Book at your own risk!!
To be clear, I did not stay in this place. This was due to the fact that the host reached out to me personally (not via airBnB) barely 24 hours prior check-in, from an unidentified private email, saying they are unable to host me due to a leakage. However, they refused to cancel the reservation and asked me to do it instead with a promise of full refund. I said I refused to entertain any message outside AirBnB because I can’t verify their identity.
I then received phone calls from a woman, who at first didn’t want to identify herself until I pressed.. asking me to cancel the reservation from my side saying they cannot host me. She said she couldn’t communicate with me via airBnB because they were having technical issues accessing the airBnB portal. I did not entertain this. Then, a second woman called. This time, in a more harassing tone. She even asked me “What is so difficult in you cancelling” to which I responded I’m merely following airBnB advice.
Until the day of the check in, Merveil team refused to cancel my reservation or provide an equal replacement or provide clear explanation on whether I can utilise this property. I stood my ground and proceeded to take my case up directly with airBnB. They eventually admitted that they will get penalised if they cancelled which is why they did not want to do it. One of their staff told me I will not get a penny back from airBnB if I didn’t cancel on the day (day before check-in). I felt harassed.
I also had to book another place on the day I was supposed to arrive in Paris. This created so much anxiety and trouble for my family and I. It was really disruptive to our travel as well.
Team Merveil also requested proof of identity separately for all adult guests despite me being a verified user of airBnB. This had to be uploaded separately. They also requested for 4x the rental amount as deposit through a separate website (not AirBnB). All this was not clearly stated in the description of the apartment on airBnB.
Overall, it was a disappointing experience.