The day we were leaving we received an email from one of the people who ran the Airbnb wanting to know when we planned to arrive. Check-in time was 3:00 PM; I estimated between 4:00 and 5:00 and sent her that information.
We arrived in town and decided to do a couple of things before check in. We arrived at 5:15 PM and the room was not ready. None of the rooms were ready. Somebody was cleaning and she said that she would call us when the room was ready. The off-street parking was not available and that was one of the primary reasons I chose this property.
We went off to a restaurant and waited to hear. After hearing nothing, we started texting the owner who said he was “sorry for the confusion”. What is the confusion? I said we would appear and we did. The room was not ready. That’s simple; not confusing.
We are elderly and we look for things such as off-street parking and we care about the check-in times. We obey house rules. I’d like to leave a negative review, but fear that the host will ruin our reputation by reviewing us negatively.
I am also a host, and that is completely unacceptable. The accommodations should be ready at the check in time (3pm) regardless of what time the guest says they are arriving. I would definitely write a review and also try to get some compensation for that.
I am also an Airbnb host. Airbnb will fine a host if a room is not available at the appointed and posted check in time. Make sure that all of your correspondence with the host is through the airbnb platform, and report this to airbnb. You are probably entitled to some money back.
I’m an air bnb host, or at least have been for a couple of months, and I’m going to encourage you to write that review!! Hosts have little protection from airbnb, but guests do. And responsible hosts don’t want every host’s reputation smeared because of unprofessionalism. As a host I’ve been burnt by hosts who have given glowing reviews for fear of retaliation. It only hurts everyone when that’s done. IF you still are concerned about retaliation, DO NOT REVIEW HOSTS. That sends a message to people in the know even if you do not say a thing.
As a current airbnb host, I’d advise people to stay away from airbnb like the plague. Contrary to what they are telling people, their verification is not credible and they penalize hosts financially and ratings wise if a host cancels someone they think is not safe. Hosts who cannot afford to cancel bad guests create an unsafe environment to both guests and neighborhoods.
And finally, as I’ve said, I AM A HOST but any postings of mine you see are from my cat’s facebook page, 🙂 because I do not have a facebook page for safety and security reasons… that should tell you something about airbnb’s verification system.
Good luck! And thanks for sharing.