I wouldn't say you're flipping a coin - if you only stay at 5-star rated places with many reviewers, your odds are definitely better than 50/50 on having a terrible/great experience. Even without reading reviews - just using the heuristic "only book five star average from over 15 people" has gotten me a 18 out of 20 or so fantastic experiences (the two being key problems, or cleanliness, and unless I'm paying $150+ a night in a hotel, my batting average on that has been about the same).
I will agree with all the other posters that the consistency and reliability of your average AirBnB is definitely less than that of a hotel, but I find the advantages to more than makeup for it.
I will agree with all the other posters that the consistency and reliability of your average AirBnB is definitely less than that of a hotel, but I find the advantages to more than makeup for it.