Nightmare Airbnb Experience: The Worst Stay Ever!

Click here for your FREE Airbnb Checklist (mentioned in the video): brianandcarrie.myflodesk.com/airbnbchecklist

The whole AirBNB thing never sat well with me. It feels like putting all of your eggs in one basket. At a hotel you can get a new room and even maybe an upgrade if you have the slightest problem with the initial room. There’s safety in numbers. If you are an AirBNB renter and do anything to upset the owner/host they know where you are staying. I also get super freaked out by the fact that there isn’t anything to prevent previous renters from making a copy of the keys and randomly walking in without ‘breaking in’.

As a solo female traveler, this is why I rarely use AirBnbs. I'm a strong, resourceful woman but this sort of situation would feel extremely vulnerable and unsafe if faced alone.

My wife just had to try this. The place was filthy, freezing cold with no heat, no soap in the bathroom, AND the owners lived downstairs and got into an argument at 2 in the morning. We had to move into a hotel the next morning. She learned her lesson, I'll say that much. I think a lot of these "hosts" are broke and not able to do even simple repairs on their dilapidated homes.

My wife and I are using hotels for both short and long stays. Homewood Suites by Hilton offers a bedroom, a living room and a kitchen with a full sized refrigerator. Long term stay (4 nights or more) discounts and Hilton honors points earned are substantial. There is no long contract.

I love how they finish each other's sentences and agree on what the other person says, even when interrupted. Seems like a wonderful marriage - they're friends.

I stopped using air bnb as a solo female traveller…..there’s no real security if god forbid anything unpleasant /scary happened. Not travelling for the foreseeable future but that’s due to grandchildren!

Air B & B should have a check list of items like light bulbs, hot water, wifi that must be submitted by a host back to them as a sign-off to say it's all good before every tenant and if you get there and any of it is out of order, they're held accountable, fined, or dismissed over time from the platform. There should be a higher bar as a minimum standard.

As a travel nurse, I’ve used AirBnB, Furnished Finders, etc. They all have pluses and minuses; I’m always amazed when I walk into a place that clearly needs help. I understand that most owners rarely visit their rentals, but that is a fatal flaw. They have some grand expectation that their cleaning crew will notice errors and make them aware: THEY DON’T! I’m in an AirBnB right now that did not meet initial expectations. Thankfully, this is the exception. My husband and I have used AirBnB’s around the world, from Brazil to Estonia. We have an excellent track record because we follow the rules, and leave a place the way we’d want to find it. You do get what you pay for most of the time, and my host was grateful for my communication. Hosts need to do walk-throughs a lot more often than they think. I appreciate that you’ve shared your experience. It helps 100%.

Our worst Airbnb had no water for 36 hours…. no refund/discount. The next worse one a piece of the ceiling fell on me. Another one the BBQ was filthy, the patio doors were broken, there was no cutlery at all! The HO blamed her husband and son…. another place had cameras. That was the last time for us…

After hearing your story and many others. I will never use an airbnb

Thank you for sharing. We just went through similar situation with the Airbnb host in Italy. It was our first time contacting Airbnb and complained about the host and we didn’t know we could get our money back. We were too trusting with our host telling us everyday that the jackhammering above us would stop and when we moved in he told us they are just painting the building. By the 4th day after hearing the host telling us the noises would stop today but we still hearing the jackhammer and felling the vibration we decided to contact Airbnb, which later on we learned we should’ve contacted Airbnb from day one. So not only the host denied all the lying but he wrote a nasty review about me. Lesson learned!

I once stayed in an airbnb where the toilet was in the kitchen. Not in an enclosed space within the kitchen, but IN the kitchen. You could sit there and fry eggs at the same time. And the amazing thing was that the place had about 35 reviews and nobody had mentioned it. There was even a review from a couple who said they had stayed there for a month!! Not only was there no privacy in the apartment - if you forgot to close the curtain whilst you were doing your business, the neighbours could see in too and it overlooked a busy neighbourhood. Of course I made sure I mentioned it in my review, but some people had already booked the place before my review came out (I guess) and they were appalled too. So yes, check the pictures carefully and if there is no toilet in the bathroom maybe ask where it is.

I’m so glad I saw this. My husband works for a company who often rents Airbnbs for their employees when work takes them out of town. To make a long story short we made the 2.5 hour drive over to pick up the keys a couple days before the guys all came to stay. My husband asked a few questions but we didn’t look in the kitchen cabinets or anything . There’s usually 6-7 guys staying at this beautiful home. Here’s SOME of the things that were missing. There was only ONE bed!! No pots & pans or silverware, NO FURNITURE! It’s an empty house!! Mind you the company paid them $30k for the guys to stay for 6 months. I told my husband that this is more like a rental not an airbnb!! Anyway, they are staying there still. I won’t get into details but all is fine but for anyone who reads this please do your due diligence unlike we did.

I also check the window glass (cracks) and screens for cuts. I take photos of everything as soon as we walk in the door - they are time stamped, so are a good resource for disputs. I always, even in hotels and traditional B&B's, flush toilets and run the tub and sinks right away, to check for proper function. I also check over the furniture for stains and broken feet or arms - I don't want to be charged for damage. And on leaving, I document by doing a video walk through, even to the point where we are locking up and departing. I am not paying a single penny for something I am not responsible for. :)

As an AirBNB host, pillows are my nemesis. It is not always that easy. My house is on a small island in the Bahamas. There is only one “department store” that is more like a dollar store. They only sell cheap pillows. I can get pillows shipped to the island but it is very expensive and they still need to be replaced every few months and you’re expected to have at least four pillows per bed. Also, 90% of my guests ask for early check in. I try to accommodate them as much as possible, but it might mean that the cleaner doesn’t have time to check every light bulb - they should in a small place but mine is on the larger side. We will certainly provide as soon as we become aware, but it is very difficult to find every tiny problem in a short time. That said, communication and follow up is the key. I’ve never had a review less than a five star even though there are sometimes small problems. Also, there are many things we don’t any any control over. If the city turns the water off for repairs or whatever, we don’t have any control over that.

We had a place that was shared with friends, at night our room smelled like dog poo, we couldn't find the source, we had to assume it was on the underside of our mattress. Another place had water leaking all over the floor at night. Another, got in late at night and no toilet paper or any paper products! I'm a hotel person now!

The corporate world lost some amazing critical thinking solution oriented talent when you retired. Grateful to be on the receiving end. Super helpful content. Thank you.

I’d never stay in an Airbnb , their app was deleted . Had a holiday booked and they cancelled it 2 days before we were due to leave , blaming a burst pipe . Yet found the property re-advertised at a higher rate. I kicked off that much the refunded immediately and not the 30 day refund they stated . Problem is they can cancel with no repercussions yet if we’d have cancelled we’d have lost money

My husband and I have been traveling full-time for more than 6 years. We’ve had a few bad experiences with Airbnb (including with Superhosts 🙄). If we decide to stay one month or more somewhere, we book a hotel room and take the time to visit apartments. This allows us to not only visit the place but also have a look at the neighbourhood/street/surroundings/transportation. Granted it can be time-consuming but it’s worth the effort to find a place we’re comfortable with especially if we’ll be staying for several weeks. Also, it’s easier to deal with “problems” in a hotel during those few days than to stay in a “bad” Airbnb. In short, staying in a hotel has saved us a lot of hassle! 😬 Unfortunately, most Airbnb’s aren’t set-up for long-term stays. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Also, we’ve learned not to trust 5-star reviews (for any accommodation) or Superhosts in certain countries. 😉 Happy travels!