For many travelers, Airbnb was once a beloved alternative to hostels and hotels. Staying in an actual home or apartment can be so much cozier than a generic hotel room, and it can allow visitors a more authentic experience in a city. But some Airbnb hosts have let the power of this trend go to their heads, and over the years they’ve began implementing excessive rules, over the top upcharges and exorbitant cleaning fees. So one TikToker has recently called out his money-hungry host online, breaking down the massive list of rules she sent him.
TikTokers have been discussing how the era of Airbnb popularity might be coming to an end
We are in an era right now where hotels are making a comeback and Airbnbs are starting to flop.
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Image credits: doveslayer89
So one man joined the conversation by detailing his recent horror story with a host
Image credits: doveslayer89
“And not all of them are that nice. Some of them are crazy hosts, like this particular lady who sent me a DM two weeks before my check-in with all of her extra rules and extra charges.”
“On her extra rules it was $50 a minute for late checkout. Mind you, she had it listed for $25 an hour. Airbnb did reach out to her and she did say it was $50 a minute. If you had guests or visitors come, say you have a friend come over, you know you’re hanging out, she’s going to charge you $50 per guest. If you wear your shoes or sandals in her house – it’s $50 per guest per day. If you wear your shoes in her house – she’s gonna charge you $50. When I went, I was going with eleven people. That had been 550 bucks and we went for two days. That would have been $1100. Just for wearing shoes in the house.
Again, she had a 3 beer maximum. If you drink 3 beers, every additional beer over the three was $20 a bottle. So if you drink a 6 pack, she’s going to charge you an extra 60 bucks for that six pack.
Another one, if you lost your remote control, she was going to charge you 100 bucks. If you lost one of her cooking utensils, it was 50. Or a knife – it was $500. So if you lost silverware, dining set, cooking utensils – $50 per item. I could have probably bought her a whole brand new knife set and utensil set for 50 bucks, let alone $500 for a knife.”
She sent the guest an incredibly long list of house rules and upcharges as the date of his booking approached
Image credits: thelivephotos (not the actual photo)
“And these are just some of the charges she had. She had other ones, like if you have more than two bags of trash, she was going to charge you $2000 for that trash. If for any reason you broke a TV, it was $5000. Mind you, the TV she had was maybe $600 at most at Sam’s. Not saying I was gonna go in and break it, but to know she’s going to charge someone $5000 for a broken TV?
Not all are as nice as this one lady who provides drinks and beverages for her guests, some are just crazy and just trying to make a quick buck and charge you for any and everything under the sun. I understand cleaning fees. I understand noise fees. But $1000 for a noise complaint each time? Oh my gosh, somebody ought to be in trouble. So just make sure you read the house rules and you don’t let someone do this to you. They send you this two weeks before on Airbnb DMs and try to get you. I was lucky enough to contact Airbnb. They contacted her. I was able to cancel my full stay and get a full refund for this stay.”
You can see the full video breaking down the rules he received right here
@doveslayer89 #stitch with @tiaashley21 #greenscreen not all are that nice but some are just out to make a quick dollar. Be careful and read the rules and take pictures when you book in case they change them. @airbnb #airbnbhorrorstory ♬ original sound – Doveslayer89
Some viewers were skeptical of the situation, so the guest later shared another video showing the exact listing
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Image credits: doveslayer89
Chances are, you’ve heard of Airbnb. In fact, it’s pretty likely that you’ve used the booking service. But depending on the experiences you’ve had staying in Airbnbs, you might love or hate the platform. Airbnb’s been around since 2007, and there are currently 6.6 million active listings on the site. There are over 4 million hosts around the world, and you can find an Airbnb to stay in in over 220 countries and regions. In theory, Airbnb is a lovely, cozy alternative to staying in a sterile and bland hotel room. Sometimes, it’s even less expensive, as you’re paying an individual host rather than a large corporate hotel. However, over the years, Airbnb has become notorious for having greedy hosts and exorbitant fees.
The advertised prices on the site don’t usually mean much because there are always additional taxes, cleaning fees, upcharges for more individuals staying in the same space, etc. That studio that’s listed as $75 a night can easily turn into a $300 stay for two evenings. Guests must agree to their hosts’ rules, which often include doing some of the cleaning before checking out, bringing their own sheets and towels, and taking care of any trash and recycling they accumulated during their stay. Airbnbs were once the trendiest way to travel, but nowadays, especially with content like this video circulating the internet, many people are reverting back to traditional hotels.
Image credits: wikipedia.or (not the actual photo)
Staying in a hotel can be appealing for many reasons: check-in and check-out are always smooth, the locations are easy to find and you never have to search for a lockbox, there’s often free breakfast included, guests aren’t expected to clean the rooms themselves, and in the event of any issues, there are staff members waiting by to assist you. And even for travelers who avoided hotels to try to save money, Airbnbs might even be more expensive nowadays.
According to NerdWallet, there are a variety of factors to consider before deciding to stay in an Airbnb or a hotel. When it comes to short term stays, NerdWallet found that Airbnbs are rarely the better option due to discounts that can come along with longer stays and the pricey cleaning fees that are tacked onto all stays. For example, a one-night stay has an average price of $314, while a seven-night stay has an average price of $213 per night. It’s also important to consider the size of your group when choosing between a hotel and an Airbnb. If you’re traveling with a party of 6, it might actually be smarter to book an Airbnb. The average cost of a hotel room per person is $89, but when staying in a larger Airbnb (that fits six adults), the average price per person per night is only $60. You might have less space than if you booked 3 hotel rooms, and you might be sharing beds, but it’s possible to save some money.
Image credits: Andrea Davis (not the actual photo)
Other factors to consider when choosing where to stay are the transportation available from your booking, the city you’re staying in, staff availability, food prices and convenience, and other amenities such as washing machines, pools, etc. At the end of the day, it’s up to the travelers to decide what the best option for them is. But don’t choose an Airbnb simply because it seems trendier, or you have a negative connotation with hotels. Thankfully, in this specific situation, James noted in his TikTok that he was able to cancel the booking and receive a full refund. But with millions of Airbnb hosts out there, it’s become impossible for the platform to monitor each and every host unless their guests file a complaint.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments, pandas. Do you enjoy staying in Airbnbs when you travel, or are you a loyal hotel-booker? Let us know what you think, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing why Airbnbs aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be, we recommend reading this story next.
Viewers have called out the host for her unreasonable rules, with some noting that they’ve had enough of Airbnb
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Source: boredpanda.com