Air B&B

Parent Cafe
1

We have rented through Air B&B several times and have had no issues. Each time we were in urban areas or resort areas where there were many Air B&B options. For the last two weekends, we have been in an area with limited Air B&B options. Both times we have been dissatisfied with our lodging—one place didn’t have toilet paper (1 roll), no bar soap (just perfumed liquid soaps—I am allergic), a missing tv remote, no wash cloths or hand towels, just bath towels, and no instructions/informationabout the house, e.g., internet network or password. The other place was operated by a management company. First problem—they gave us the wrong address! Had to call— the response—oh yeah, we forgot to put the correct address in the information. It didn’t get better. The information sheet (an ipad) listed the wrong network and password. When we called to get help, the person on the line was useless.He said he would have someone come out and troubleshoot—never happened. This place also asked that we start linens in the washer and put them in the dryer when were leaving and that we take out the trash and recycling. Instructions to the location of trash/recycling collection were incorrect (this was in a vacation community with many duplex homes/cottages.)

Seems petty to leave these complaints in a review. I am wondering if this is the only option to let owner or management company know about our dissatisfaction. Does Air B&B have any standards on what owners are expected to provide for guests? These two experiences have me reluctant to use Air B&B again.

2

Obviously these problems were not petty to you. I don’t understand why you don’t think a review is the correct place to report such things.

I would say that for the first place you mention, I would have tried to contact the host for resolution of the problems. Perfumed soap is a non-issue unless host had agreed to accommodate your sensitivity. Also, amenities vary with “level” of lodging. If it was a rustic log cabin for $40 a night, maybe only providing bath towels and no TV remote would be acceptable. No toilet paper is different from only 1 roll, although I think all accommodations should have at least one spare roll.

Did these places have reviews before you booked? I only book places with a fair number of reviews which normally would address concerns like you found.

3

I would reread the listing, there is a wide variety of amenities in different regions. I offer a home on AirBnB/VRBO/my website and am on many forums. There are areas where the hosts do not provide linens, seems to be places back east where guests drive there. Areas where they offer a starter pack of TP/PT, etc.

It is a true thing that people do not read, I think when we shop ABB, we scroll through so many listings and there are so many places to find the info, it’s easy to miss details. I do not find the ABB interface to be as intuitive as one would hope. Each time a guest inquires or books, I send them a reminder about the house, as in, you’ve looked at many listings, mine has XYZ beds etc. (other salient details) and I ask if that is the house they meant to book.

If a place has mentioned a starter pack of paper goods, then that is fair; the other issues seem like legit problems. You might have a good owner with a bad cleaner, or maybe the last guest lost the remote and no one has told them.

I would approach each contact person via the ABB messaging, ask them about the issues, give them a chance to respond. Was it just a case of an “oops” or do they not care? I have had things go wrong and appreciated when I was not slammed in the review. For example, I provide shampoo/conditioner/body wash dispensers. A guest broke one, I did not have the new one before the next guest arrived (because they did not tell me they broke it in time to Amazon it); now I have extras in storage, but the next guest did not mark me down for a broken dispenser.

You can AirBnB message the host, you can add details in the private part of the review, or you can post them on the public review. You could comment publicly that you enjoyed the place, etc., good things, and then say the mgmt company was unresponsive and you hope the owner can find a better manager.

You should also know that anything less than 5 stars on the overall rating is bad bad bad for the host, if I average less than 4.8 I would get snarky emails tell me to improve and they will block listings with low reviews. The lower stars on the sub-categories is not as painful.

I don’t have an issue with asking people to start linens or empty trash- my manager takes home laundry to finish every time, any jump start is helpful. And the trash, ewww, people leave the most disgusting drippy icky nasty trash in the house, if they can empty their own, it’s nice. That being said, if a guest messaged me that they were leaving super early and just would not reasonably have time for that, no worries, their letting me know the departure time also means the cleaner might be able to come early.

