As I alluded to in my reflections on Jerusalem yesterday, our trip started at an apartment booked via Airbnb. Sadly, we wound up vacating after the first night.
Our Airbnb Jerusalem Expectations
I say sadly, because look at the pictures below (that I took). The price was superb. The location excellent. The size perfect…Augustine had his own room, and we had a kitchen, living room, and dining area.
Looks great, doesn’t it? But these pictures don’t tell the whole story.
Our Airbnb Jerusalem Experience
We experienced a number of problems in our apartment, but one was a dealbreaker.
First, it was cold in Jerusalem and the apartment was absolutely freezing. There were wall-mounted heaters in each bedroom that could be adjusted upward to 30ºC (86ºF), but it felt like the bedrooms heated up to about 65ºF while the common areas remained much cooler. My wife was honestly shivering all afternoon, evening, and when she woke up the next morning (and she’s a tough German…).
But that wasn’t the dealbreaker. We could have asked the host to bring in more space heaters, I suppose.
Second, the apartment was dirty. I find the “cleaning fees” ridiculous on Airbnb and especially so here. The beds were not clean. Nor were the pillows. Nor were the towels. In fact, there was dust all over the apartment.
But that wasn’t the dealbreaker. We could have asked for fresh bedding and new towels, I suppose.
Third, there was mold all over the bathroom and one of the bedroom ceilings. My wife is not a germaphobe, but she did study microbiology and this became the dealbreaker. We did not even discover the full extent of the mold until we saw the bathroom in the morning sunlight.
Mold is simply unacceptable. Even if not dangerous in all cases, it can be dangerous. And with a young child who touches everything (we caught him dipping his toothbrush into the toilet a couple days ago…), an apartment thriving with mold precluded any sort of relaxation.
So after breakfast, we cleaned up after ourselves, I wrote the host explaining the issue, and we vacated (for the Lutheran Guest House in the Old City). I was not happy at all about having to pay more for a smaller accommodation.
The host wrote me back saying that he could have brought more heaters. He totally ignored the mold issue.
I later requested a partial refund (I was even willing to pay the first night, even though I think that is a bit much), and he denied it. The issue has now been escalated to Airbnb. I’ll report on the outcome in a follow-up post.
CONCLUSION
I must say, I’ve had some really bad luck with Airbnb over the years. I don’t think I am asking too much to ask for a clean apartment without mold, am I? And I also wasn’t interested in a protracted response during a short family vacation. What was the host going to do? Cut the drywall out, redo it, and repaint it in a matter of hours?
The host now tells Airbnb I did not give him a chance to resolve the issue. I’m of the opinion that the issue was not resolvable in an acceptable timeframe. We were going to stay in an Airbnb guest house in the Galilee, but I immediately decided to look elsewhere for accommodation. For now, I’m done with Airbnb.
Do you think I should have given the host more time to fix the problem?
Mathew, you don’t have to travel that far, to find problems with a hotel. In December, 2016, I stayed at a small hotel in NYC, in Hell’s Kitchen, around W.37th St., near 8th Avenue. I stayed on the second floor. The room was small, but clean. However, the heat never worked. I did not want to use their space heater, as I don’t trust those devices, while sleeping, because of the potential for a fire. It was freezing for three nights. The manager gave me some baloney excuse, about the problem. One would have thought for over $300.00/per night (which was considered inexpensive for Manhattan), that they could have provided heat to the room. I’ve been to other hotels, where there was not enough hot water, or the a/c doesn’t work. Unfortunately, this is the chance that we take when we travel.
It is not just the type of room, either. When we fly, we have no way of knowing the maintenance history of the specific aircraft that we are flying on, as the FAA refuses to make that information available to the flying public, before we board a specific flight. With our own cars, we know when the engine was tuned up, when the oil was changed, when the brakes were checked, the tires, rotated, etc. Shouldn’t we know, when a given aircraft had the engines and electrical system inspected, before we fly?
my villa on martinique booked by booking.com was a fake. when i have called them first, they told me to call back, never did and it happend 4 more times and took around 12 hours till i got a substitute
they are all equal – just a matter luck or bad luck
Airbnb has become a disaster. Cleaning is not the norm, regardless of the fees. The last Airbnb I stayed in actually had a sign explaining that the host does not use a cleaning service and that each guest was responsible for making sure the place was clean enough for the next. This grossed me out and was the proverbial ‘straw that broke the camel’s back.’
