town about four months a year, she said, and of course still has to pay her $2,600-a-month rent when she’s not there. To make up some of that lost money, she’s started connecting with people via Facebook groups for unregulated stays.

“I really vetted out a lot of the people,” she said, citing concerns about how her space would be treated given that she wouldn’t have the protections that short-term-rental platforms offer to hosts. She has two forthcoming guests – one weekend visitor and one staying in her apartment for three weeks over the summer – who are paying her $50 a night.

“I’m a side-hustle girl always,” she said. “If you can make extra money, why would you not make extra money? I live in a great location. I love my place and I’m very clean and I just figured if someone was new to this city, it would be kind of a nice, cute spot to be.”

It’s the kind of spot that visitors like Juan José Tejada might champ at the bit for. Tejada, a wellness influencer from Bogotá, Colombia, is visiting New York in July for nine days with his best friend. He started his search for a place by scanning hotels but quickly realized they were too expensive.

“I am 25 years old. I’m traveling with my best friend. And, you know, we don’t have that much budget,” he said. On the recommendation of a cousin who lives in the city, Tejada used Facebook to look for a short-term rental. What he found was quadruple his budget of $100 to $200 a night. But that wasn’t the only issue.

“When I was looking for a short-term lease, the payment situation was a little bit hard,” Tejada said, “because the people who are renting say ‘you have to pay me through bank transfer or through Zelle’ or another service that we don’t have in Colombia.”

Tejada and his friend ended up booking at Hi New York City, a hostel on the Upper West Side, which cost them about $55 each a night for a spot in a bunk room with a shared bathroom. Tejada said he had considered an Airbnb with an on-site host but didn’t find any suitable options. It’s not the apartment he dreamed of breezing in and out of as if he were a local, but it’ll do.

People are making their own solutions for short-term stays. On Instagram, there are accounts like Book That Sublet NYC, where over 4,000 followers watch along for sublets often posted on a daily and weekly basis as well as the endless “ book my apartment! ” or apartment-swapping callouts that are shared on Instagram Stories. And then there are the longtime apartment-swapping sites like HomeExchange or HomeLink that offer another way for visitors to get their foot in the door of a city apartment.

Advocates for the new regulations thought that limiting rentals in the short term would bring long-term rentals back on to the market – and perhaps help push rents down in the notoriously pricey city. About seven months in, those effects on a wide scale remain to be seen, said Jamie Lane, AirDNA’s chief economist.

Jonathan Miller, CEO of the appraisal firm Miller Samuel, offered an explanation: he said a modest number of apartments had returned to the rental market after the law was modified, but because mortgage rates remain high and have inched back up since the start of the year, would-be buyers are priced out of purchasing for the time being, pushing rents up.

Pala, the NYU student, doesn’t think the regulations are the most effective way of tackling New York’s housing crisis. “I don’t understand how this regulation makes sense, not in terms of lessening the load of how many Airbnbs there are, but in terms of how equitable this decision is for the population of New York City, considering it’s an immigrant city,” she said.

But Busquets, who’s visiting in September, has witnessed first-hand the effects tourism, and short-term rentals, can have on a world-famous destination.

“I’m coming from a city where the craziness of Airbnb is actually taking the locals and people who’ve lived there for years away,” she said. “The owners wanted to keep the people who were there just to rent it short-term because it’s more profitable.”

Busquets said Airbnb made Barcelona unliveable and she herself eventually left for its suburbs. She added: “It’s changed. It’s not the same city as 10 or 15 years ago.”

• Renting property

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