Hi all—
I’m an Airbnb host for over 6 years already. I have several apartments in Tel Aviv that are self check in. Last week a guest who looked Asian and came from Hong Kong arrived. I met him in person because he had a problem with his tv. All seemed normal. On Sunday he was supposed to check out and left all of his stuff unpacked inside with no keys anywhere.
I was flying abroad that day and he didn’t answer my calls. I forgot about it until the next day when I got a suspicious phone call from his friend claiming to need the key to get the bags for him. He wouldn’t tell me where the guest is and only said no one knows and he can’t talk. He then asked me to hold onto the bags for a week or two until my guest returns. I tried calling Airbnb and they have not gotten back to me (I’ve already talked to them 3 times). The local police say I can only report it in person. I’m very worried that something happened to him and he’s involved in some crime. He doesn’t respond to any messages by phone or on Airbnb and I can’t find him on Facebook. Any sugggestions?? I’m still abroad and won’t be back in Tel Aviv for several months at least. It doesn’t seem right to wait that long!!
Don’t you have somebody authorized to manage your apartments while you’re away?
No one knows where the guest is, but "friend"knows he will be back for is stuf fin a week or two?
When will you be able to report it, and deal with the stuff left behind, in person? STRIKETHAT … how the heck are you managing several apartments for months from abroad? Surely you have a local person who can report this as your authorized biz rep?
Are you not afraid the "friend"will just break in and get the stuff in your absence?
Hard to believe they wouldn’t take a report over the phone, that’s outrageous. Last time I had to report something I was surprised the city police only dealt with me over the phone. They never came out to verify my story and insurance paid on a felony level theft with only a phone-in report to police! I was really surprised… system ripe for fraud.
WHERE IS YOUR CO-HOST OR ON-SITE MANAGER??
You must have a cleaning person, a co-host, a family member. Get them to deal with it. Call the police, make the police come to the apartment, report guest missing and suspicious phone calls from “a friend.”
And for the love of all that’s holy (no pun intended for location), GET ELECTRONIC LOCKS that are hooked up to your smart devices. And cameras at the front doors. Ring doorbells.
wanders away, hitting face with hand<
No, don’t touch your face! LOL.
Yeah well, good for you.
Isn’t this STR gig easy money, eh?
Deal with it.
JF
OMG I can’t breathe!!! 
Maybe he tried to cross into Palestine and was quarantined?
Oh, such drama! Quite the Airbnb soap opera. You’ve included just about every script writers’ dramatic, current theme thinkable.
Hong Kong, Asian looking, now disappeared, possible crime, Tel Aviv Drama, Host overseas etc etc etc.
Sort it out yourself. What do you want? One of us to go and do so for you?
Haha! Yes, he/she probably does. After all, this forum is magic. All a host with a problem has to do is post here instead of a) managing their own business properly or b) call Airbnb and we’ll all dash to Tel Aviv to sort things out. 
There is a price for stupidity but few acknowledge that they should pay it.
I could call people who know people who know agents of the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Service) but the OP probably wouldn’t appreciate that…
@Meredith_Silks I suppose you have someone who cleans the apartments; I would suggest that the cleaning person contact the police. I would keep the guest’s belongings until he returns but I’m sure other hosts would disagree with me.
My passport’s always in my wallet, so I’ll go if they shout the First Class round trip airfare and the swankiest AirBnB in Tel Aviv. 
Not theirs… 
I have friends over there. Piece of cake. Oh, and spending money, a rental car, and…
I wonder if your people know my people… 
I’m beginning to wonder if we’re being trolled. It’s just tootoo much in one post for 6 years of hosting and multiple units.
@KKC or @jaquo - can you tell if this person is actually a host or is this a big gag?
I can’t tell if this person is a host. I wish we could verify that but sadly we can’t unless someone wants to send us their listing privately or post it in their thread after they get the privilege to post links.
I don’t find it that unbelievable of a story though. I’ve definitely read posts that set my spidey senses tingling, this isn’t one of them. I had a Chinese guest who had the police called on him, another guest who almost called an ambulance to take him to the hospital and in both cases they went off and left the door to the Airbnb wide open. Foreigners do odd things when in unfamiliar places.
This case sounds a bit more serious and I see some interesting issues but no troll scat.
It doesn’t sound fake to me either. I’ve often wondered what I would do if a guest simply vanished. Things do happen to people. The part about a friend contacting the host and asking for keys and saying the guest would be back in 2 weeks does sound decidedly strange, though.
But what is also weird is a host who has multiple properties, is out of the country for months at a time, yet seemingly doesn’t have any co-host or anyone to look after things in the host’s absence. I just can’t imagine how that could work.
The story didn’t passs the smell test for me, either.
I sold everything and there is only two weeks left so I have only my trusted cleaner at the moment and a colleague. The cleaner doesn’t want to go and I haven’t asked my colleague yet. I will probably find someone else to go in person for me today.
Yes super frustrating that they won’t even go if it’s just by phone!! I have to physically go there in person.