Booked full apartment, now host wants to be there too?

I booked an entire apartment. It’s a small one bedroom. I booked through Instant Book.

A little while later the host contacted me and asked if it was OK if he stays there too. What?!!

Um. No.

So I wrote back and said that I was under the impression that I was booking the entire place. He wrote back and said, no problem, he can find another place to stay.

So, I still have the reservation, but now I’m wondering…

What if I get there and he trys to guilt me into letting him stay? It would be awkward. (I’m a woman btw.)

He has 6 good reviews. Strict cancellations policy.

Right, revisit the listing and find out if the listing is for the whole apartment, one room or a shared room. Based on what is written, you should have your answer. IF this host is giving you the creeps or anything feels off, contact AirBnB about it - better safe than sorry.

IF he has listed the whole apartment for rent and he is trying to stay with you while you’re there, it is completely inappropriate and should be reported to Air. Good luck and keep us posted!

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HI,
I looked over the listing with a fine tooth comb after he messaged me and before responding. It is definitely for an entire apartment (which is how I set the search filters in the first place.)

I don’t get a creepy vibe from him, more clueless. I know I tend to be a pushover, though. If I show up and he says he wasn’t able to find another place to stay, It’s going to be hard for me to be assertive and tell him to deal with it.

The price is on the low side for an entire apartment in his area but not not completely out of the range. I think there’s a possibility he made a mistake when he set up the listing.

I once made a mistake with that myself - the very first time I listed my place as ‘whole apartment’ - I then got a booking, confirmed that I’d be sleeping on the couch, and the girl who booked contacted Air to cancel - they got in touch with me, I said it was a mistake on my part (being a newbie and all) so they said it was fine; they cancelled my guest’s booking and she went somewhere else. You, as a guest, should have no problem.

You can either go back to the host and explain that you booked the whole place and he needs to respect it, or you can contact Air and say there has been a misunderstanding, and they’ll cancel for you penalty free. Third option is to go ahead, but if he is around when you arrive (and plans to stay) you can always ‘go for a coffee’ and call Air - they should sort everything for you ASAP and find you another place in the area to stay in.

Noway!! That made my laugh. He actually had guts to ask you that if he can stay there too? Did he say anything about rate reduction at least?
There is a reason why people want separate apartment: to be alone.
My friend did the same mistake but she did not even realize it until several people cancelled and she received warning from Airbnn. Her I can understand , she was new and clueless , but what I can’t understand its people who were looking at price of 60$ and only a picture of one room but not seeing the rest of the picture of entire house and still did nots suspect that it might be a mistake.

Anyway they all cancelled and got their money back, one even stayed one night and still got his refund.

If you don’t feel comfortable call Air and tell them the story. May be you can cancel and book somewhere else

Hi,I would call Air and told them.Why he rents his apartment if he does not have a place to stay?Strange!

I would contact Airbnb and ask to cancel as you don’t want to have anything to worry about while travelling. Having had to cancel after check-in, it is both uncomfortable and a little scary to do with a stranger who will likely be upset over it and you are not to blame!

Wow!! I am really surprised at that host! I cannot imagine anyone wanting to stay in an apartment and then think it was even remotely o.k. to have some dude sleeping on the couch! That is just creepy. I actually got a laugh out of this post. Stick to your guns and have a great vacation. :open_mouth:

Right? The place looks pretty well put together, not like some frat bro dive. The host appears to be a professional in his early 40’s whose sofa crashing days are past him.

It was very funny how casually he asked, like it would be a totally normal and every day thing for me to have a complete stranger sleeping on the couch a few yards away.

I’m wondering if it’s cultural, but I doubt it…(he’s Albanian) My guess is he messed up the listing with somewhat shaky English skills but doesn’t want to cancel it because isn’t there a fine?

Just make sure everything is being discussed on the Airbnb messaging system! I would reconfirm via messaging that you are expecting to have the full apartment and make sure he acknowledges and agrees. (Actually, I would personally try and get out of that booking, but that’s just me.)

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OK, if he’s the host, he has a key to the apartment, and you do not want to be worried about him showing up unexpectedly anytime. Regardless of how nice he was, you don’t know him, and that’s a creepy thing for him to ask. It’s possible he may be new, or confused, or just may be checking out out the rumor that Airbnb is a “hookup” opportunity. I would confirm with him via an Airbnb representative that your expectations are clear, or find another place and be done with it.

If you get there and he tries anything, call Air… I am thinking maybe he thought a cute young thang booked his place and he would like to get to know you better. :frowning: Eeeeewww.

I’m a suburban “soccer mom” in my early 40s. I don’t think I’m his target demographic, but you never know. If my spidey senses tell me something is off, I’ll just leave. It’s only a 1 hour train ride away, so it’s not the end of the world if things go south. I’ll put the Air number in my contact list on phone.

Stop worrying about trying to read the guy. If the condition is the whole apartment then keep him to that. No guilt. He advertised. He is getting paid. So he can afford somewhere else. If he has six good reviews then I wouldn’t worry too much. The instant book feature can be a bit stunning for people who have to get out of their place when they weren’t expecting it. He might have forgotten to mark the time off, but if he has a strict cancelation policy then he wants the money.