No more Airbnb for me.
Because I’ve read of so many problems like this, I would never choose to use these types of accommodations. That being said, I’ve only had good experiences when friends have booked these accommodations. You are absolutely right that you should expect cleanliness and everything in working order. Maybe other countries and cultures have a different standard? You were extremely generous to not ask for a refinen the first night. In my opinion, you deserve a complete refund and this place should be removed from Airbnb. I stay in hotels and guest houses because I want more interaction with people. I like having clean towels and sheets although not necessarily every day. I like having a clean room with a Made bed to come back to. And I’m definitely not going to cook while on holiday. Eating out is one of the great pleasures of travel. Hopefully you’ll get a good result with Airbnb.
I think this house is typical in most third world countries. Mold is common in bathrooms where the shower is not tiled completely and there is no overhead exhaust.
But i think airbnb is shit. Complete utter shit. It’s a lipstick on a pig. They push the responsibility of quality control to the traveler and aren’t of much help when things go wrong. And for that they charge too much.
They really need to find a better system.
Hi Matt, just curious, how closely do you read reviews when looking at AirBnbs? I’ve literally never had a single issue with AirBnb after 100+ nights. I also never stay at a place without a decent list of reviews and read through most of the reviews (or at least 15+). I’ve found relying on pictures to not be all that helpful. I’ve known a lot of friends with the same problem and most of them do not read the reviews.
Iam a Super host with AIRBNB for exactly two years now. I will advise you folks to read, read and read reviews. Scrutinize the pictures of the shared spaces. Do not book a place without reading reading what it entails in its entirety. The problem with you guests is that MOST OF YOU DO NOT READ WHAT IS IN THE LISTING before you book. ….you just look at the price and location and went ahead and book then coming asking questions later when you could have saved yourself and the host some headaches.
Actually, the problem is that Airbnb is full of misleading pictures, overly-positive reviews and ‘superhosts’ that are not deserving of the title. They need regulations and quality control standards.
My last awful Airbnb experience was with a ‘superhost’ listing that had a 4.7 average with over 100 reviews. I specifically searched for the key words ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’ and found no red flags. I even zoomed in on the pics on the listing. Yet, when I arrived, I found the cleanliness to be well below my expectations. I think the Airbnb community standards are low and result in inaccurate, often falsely positive reviews.
Airbnb is one of those polarizing topics, like reclining, eco unfriendly coffee pods, or armrests. Personally, I avoid Airbnb completely. The company is rather notorious for being anti-customer, with little recourse for the guest if things aren’t remotely as promised. Then there’s the fact that these rentals often work out poorly for neighbors who have a constant parade of strangers wandering through their building, and that doesn’t even touch on how Airbnb badly hurts housing prices in the cities that need reasonably priced housing the most, like San Francisco. In sum, a company to avoid.
Sorry but I only leave the comfort of my house with my family to stay at top hotels. Maybe that is why we only do a 2 weeks vacation every year but I won’t get my family into an unknown situation like you found there. Worst case if you get a bad room in a too hotel they will find you another one. Not staying at someone’s else home.
Your experience does not come as a surprise. AirBnB is always a complete roll of the dice. If there are decent options for a small hotel, I’m happy to take that option, even if it costs a bit more, it’s worth it to me to leave the very real risk of AirBnB misery or outright fraud behind.
You did the right thing, as an Airbnb host I am horrified that anyone would be hosted in a place like that. It’s just awful and pulls us all down.
I’m wondering if you checked the reviews for this host. Perhaps the price was “too good”. I am an Airbnb super host and I strive to make our guests stay the best Airbnb experience, not the worst.
That said, there really is no excuse for the conditions you describe and document and this listing should be taken off the platform immediately and your money refunded in full.
