I’ve stayed in 14 U.S. States, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Mexico and now Brazil, and this was far and away the worst stay I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.
There were numerous things wrong with this AirBnb prior to my arrival and I found Rafael’s attitude in attempting to correct them to be rude beyond belief, to say the least. (This was apparent about a week and a half into a month-long stay).
Before my arrival, the A/C and wi-fi were malfunctioning (A/C only worked in the bedroom and wi-fi got a better signal in the living room than the bedroom, with varying results). I requested that Rafael see to the A/C and, he handled it in short order…or so we thought. Only a few days later after having the “coolant replaced” the A/C faltered again...in 80+ degree weather.
Admittedly, we delayed getting the wi-fi fixed because I was scheduling out of town and the wavering speed of the wi-fi was not apparent to me at the outset.
What complicated everything further, in addition to the fact that Rafael gaslit me about an ongoing termite infestation (see below) is that for several days, I had several unpleasant (to say the least) interactions with the morning doorman (who has to buzz residents into the building through an electric gate) who obstructed my access to the building’s main entryway and insisted that I go through the side door several feet away, for reasons that were impossible to understand (admittedly, my poor Portuguese didn’t help) but his insistence seemed arbitrary given that:
a) there were never any obstructions in the doorway and b) I’d never seen any other resident be asked to enter via the side door c) other doormen working at other times of the day allowed me reasonable access to the main entryway as desired.
This happened twice--once on the day that I was moving in, and another when I was merely coming back with groceries. Another day, this same doorman also gave my girlfriend and I an attitude as we requested to return immediately after our Uber canceled on us. He was in a bad mood as we waited for our next Uber (inside the gate), so I asked him how he was doing, and he haughtily turned away from both of us. Suffice it to say, I complained, as this treatment seemed obnoxious, to say the least.
Rafael mentioned that this building was “old” and that it has “rules” about how people enter into and exit the building “for example with groceries or bathing suits,” but I’d literally stayed at another AirBnb in Copacabana 15 min away on the exact same street and never experienced any of this kind of treatment, nor had I ever entered wearing a bathing suit.
The incidents with the doorman grew so uncomfortable that I had to contact AirBnb to intercede because I did not feel that Rafael (who asserted that he didn’t have control over the situation) was adequately addressing my concerns after the first two incidents had occurred.
Finally, termites. Call me crazy, but when you feel termites on your bed as you sleep, see them on your bed when you wake, and have to sweep up termite bits in the morning when you wake up so you and your girlfriend don’t accidentally step in and track them around the apartment, you would think that the host would be more accommodating in trying to see if there’s some way to make your stay more comfortable.
Rafael, in contrast, brushed off my concerns initially, suggesting the termites were coming in through a window--a prospect, which, to me, seemed unlikely (even though there are two windows in the kitchen which do not completely close, facing inward toward the apartment).
That said, I found termites in the bed, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, and in the living room, in addition to the fact that it appeared to me that the bedroom door, possibly the floor, and a few other items throughout the space appeared to be getting chewed up.
To put it lightly, Rafael did not take kindly to my expressing distaste with the quality of my stay (as though all of the above issues were somehow my fault) and threatened on more than one occasion to cancel my stay in advance, and all with scarcely 2 weeks before Christmas in Rio.
Further, he misrepresented some of our communication to AirBnB as we each attempted to reach them to resolve our disputes (he suggested that I wasn’t around to allow his superintendent, Marcos, to see to a repair, rather than acknowledging that he had sent Marcos to visit the apartment without first asking if I would be around).
Further, following the first two of the incidents with the doorman, someone claiming to be the building manager showed up to the apartment unannounced and shouted through the door for about 20 minutes as I literally attempted to troubleshoot my issues with an AirBnB representative. By that point, I’d had no assurance from Rafael that the doorman was going to change his behavior, but I did not wish to be interrupted, as I had two work deadlines that I very much wished to meet.
Suffice it to say, with my work deadlines in progress, it has been extremely hard to focus given the ongoing sense of dread I felt as a result of the above. This was by far the most uncomfortable stay I’ve ever had.
This review was written 14 days into my month-long stay and I currently have 2 more repairs scheduled as I speak and more termites flying around my bedroom. I have spent more time not enjoying this space than enjoying it and I am so sorry that I chose it.
It was as if the host thought that, rather than providing courteous service and empathy, that my time is far from important, that I should have been at his beck and call to wait on repairs and that the customer