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I recently booked an Airnb for an overnight stay. Due to complications of aa head injury a few years ago, I have headaches and other distressing symptoms after being upright, so a 2 hour drive and long wait at doctors office leaves me in poor shape for the 2 hour drive home. When I made the enquiry the rate was $30, no cleaning fee. Didn’t book immediately for various reasons. When I booked, the rate was now $38, with an $11 cleaning fee. First impression not good. Checkin went smoothly, but while I was at doctors apt, host message me to ask when I planned to check out. I said 10-11 am. Morning is bad for me, it takes a while for medications to work. Host said ok. Then asked again when I was in home. Said it would be ok for me to let myself out as they left earlier for work. At 9:30, I was told I had to check out now as now there was a key needed to let me into the condo underground garage. I didn’t see them using key when entered garage from within condo building. For safety reasons, doors are not locked from the inside of a secure building per fire regulations.
When I first read the listing muffins and espresso were offered. That am, I was offered tea, I asks for expresso, a tiny one was provided,no seconds offered, muffins seem to be absent. Host was eating toast, nothing offered, so I didn’t ask. When I got home, the Listing no longer mentioned expresso or muffins. Next time I will print out listing.
Considering I was their first booking, you’d think they would have tried a little more to be considerate hosts. Before I arrived him a email request via Airbnb from host was siting in my email, as well as the one from air.
The bed was comfy, room quiet.
My reluctance to give a review is primarily due to the change in listing amenities, check out bums’s rush, and fee bump.
Give me your suggestions please. Chronic pain makes me irritable.
There was no fee bump - you didn’t book it when it was at the lower price, you booked it at the higher price. There’s nothing stopping a host from changing prices, I do it all the time. Also is it possible that the offer of breakfast was seen when you first looked, and no longer included when you finally booked? The host is obligated to provide what was included at the time of booking, and it’s very easy for Airbnb to go back and check that. It’s totally valid for you to note in your review if something was supposed to be provided and it wasn’t, but I don’t think it’s fair to knock the host if the description was changed before you actually booked. My 2 cents.
I sent an email asking if there was a cleaning fee, was told not. I booked two days later for the same date. I agree fees do change, so while I’m miffed and think it was petty and stupid to do it to your first booking, I would not mention it. Just leave a bad taste. I’m less likely to rebook this listing even though it is a good location.
What time is checkout listed for?
They shouldn’t have hassled you for a specific time/you should have said you will check out at check out time listed.
Host should never tell a guest to check out before listed time
Please review this new Host. In the Public section say that the bed was comfy and the room was quiet. In the Private section to the host, tell them you certainly did not like the “bum’s rush” checkout, and more…
It’s common for a new host to not even think about Cleaning Fees, and you asking about it probably triggered their adding that to the listing. That’s your bad for bringing it up.
Listing prices change daily, as you know – that’s your bad, again, for not registering at the low price, not theirs bad for raising the rate.
Breakfast item changes. I agree that if you saw X when you booked and a couple of days later they barely provided Y, that is not so good. However, then and there you should have said “I saw X and you’re not even offering me toast now… what’s the story?”. However it IS their home and their listing, and their perogative to change things “on the fly”.
What was tacky was eating in front of a guest without offering them anything, and that’s certainly worth mentioning in Private (not Public). As is a note saying you understand that you were their first guest and that they are still working things out, but “from one host to another” they could improve their interactive skills.
@Louise - I’m so sorry about your head injury. That sounds truly awful.
Yes about the price bump - prices do change all the time.
The host doesn’t know what they are doing - they are just learning. You were their unfortunate guinea pig.
But do mention that you were asked to check-out early in the review.
“Bed was comfy and the room was quiet. However, I was asked to check-out earlier than the agreed-upon time which was a significant inconvenience for me”
I also change my prices at times so you have to let that go.
It also seems that they don’t quite know what they are doing yet. If you like the place for future visits you might just have to see if you can coach them into being more helpful. I would never eat in front of someone and not offer them anything.
I think calling Airbnb and finding out if they can tell you if things were changed before or after you booked would be a good idea. While I was doing remodeling I tried to limit access to my kitchen. I took the kitchen pics out, I wrote no kitchen access on my brief description. Then guest came an announced they needed to use a microwave or boil some water. So I let them in the kitchen and ended up really enjoying my visit with them. But my friend checked on his app and he said “you still have kitchen checked as an amenity.”