Airbnb really needs to step up its promise to verify all listings for accuracy and safety. Our guests get a great value for the same or less cost than a hotel. They get space that would require 2 hotel rooms. They get a kitchen and a screened in porch and a huge yard.
Our guests don’t want a hotel experience. Bad reviews and calling out a space that is not clean and safe should be a big red flag when booking. You really do get what you pay for.
Reviews were good. No mention of mold.
One of the most misleading elements of booking an Airbnb is the review system. You will be hard pressed to find a 2 or 3 star listing on Airbnb, as most guests are uncomfortable leaving a bad review for their host. Therefore, the ‘bad’ airbnbs have a rating of 4.0-4.4 and the ‘excellent’ ones have ratings of 4.8 and above. This makes it appear as if the worst listings still have great reviews.
We had a very bad and very$$$$ indirectly via AirBNB thru luxury retreats that was bought by Airbnb after we had booked in Turk and Caicos… Numerous issues withcleaning/ air conditioning/fridge and ice/ xxtra service charge especially if you used the air conditioner…/baby crib issue($35 a day for each crib that did not fit into any bedrooms… etc.. No satisfaction from management. This house should not have been up for rental… No amount of calling or emails helped but with 10 of us we stayed and sweated it out everyday.
I’ve never used Airbnb myself, but my partner has and seems to have had good experiences. For her, Airbnb is a good option when she’s travelling in a group with a few other people and they get a good quality 2 or 3 bedroom apartment via Airbnb which can be a lot cheaper than renting 2 or 3 separate hotel rooms.
Kip
My wife and I have a Airbnb and the pictures are true to the home and we have no cleaning fees. We take great pride in what we do and provide. We are always in the home and provide what we are advertise. We are very happy with Airbnb. There will always be bad people trying to ruin a good thing. Report these crooks to Airbnb and let’s hope they are all removed as hosts
Request a full refund from Airbnb. Hosts like this that clearly don’t live in the places they rent out can be horrible. I would request a full refund and follow up with a threat to do a credit card chargeback, because the mold especially is completely unacceptable. I have gotten a refund from Airbnb in the past when we stayed at an apartment that didn’t have a door lock and the host was impossible to reach.
I wouldn’t use Airbnb, I just don’t like the concept and prefer something which is regulated.
Israel is a particular problem where much accomodation does not reach international standards and doesn’t really need to, the demand far exceeds the supply and that is only getting worse with time. I’ve been enough times but expect a five star in Israel to be a three star anywhere else and that way I get what I expect.
For me, risking my trips lodging on an Airbnb is simply not worth it!
There are no standards on Airbnb, so what may seem clean and safe for someone, may not be for someone else.
I understand the whole AIRBNB concept, and truly sounds amazing, but when I travel, I want to minimize the risk of uncertainty regarding where and how I will spend my nights sleep.
Airbnb will deny you a refund, because you didn’t give the host time to resolve the issue, despite, as you note, there not really being time for them to resolve everything without interfering with your trip. You’ll have to keep pushing Airbnb over and over again — share this blog post with their Twitter customer service — until they finally escalate your complaint to someone in North America or Europe who is willing to actually listen to your concerns and use some critical thinking. Airbnb isn’t just bad because it robs residents of long-term housing, but because most of the apartments and rooms available are awful.
This is why I refuse to use Airbnb. No clear regulations, DIY for everything, and who knows who you will be dealing with. No thanks, not after spending thousands on flights and hours getting there.
What a joke. Sorry this happened to you.
That looks absolutely disgusting. Hotel for me, thank you.
I won’t use them. While I’ve no doubt that some ‘hosts’ keep their properties impeccably clean and well-maintained, there are too many horror stories around…not as extreme as the people that discovered the body of a murder victim in the garden of the idyllic French rental…but more to do with cleanliness. I wouldn’t be able to sleep well in that kind of environment.
The reality is that anyone can hang out a ( virtual) shingle and be taking in guests in a flash, with very little quality control or recourse for consumers.
