Many people book an Airbnb for the kitchen. An aparthotel gives you one too, with a reception, cleaning included and no list of chores on the fridge door. Here is how the two compare when cooking is the point, using what we know about the 1,107 stays with kitchens we list.
Choose an aparthotel or serviced apartment for a predictable kitchen, a reception, cleaning included and a central location, especially in cities that restrict holiday rentals. Choose Airbnb for a large group, a whole house, or a place where there are no aparthotels.
| Airbnb | Aparthotel | |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Whatever the host has; the listing may say "fully equipped" either way | Full kitchen or kitchenette; we confirm each appliance (53% of aparthotels have a full kitchen) |
| Cleaning | Cleaning fee, and sometimes checkout chores | Included; many clean during the stay |
| Check-in | Key box, app or meeting the host | Reception; 37% of the aparthotels we checked say it is open 24 hours |
| When something breaks | Message the host and wait | Staff on site or on call |
| Extras | Depends on the home | A guest laundry or washer (65%) and a gym (46%), as stated on their websites |
| Licence | Restricted or banned for short stays in a growing number of cities | Licensed like a hotel |
| Space | Whole homes, often more bedrooms | Mostly studios to two-bedroom apartments |
On Airbnb the kitchen is whatever the host left in it, and the listing rarely says more than “kitchen” or “fully equipped”. That phrase, we found, tells you almost nothing. Aparthotels are more uniform: every unit of a type has the same kitchen, and the brand's website lists it. Of the stays we list, 53% of aparthotels and 76% of serviced apartments have a full kitchen; 43% and 62% have a confirmed oven, 45% and 62% a dishwasher.
Aparthotels work like hotels: no cleaning fee, no chores, and usually a reception. Times are hotel times too. Of the 385 stays we checked that state them, 58% check in from 15:00 and 19% earlier; 63% check out at 11:00 and 29% at noon or later. On Airbnb, every host sets their own rules.
On Google, the aparthotels we list average 4.39 out of 5 and the serviced apartments 4.49. Airbnb ratings are on a different scale and skew high, so the two can't be compared directly; read the recent reviews that mention the kitchen.
A growing number of cities limit short-term rentals of whole homes to free up housing. Three of the strictest:
Aparthotels and serviced apartments are licensed like hotels, so these rules don't apply to them.
For everything else, especially city trips, see aparthotel vs serviced apartment vs extended-stay hotel to pick the right type.
It depends. Compare the total price, not the nightly rate: Airbnb adds cleaning and service fees, which weigh most on short stays. For larger groups or stays of a month, a whole Airbnb home can be cheaper per person.
About half do: 53% of the 488 aparthotels we list have a full kitchen, and the rest a kitchenette. Serviced apartments do better (76%). Every stay we list shows which appliances we confirmed.
No. Cleaning is part of the price, as in a hotel, and many clean during the stay too. On Airbnb, cleaning fees and checkout chores are set by each host.
To return homes to residents. New York requires short-term rentals under 30 days to be registered, with the host living there; Amsterdam limits whole-home holiday rentals to 30 nights a year; Barcelona plans to end its tourist-apartment licences by 2028. Aparthotels are licensed like hotels and are not affected.
About the numbers: reception, laundry, gym and check-in times are from the websites of the stays we list, as stated there, as of 14 October 2026. Kitchens, appliances and ratings are live from our listings.
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