Despite the fact that services like Airbnb and Vrbo can be a cheaper alternative to a hotel room, they also have their own host of problems. Namely, the host themselves, at times.
These people had pretty poor experiences with their Airbnb or Vrbo hosts and shared what went down with the internet. Good to keep in mind when you plan your next getaway.
“Had an uncleaned Vrbo rental turn into the owner trying to bribe us into a perfect review.”
This is a pretty tough situation. Do you post a fake review to get your money back, or risk losing it to expose how terrible this host is?
“More reasons to hate Airbnb. I went on a trip several weeks ago to New Orleans, and our Airbnb host didn’t tell us until we landed that the pool was unusable.”
“The A/C in 80% of the house was broken too.”
This just smells like a scam (and a swamp, possibly).
“My Airbnb host is using t-shirts as pillow cases & one has a B.O. smell. Guess I’ll be dreaming of sweaty armpits tonight…”
This seems like something a college student would do because they “forgot” to get a pillowcase before moving to their dorm. Also, ew.
“Just enough to get you started…”
Why try to be a host when you can’t even be bothered to give your guests enough toilet paper for their stay? And these are the kind of people that expect stellar reviews from everyone.
“This moldy shower curtain at a prohibitive Vrbo rental near the beach. The bathroom has pink stuff on the walls too.”
What an awful way to ruin what would otherwise be a really nice bathroom. But this is also a pretty clear indication that the place isn’t very clean.
“A few years ago I (21F at the time) stayed at an Airbnb in Scotland and was the victim of inappropriate behavior from the owner. Reported him and he got removed from the site. Now today I get this message.”
As a woman, I find this both terrifying and infuriating.
“My Airbnb estimate – no wonder bookings are down.”
I think this might be a greater issue within Airbnb itself, but it’s also absurd that the host is advertising a room for one price, and then adding fees that cost nearly as much as the stay!
“This hidden camera disguised as a clock in my Airbnb.”
Hidden cameras in Airbnbs aren’t common, but they’re still a thing . Knowing that people actually find them from time to time makes me never want to leave my house, thank you very much.
“Thanks, I hate this Airbnb.”
My first instinct is to assume this is a joke post, but at this point, I don’t know anymore.
Nothing beats the feeling of damp sheets from your shower in your bedroom/bathroom, am I right?
“My Airbnb host wanted me to tip Housekeeping…on top of the $200 cleaning fee.”
I really feel like we, as a society, really need to overhaul how we think of tips. You shouldn’t have to tip everyone all the time.
“This knife at the Airbnb we stayed at.”
That knife is so rusted, it’s starting to fall apart. But still perfectly fine to use — that is, if you don’t mind a hearty dose of tetanus (but seriously, never use a knife this rusted).
If you needed another reason to hate Airbnb. 2 Weeks before our reservation our host tells us he overbooked??
Yeah, it’s pretty ridiculous to do this to someone a few weeks before their stay. Some hosts shouldn’t be allowed on the platform.
“Our (not cheap) Airbnb has a tip jar.”
No, no, they aren’t asking for monetary tips. They want you to right little pieces of advice on some paper to stick in there. That’s got to be what they mean, or else they just suck.
“I reserved an Airbnb with Sea View…. can’t complain.”
I guess they weren’t lying, but they weren’t exactly being truthful either. If that ever happened to me, I’d probably just cry for my entire stay.
“Exactly what you do not want to see in a cupboard as you pack out of your Airbnb.”
OP later replied to some comments and said he couldn’t find the cameras, but also wasn’t super worried about them: “As an old fat man – if he did see me naked it is permanently burned into his memory.”
RELATED STORIES
“The most absurdly thin toilet paper I have ever seen, found in my Airbnb.”
I’ve heard of one ply (which sucks, by the way), but this is somehow worse. It’s, like, half a ply or something. It can’t be comfortable to use.
The mints on the pillows are the absolute funniest part of this picture. It’s amazing what people will do in order to make as much money as they can with as little effort as possible. Or, at least they’ll try to.
“Airbnb host message cancelling room I booked 3 months ago 2 days before I’m meant to stay.”
The user provided more context, which just made the story worse: “Just for a bit of context it’s a serviced apartment building in the CBD. Booked for $500 for 3 nights and now cheapest places in the city are over $3k. They said it was a ‘non-availability error’ which I find hard to believe 2 days out.”
“I’ve never felt so gigantic (Airbnb in Italy).”
I get that those kinds of sinks save space and all, but they’re also… too small to actually use. Like, without just splashing a bunch of water all over the floor.
“Airbnb host wants to stop renting to women.”
Ah yes, because discriminating against all women is the best way to make sure you get more 5-star reviews. Not, like, being a better host or anything. The nerve of some people.