We prefer apartment rentals and have rented many properties internationally. But after a few mediocre to bad experiences with AirBnB/Vrbo etc, I almost always use reliable local vacation rental agencies. Usually, they provide their own (better) linens, the kitchen is sufficiently stocked, and the owner’s personal cr*p isn’t cluttering the place. The prices are higher, but it’s worth it.
You get what you pay for.
Love my Airbnb experience, especially the one in South Korea at Wangsimni. I would go back any minute, house was perfect and host friendly. Read the reviews and l look at how fast the response is from the airbnb host in response to my questions before the trip. And, what he has in store for myself and family. How detail he is in his preparation work for me to get to know the place well. Of course, no spelling errors in his communication.
I’ve had good luck with AirBnb but this clearly wasn’t even remotely acceptable.
I don’t think you had any obligation to give the host a chance to correct what clearly could not be corrected. If if you had been there for a longer stay that sort of problem simply isn’t going to be corrected quickly or without major disruption. If it had been me we would have done the same thing when we found the mold.
I admit to being surprised even after all the horror stories I’ve heard about AirBnB customer service that they are giving you a hard time over this one. It’s so clear cut that you would have thought even they would recognize it. The lack of customer support when things go wrong remains their biggest problem. And if they don’t fix it then I predict it will be their down fall. It certainly makes me hesitant to use them despite good experiences I’ve had in the past.
That place was gross. I would have paid nothing and put a fraud charge on my credit card for anything prepaid. That level or filth along with open mold spores is not acceptable.
@Looks great, doesn’t it?
No, It does not. I’m surprised you booked it. Ok kitchen looks half okay thanks to modern cabinets, but bedrooms, bathroom. Cheap ugly furniture, mismatched cheap textile and they didn’t even attempt to create a cozy fully furnished space. It serves its clientele though. I think 4 or 5 student backpackers can rent a place like that and be completely satisfied.
I rent from Airbnb once or twice a year and always had great experience that simply cannot be matched by a hotel (as there no such hotel offerings in the areas) – a standalone house on Oahu with direct beach access, a standalone lake house in the forest in Finland with its own pier and basically private lake, a standalone chalet in French Alps – all great memories.
So I mean you kinda voluntarily got yourself into troubles when you booked what’s on pictures.
That place is disgusting. I grew up traveling cheap and no way would I have spent the night there.
I’m an Israeli and also an Airbnb Photographer.
1) The apartment should be clean! However, I don’t find cleaning fees outrages for once a guest leaves you need to do some laundry, change bed sheets and towels and actually clean – it takes time and it costs money + the cost of living in Israel is extremely high.
2) The condition of many houses here in Israel is not brilliant. A lot of them are old and needs refurbishing but the owners or tenants can’t always afford it and simply leave things as they are while trying to earn some extra cash using Airbnb or other platforms. Saying that, I would still like to emphasize that the vast majority of Airbnb’s in Israel are just fine.
Home hosting is not (and should not be) like a hotel it’s a different experience and usually for much lower price. People should adjust their expectations accordingly.
You said it all in the first paragraph, the price was superp, location amazing and a great size space. Basically to good to be true, you say nothing about reviews which are the backbone if the sharing economy. The cleaning review is the perfect indicator anything less than 4,8☆ and you are delving into cheap motel standards with the corresponding cheap motel price .
You admit you had to pay alot more for a smaller space the next day. In any city there is a range from cheap and seedy to premuim priced luxury Air bnb is no different than the motel, hotel, hostel industry a 1 star rating at $50 is going to be revolting, a 3 * at $100 is going to be the acceptable industry standard, a 4-5* is going to be $200 and exceptional.
Another gauge is Air bnb badges, was this a superhost? If the property is amazing, loved by guests and hosted by an exceptional host then there would be a badge on the listing to prove it called superhost ot the plus rating.
You are having bad luck with air bnb because you want a bargain and in air bnb as in life you get what you pay for. My advice stick to superhost and plus properties we charge alot more but deliver amazing locations, hospitality and local experience. If the listing doesnt have the ABB badges read and heed all the reviews.
SH
Air bnb Superhost, Plus host with 766 5☆ reviews