I would not use these two bad experiences to decide not to use ABB, but rather to fine tune your approach. Instead of instant booking, contact the host ahead of time, see how quickly they respond, do they provide info? I have a series of emails I send out: things to do on the way to our National Park region, things to do in town, how to book tours to the popular “grammed” places; restaurants in town, directions, door lock codes, reminders about important things to know, etc. Does your host seem to be interactive the way you want? I am sure the guy who books last minute does not love getting all those emails at once, but most plan ahead guests seem really happy.

Seek out hosts who are your style and give them a try.

4

We’ve been staying at AirBnB and VRBO rentals for years, so dozens of experiences. Only one truly bad experience that whole time. Then again, when I traveled for business and stayed at hotels there were sometimes truly bad experiences at hotels, too. The main difference is that hotels require less work on your part because the amenities offered are pretty standard no matter where you’re staying vs AirBnB and VRBO where you need to read the listing to see what’s offered and also understand it’s not a standardized corporate experience.

If you need a standardized corporate experience, then sticking to hotels will be the easiest for you. 99% of hotels, no matter how glamorous or grubby will have washcloths, bar soap, TV remote, TP and toiletries. This is not true of AirBnBs, so it’s up to you to decide if that’s a deal breaker or not. If it is, stay in hotels.

For review purposes, I think the two lodgings deserve different treatment. If the management company for Lodging #2 is the same company that manages that property on AirBnB, it’s absolutely reasonable to write about those issues - wrong address, wrong wifi passwords, wrong map to garbage area, lack of promised follow up - in the review since you already discussed those issues with them, gave them a chance to address them and they didn’t.

Regarding the first lodging, though, I think your expectations for this type of rental are unreasonable. Not every rental will have washcloths and hand towels. Bar soap is incredibly unsanitary, just as likely to be perfumed and makes more of a mess to clean, so it’s much less common in nonhotel lodging. If you’re renting an entire house/condo/apartment the standard is to just have enough paper disposable goods like tp to get you started and then you buy whatever you consume so not having a stock of spare tp is the norm. As someone mentioned, prior guests sometimes break or lose things so you have to give management a couple of days to replace things; if you told the manager/owner about a missing remote and house info and they didn’t respond or replace within 2-3 days, then that’s an issue that’s fair to report. But owners of a rental house/condo/apartment aren’t going to have a warehouse of spare remotes and every other thing that could break or be lost so they can replace it within minutes, they’ll have to buy a new one and depending on how remote the rental is that can take a couple of days.

5

We stayed at 2 airbnb during our recent vacation. One host was very slow in response and another was always within hours. Guess which one was a bad stay? The slow response one.

The bad apartment was in a great location, good space, but it didn’t have good linen (think Ikea quality), no toiletries to speak of, and it wasn’t clean. There was also no instructions on how to operate the apartment, no recommendations for restaurants/transportation/entertainment. To @somemom’s point, while I was there I tried to contact the owner a few times to see if he would respond to my complains…nada. So I slammed him on his review. If he had even made an attempt I would have let it go because each item was small, but when I added all of them up they made an unpleasant stay. I felt I needed to let other potential guests know.
The good host was over the top. She greeted us when we first showed up. She had a bottle of wine and a six pack of beer, fresh fruits, butter, eggs for us. The bathroom had a rain shower and stocked like a spa. The place was spotless. She had a list of restaurants for us to try out, now to get around the city, and during our stay if I had any questions she responded right away. I gave her a glowing review.
Airbnb is supported by a community. It needs honest reviews from everyone (hosts and guests). I kind of feel like giving reviews is a way to give back.

6

We used Airbnb this summer and VRBO last summer. I based my choice on evaluations from past renters. We had minor problems with the Airbnb property but I didn’t give a bad critique because the owner responded quickly and was always nice and helpful. The building was old and needed work and we had no windows that faced anything but a wall. And we had a mouse. My biggest problem is that I didn’t get the actual address until I made my deposit. Next time I will only rent at a property that gives the deposit back so I can check the address out myself which may have been the case with this one. We still enjoyed our time there.

7

I had a very positive experience with Airbnb in Copenhagen. The trick was to begin a conversation through email to determine the professionalism of the owner. Or so I thought.