Frankly, my memory fails me at times and so I almost always “measure twice, cut once,” so to speak.
Well, I guess someone needs to school them on how to be a decent host and why not you?
They are going to have to figure out the issue with the key, if they want to be successful. A 930am check-out is going to be an annoyance for the vast majority of guests.
Since they are new, you could be nice and leave the negatives for the private section.
I’m torn about what stars to award. Overthinking this, but would hate to have my review lead someone to believe that my stay was ok. It’s very hard for me to think this thru due to pain and frustration with pain. I planned this so I could be rested for the next day, the early checkout meant my pain medications weren’t taken at the right time. I had commitments, nursing visits that has to be done. So I ended up working in pain. It’s a delicate balance as I can only be upright a few hours at a time. Ended up napping in back seat of car in between visits.
There is no need to review right away…so please wait until you feel a bit better.
You can only review based on if the listing offered breakfast at the time you booked, and if the listing reflected accurate pricing…at the time you booked. If the listing did not offer espresso and muffins, then you can’t really say anything. But if it did, then by all means say something. But please be sure it didn’t say in the listing that guest needs to request them.
As far as checkout at 9:30 - I agree you have till advertised time to check out. But what exactly happened at 9:30 for host to say you need to check out now?? What if you were sleeping and needed to shower before you left for work? Was host going to tell you to get all of your stuff out within 5 minutes, don’t brush your teeth, don’t shower or do anything…and leave right now?? I am not following that part at all.
Also, be sure that you didn’t get the info from a review, rather than the listing itself. Many hosts don’t officially offer breakfast (or treats) but do so on a casual basis and guests then mention it in the review.
I’d been up, had expresso in pjs, went back to bed after taking meds. She knocked on door told me about check out. I rapidly dressed, packed etc. As I said, bum’s rush. I have an excellent memory for details, too bad I didn’t print listing out, will do in future. As a seasoned international traveler, with family and solo, from hostels to suite at the Four Seasons and all in between, I was gobsmacked with the whole experience. When a person makes an enquiry it’s really bush league and beyond tacky to change price and remove minor amenities such as a muffin. This couple stated they’d used Airnb for travel in Europe. So it’s not like they didn’t have exposure to Airnb. I’m not going to review. Two reasons, I can’t in conscience give a positive for the overall experience, and I don’t think it will change their behaviour. I’ve been told here prices change, and it’s ok. I agree in general, but consider it bad faith when you do it to someone you’ve offered the previous price within a few days.
Honestly, this is the industry standard. Hotels do it all the time, so do airlines. For example, because of a very popular event when hotel rooms are impossible to come by, our listing on four nights of the year is more than double our cheapest rate. This just how it is.
You’re overthinking the price change – once a host modifies their base price in the system, it’s all automatic and there’s nothing in the system that enables a host to recall previous pricing. They would have had to remember the price when you first made your original inquiry (I wouldn’t be surprised if they changed their rate more than once in the first week as they gauged demand) and then they would have had to send you a special offer to revert back to that price. Did you ask for them to do this and they said no or you think they should have remembered and offered this?
Being rushed out before check-out and not being offered anything at breakfast was rude and these hosts are not only inexperienced but they seem to lack a basic level of consideration and courtesy. These things are definitely worth mentioning in a review.
I could have asked for the original price, didn’t because I had a lot of things to sort out in the days before trip, including my own listing, my patients, my health, stuff with my house, mortgage renewal, my birthday, pain, how can I get the doctors to listen to me and help me get better.
As this host hadn’t had a guest yet, it’s ridiculous to compare changes to those of a hotel chain, or airline. When I’ve booked other accommodation the quoted price was honoured in formal and informal establishments. The date hadn’t changed, there were no special events. I’ve been in their shoes, anxious to host first guests.
I’m discussing it to share my point of view, I respect that members here see this as normal in the industry. If I decide to use Airnb again, I will print out the listing, as it seems that some hosts are less than reliable in honouring commitments.
Surprise! Actually there is. I just added a co-host. Now I have an “activity” section under Management. Every time I log in an do something it records it and I can see it. It’s not specific about some things, like it says house manual edited, not what I changed. But it does record the price.
