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I told this story earlier and was thinking that we must have a lot to learn as hosts from our experiences with other hosts when we’ve been guests and am curious about other examples you may have.
I left an Airbnb after the first night once because the host wouldn’t let me have coffee before coming to breakfast that she had made. I was on a very important work call and not dressed and desperately needed coffee but she wouldn’t give my husband a cup to bring me to the room. I had him ask her if there was house rule about having drinks in the room because I hadn’t seen one and she told him that there wasn’t a house rule. In fact, she told him he could walk down to Starbucks and get me a coffee to have in the room but that I wasn’t having any of her coffee before coming out to breakfast. The best part is that I was clear with her, when I booked, that we don’t eat breakfast, we only have coffee in the morning. After I choked and gagged on 1/2 a frittata while this crazy woman talked at us, we packed our stuff and left and went to a hotel.
It was in my current city, when we were here scoping it out for the move. She’s a Super Host with a 4.99 rating and I still glare at her house everytime we drive by it on our way from the market.
I had a funny host in Colorado.
She was a free-spirited, artistic Texan transplant and a singer-songwriter. Kind of an old hippie. Lots of spiritual-crystal-woo-woo stuff on her bookshelves. We sat on her deck and had a nice conversation, some griping about hosting, and then edged into TMI territory about her herniated vagina. I heard a lot about her vagina. And she gave me a joint. LOL
The last night of my stay the cops busted a guy with a carload of some kind of drugs (lots of black duffel bags came out of the trunk). All this happened at the end of her driveway. She was mortified and worried about my review. I didn’t mention the cops (out of her control) or her vagina.
Ha! This reminds me of a stay we had at a B&B years ago. Not on Airbnb, but the story is relevant. The host kept telling me how much I reminded her of her daughter, and insisted that I wear her daughter’s biking gloves when we headed out for a ride even though I had my own. She also told us that she would be serving lemonade and cookies at 4 or 5 or something like that for all the guests (I think there were about 5 or 6 rooms with a shared shower room). We got back rather late from our sightseeing/bike ride. Her little dog was barking non-stop at us through the screen door. We waited and called out, but no one showed up to call off the dog and let us in. Being a “dog person”, I had some dog treats with me so I started opening the door and offered the dog a little treat so it would let us in. After entering she came storming in and completely chewed me out for giving her dog a treat, but the worst offense was that we didn’t show up for the lemonade and cookies. She really let me have it, and then demanded her daughter’s gloves back. It was a shame, because the place was really lovely, but she was a complete wack-a-doodle so we never went back.
We must be lucky. Thinking back over the years of all the Airbnbs we’ve stayed at and I’m really struggling to come up with a less than positive experience. But we always read the reviews and rarely go with new hosts (sorry newbies).
Hotels, hostels etc, yep had lots of weird and not so wonderful times, but Airbnbs (and Wimdus) have generally been fine.
I suppose for me personally, the guy in Porto who sat me and the OH down at the kitchen table and proceeded to give us a 40min lecture on the history of Porto, the history of Port and his views on what we should see, do and eat during the three days we were there bugged me a bit. But that’s it!
Just booked an old Riad in the middle of the Medina in Fez for a week, I hope I haven’t jinxed it now
I’ve had all good experiences but have only stayed in about a dozen airbnbs. However, I’ve had problems with booking.
4 years ago a NYC host declined my request saying it wasn’t available but the calendar showed open and remained so after the decline and it took almost 24 hrs for the reply. So I now search for instant book first. However I found a farmstay for my Maine trip and put in a request. It took exactly 23 hours for a reply. I got no other communication from the host. I ended up cancelling due to lack of communication. I also had a host in Boston do essentially a bait and switch type thing. Dates showed available on Airbnb and VRBO but when I submitted my request she said the first night was not available and suggested I book at the week starting a day later. I said travel days were set already, thanks for nothing. But she never fixed the calendar.
This is the source of my animosity towards hosts who screen guests. I would love for Airbnb to force all hosts to use IB.
I think this is the same as dodging a bullet, but the other way around (as a guest). Any host that takes that long to respond to you, is telling you that they aren’t very committed/organized/thoughtful… I’ve never waited that long for a response from a host, I withdraw and move on, grateful that they showed their true colors before I ended up staying at their place, which I would guess has also been neglected.
Out of.many Airbnbs I had one host who completely refused to answer any of my messages… ALL of them . She was incredibly disorganized, Gave me idiotic directions which later on I understood would be so easy to give.
In listing it said keys under front door which was impossibly to figure which door is front door as there were 5 doors all looking like front door but the actual " front door " was in a side of the house . We stumbled over keys by incident. Then when entering we couldn’t find thermostat and it was freezing cold. We slept in our jackets only in a morning finding it.
I never saw her and when shower stoped working it was time to cancel.
Another was a woman in Austria who charged me for coffee. That was the least of the rest of troubles . She was so anxious about everything …including me being in her house . I couldn’t wait for these 2 days to be over.
Then a guy with no kitchen use …but I guess in that case I was in a wrong. It was not only that though …it’s the whole demeanor.
The rest were fine. Some amazing hosts…some just average…some enthusiastic…some indiferent , nothing dramatic.
Stayed in an airbnb in Chicago during Labor Day weekend. like $600+ per night for a 4 bedroom house. Fantastic photos, very good taste. When we arrive, noticed all furniture came from good will or dumpster, absolutely dirty and disgusting. Used cheapest linens even worse than a motel. Closet doors broken, hairdryer covered with dusts and hair…complained and the “superhost” offered to give us $50 back. On a $1900 bill. Me myself is a superhost and i refund 100% when getting a complaint from client that the bathroom has some hair on the floor!!!
I wouldn’t refund on complaint about hair…but what you are saying about 600$ per night is true.
My pool house is half of it in high season but I had complains about couple stains in matresses and these guys cancelled based on it . Since then I put matress covers everywhere and kind of beatyfied my house. Including new pots and pans and new pillows and a bunch of really nice towels I buy on sale eveytime I see sale. Some Furniture still old though
Bibles and book of Morman left on nightstands. I went from a catholic house to a mormon house on one trip and it seemed like the religious stuff was purposely placed.
It’s more annoying than anything, I just put them in the drawer, Hotels are a different story but I am not gonna open up that can of worms again!
A weeks stay in a share house. No where to put anything of ours in the bedroom. Looked and felt like she had just changed the sheets and left. Felt like a squatter and very unwelcome. Incredible directions on the shower use, wanted a forensic clean with no water spots left on tiles, fittings and glass. From then on it has been entire homes for me to book.