I consequently had three bad experiences in Berkeley even though I used my secret weapon of conversing via email before making a decision. I only left a thinly veiled poor review at the last one, but if I had to do it over again, I would have been more forthcoming at all three of them.

I’m not sure I would go the Airbnb route again.

I’ve always had positive experiences through VRBO.

8

I’ve used Airbnb a number of times and most have been very good. In terms of reviews, if the host has been responsive, I will generally leave a good review and address the outstanding issues in private messages. Sometimes there are physical issues that make the place difficult to navigate and, if so, I will mention those in my review as a service to others. For example, one place was a converted attic and the stairs to the space were extremely narrow and steep. I mentioned that in the review as a warning to people that might have mobility issues.

Lately, though, I’ve switched back to hotels in most instances. If the prices are comparable, I prefer to have daily housekeeping and not be expected to take the trash out, strip the beds, etc.

9

I posted about my one and only experience in November. It turned out to be a “shared” house and the owner wasn’t present. Our housemate was a young man and a pit bull he was “dog sitting”. I was scared all weekend. I will never do a shared place again and will probably not do Airbnb again. Reviews were good, even though the area was sketchy. I never left a review.

10

We’re halfway through a European trip. The rentals have been from about 50-100 on a scale of 0-100. Honestly, what I ask for is simple info about the apartment or house (WiFi, washer/dryer instructions, a bit about the neighborhood).
One place was lovely. Another place, the hot water went out the day before we left (2 days w/o showers) w/o adequate response. We are still working through that problem. We’ve had a power outage, lumpy mattresses, steep stairs, which we knew about, no soap, one hand towel…

Since there were 7 on this first part and we wanted to stay in the same place, we were limited as to where we could stay. It takes a lot of communication on both sides. Other than the one with the faulty water heater, owners were responsive.

I like the rentals where the owners/managers are very up front about what is included and what isn’t. In addition, posting photos of the place you stayed helps the next renter - some seem very old.

We’ve been spoiled by the places we stay in Paris and have had to lower expectations to what an ordinary holiday renter is going to find.

11

Interesting thread. I’ve never had a bad experience with AirBnB. We’ve used in EU and US, guessing about 10 or so instances. Maybe we’ve just been lucky, or not a large enough sample. About half of the time we’ve stayed with someone in a private part of their home, so communication obviously was not an issue. But the other half has been great too. I don’t expect it to be the same as a hotel, and try to treat my stay as if I were a guest at someone’s home, cleaning up after myself. If there ever was a communication glitch, it has been minor, which can happen to anyone. Most of the time we try to research the area, and rely heavily on prior reviews, so I actually appreciate honest evaluations. Only once did we ‘take a chance’ and reserve a new host. It was one of our best experiences!

12

I’ve been airbnb’ing for a few years, probably have stayed in 30+ by now. Both “entire place” and “room”.

No experience has been bad (meaning unsafe, unclean, serious broken things or anything vastly different than described). A couple have been less than ideal (one host recently - a shared home with private room - said he’d probably not be there then showed up sometime before the AM. I was a little surprised to see him, wish he’d have communicated his plans, and I told him so in my private review). Some are over the top awesome, with snacks and thoughtful touches and friendly notes.

I’m usually on the bargain end of ABB, rarely pay more than $50-75 unless in a remote area where options are limited. Mostly it’s been one night stays while traveling, though I’ve done week/weekend vacation stays a couple of times too.

My main pet peeve with the service is there is no filter for private bath (you can look for that info on individual listings - nowadays the header - but it’s not a FILTER). It makes choosing a place take longer. I suppose there is some business reason they don’t do it, because it would be very easy for them to add it.

13

Agree that there are huge differences in expectations for AirB&B vs hotels. I know I am a hotel person, would never look at any other categories.
However, in recent times, many hotels do not provide face cloths anymore(especially overseas) and instead of waiting for them (often times, they brought more hand towels), I have been bringing my own. I also bring my own bathing wash cloth while traveling.
https://www.amazon.com/SALUX-Nylon-Japanese-Beauty-Cloth/dp/B000CSDDDG?th=1

14

We used an AirBnB recently and my review was not published until our host also wrote something. It led me to believe he got to see/approve what we wrote first.
That said, it sure seems you could “complain” to AirBnB and that they would want to know that someone is being less than forthcoming about the accommodations.
Google about it. AirBnB has 24/7 customer service.

