Often, Airbnb hosts provide a good place to stay at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, there are some hosts who are very deceptive and fail to provide the place which is promised. Because of the number of places available, Airbnb has not done a good job screening hosts.
Recently, I had two very good experiences and one very bad experience.
The first two hosts were super. The hosts were very nice, and helpful. The places were as promised.
The third host was not honest about the place. The listing was for a “private room.” I had booked for three people. First of all the picture was of the living room, not the bedroom. Second, the room was part of an apartment rented by the host. Third, the larger bedroom was very small and could not fit three people. Fourth, there was another small bedroom available, but we were not told before we arrived if we could use this bedroom. Fifth, there were no interior locks on the bedroom door. (After I listed the problems on the Airbnb website, the host claimed that we “never checked in.” In fact, we called her and she never called back. )
I have a friend who booked a condominium in the Bahamas. When he arrived with his family at the condominium, the conditions were terrible, so he had to stay a hotel for the weak, at an added costs.
The idea of Airbnb is good. However, guests need to be careful when booking accommodations. There are many hosts who are willing to take advantage of guests, to make a fast dollar.
Therefore, prior to booking, always check the reviews. More reviews are better. I made a mistake by booking with the third host, without carefully checking the reviews. Next time, I will be very reluctant to book at any place with a bad written review.
Robert M. Singer, Attorney at Law
2572 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT 06518
203-248-8278
rsingerct@yahoo.com