BEWARE. Simon FORCED US OUT of the airbnb after check-in over a minor dispute. I have filed a formal discrimination complaint and Airbnb just concluded that Simon was in fact in violation of their Nondiscrimination Policy. Simon's been issued a warning, and advised that any future violations could lead to suspension or removal.
But given that this is just a warning and his apartment is still available for rent, I feel like it's my responsibility to share what happened to fellow travelers. So here, I've pasted almost word for word the complaint I filed for the incident.
Immediately upon checkin, my husband and I were confused and taken aback by the state of Simon's apartment. So I took some photos that I messaged Simon with - and seen by Airbnb - of personal items still scattered around the very small apartment. There was a leftover towel just hanging over a chair. Bath towels were left hanging on hooks, which gave the impression that they were used. They did not look clean or smell clean. His shoes and clothing were hanging on the only hooks available in the entire unit. There was a random bicycle pump taking up precious space next to the toilet. And, most disturbingly, there was his toothbrush and toothpaste still on the sink.
Holistically, the state of the place gave the impression that we had walked into someone’s apartment by accident, as opposed to an Airbnb that was ready for our arrival. So I sent Simon a few messages confirming that everything was clean, as it left us very uneasy, especially given Covid. In all my Airbnb experiences, I have never witnessed so many personal items left behind for guests to maneuver around.
We then noticed that the only available storage space — which is dubbed a “walk in closet” on the listing as a feature available for guests — was a tiny closet that was also filled with his items. We had been traveling for two weeks at this point and were looking forward to hanging up and putting away our clothes. So I then sent him another message about that and the wifi password.
Simon replied to only my question about the towels. So I followed up again about the wifi and the closet. Then he said that he would be there in 15 minutes. Honestly, I was taken aback and wished he asked us first as we never asked him to come by.
As soon as Simon arrived he was in a foul mood, no doubt triggered by my questions. He opened the small closet full of his stuff and he immediately became aggressive when he discovered that I had moved his other items that had been floating around the apartment into the closet. I had placed everything neatly in the closet and his toothbrush on a ledge. But he reacted as if we broke into his home and ransacked the place. Which is just bewildering. If he was so comfortable as to leave his personal belongings behind, it was deeply hypocritical to get that upset if a guest moved them.
Immediately he said that he wanted us out of the apartment and that he did not “trust us in his home.” My husband tried to calm him down. I apologized twice about moving the items. But Simon could not be reasoned with. He called Airbnb and canceled the reservation.
We begged Simon to let us just stay one evening so that we would have more time to figure out where to go for the next 5 days as we were still hoping to make it to the ballet -- tickets for which I had bought months in advance. He refused and said he didn’t trust us alone in his apartment for even a second. When I asked why, he said we could throw a party or “worse.” He insisted on watching over us and keeping the key. It was extremely insulting.
We finally agreed to come back after the ballet to pick up our stuff. At the end of the evening, around 11pm, we went back and he let us in the apartment without looking at us or speaking to us at all. We quickly packed up our things and as soon as we were on the other side of the door, he slammed the door behind us, with no sense of compassion or hospitality. He never said a word to us. Honestly, it was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life.
Simon's language was extremely coded to make us feel like our very presence was unwarranted, that we were second class citizens trespassing his precious home, instead of paying guests that had entered a mutual contractual agreement. He said “I don’t want you people in my home” and a lot of “I don’t trust you at all” and that “you make me uncomfortable” and many insinuations as to what we could do to his home if left alone there. We were kicked out both times as if we were caught stealing from him. We felt racially profiled and discriminated against.
Not to mention, because of Simon’s little temper tantrum, we had to scramble to find a hotel in middle of the night and ended up moving two more times and paying 4x the nightly rate of the airbnb for our trip to Paris. Needless to say, Simon ruined our night and our trip.
At the end of the day, Simon did not provide a clean or prepared airbnb for our arrival and lied about the facilities available to guests on his listing, but when he was called out for it, he punished the guests instead, leaving us in a really horrendous situation.