15

“We used an AirBnB recently and my review was not published until our host also wrote something. It led me to believe he got to see/approve what we wrote first.”

The way it is supposed to work is that each side comments blindly - the renter and the property owner - without seeing the other’s comments. That’s why they don’t post anything until the other side does as well. I’ve only been on the renter side, though.

Most of our experiences have been very positive. We had a less than positive experience this summer. I’m in the midst of writing up a review today in fact and waffling about what rating to give it. Based on this thread, I’m going to go with the lower of the two I had in mind. I think people tend towards too generous reviews sometimes which isn’t helpful to other renters.

I’ve learned to ask a lot of questions before committing so my expectations are managed. I will only rent units with plenty of photos, only the entire unit, and only ones that are primarily used for rentals. I’ve learned I don’t like a lot of the owners personal knick knacks around or the closets filled with their stuff. I want to rent places that are more hotel-like but with extra space.

16

My host didn’t get to read my feedback. Airbnb waited for a period of time before mine was published.
I told the host there was no blow dryer in the unit. HIs response was, “I used to provide one, but it usually got stolen, so I stopped.” Say what?! This was $300+/night unit and people would steal a $20 blow dryer?

I rented a 2 bedroom unit for D2 and I because she didn’t want to share a room with me.

17

I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in Airbnb that had a hair dryer. Usually I bring everything that I think an owner might not provide including cleaning supplies and TP in case their cleaning services brings their own supplies in and there isn’t any in the residence. I’ve not really had a “bad” experience although we love to cook and sometimes the pots and pans and knives situation is scant and/or cheap stuff and you have to really get creative. We also drink wine and I’ve been places with no wine glasses so have to tumbler drink wine, which is just a pet peeve of mine and no negative about the owners.

18

I agree with @OHMomof2 about wishing there was a filter for private bath. Also, I would never rent a space where other random ppl may be in other rooms, unless perhaps if owner is also present (and definitely present not just that it’s their living space too but maybe they’ll be there or maybe not. In one case I would have been in a semi private lower level with unknown person; I chose elsewhere).

Plenty of hosts are great ppl who provide great lodging. We have family members (husband, wife, two small children) who rent out a room. It’s the same room we use when we visit.

19

We stayed in 2 places in Europe this summer, but they were rented by a friend so I don’t think I can write a review.

In one place, it was shared with a family and H walked into our “private bath” after we were out one morning to find a half naked young woman. The family had just had a wedding and had other family guests in the house, and we felt very much out of place. There was also construction going on next door, starting at 7:30 AM, so you couldn’t leave the windows open. The construction was not only loud, but they had generators out there that kicked smoke into any open window. I would like to write a review that people should stay away for a few months until the construction is over. (there was no AC so you needed that window!)

Another place had one shower out of service, so the 7 of us had to share the other one. Not horrible, but you can’t depend on prompt maintenance at most air Bnb units.

In a way, you could write a 4 or 5 star review, but express your criticism with your words. I find reading the other reviews helpful, so if you feel bad dinging a host for a star, you can at least be honest with your words.

20

I’ve learned much from this thread. The places we recently booked were both 3-bedroom homes that were not owner occupied. One was $300 per night and the other (which had a waterview) was $450. I realize from reading that I prefer a more hotel-like setting. We were traveling with friends and family to attend a specific event. We never ate meals at the rentals and basically used the homes as a place to sleep and a place where we could spend some time together when we weren’t at the event.

In the reviews, I decided to share my complaints privately with the place where there was a private owner (Lack of extra toilet paper, stinky Bath and Bodyworks liquid soap). For the one with a management company, I decided to put my complaints in the public review (failure to provide correct address and to fix the internet problem). Both of those were things I thought potential renters should know.