My classmate and I are currently enrolled in a study abroad program in Spain and we were encouraged to travel around the area. The center of Madrid was ideal for its availability of activities, services, and having an abundance of historical architectural sites. Both my classmate and I have stayed in AirBnB’s before and never had an issue with our host. As this AirBnB was listed as an “AirBnB Plus”, we were expecting a great outcome from our stay; but that was not the case.
First, we agreed to pay the late arrival fee since our flight was arriving later than the check in time. We contacted her through the AirBnB messaging about our arrival time and she proceeded to tell us that the fee was 30€, when on the listing itself it said the fee was 25€.
In the listing, it states,
“You can have a early check in from 11am for a 25 EUR fee (when is possible since Check out time is 11am). Please consider that sometimes you will need the Cleaning services to finish the cleaning up. Also for arrivals after 20h there is a €25 fee because this is what our Assistant charges for coming to the flat at that time.”
In our AirBnB messages, she provided information stating,
“Here is the information on the Listing:
-Late check in, after 21.00h fee: 30€.
-Early check in, before 2pm fee: 30€.
-Late check out 30EUR.
Please let me know if this is ok for you since you will be arriving to the flat around midnight.
Have a great weekend ahead! ;)
Mey”
Upon arrival, we were rushed by our host and her assistant to arrive at the apartment. Our flight was delayed an hour, so we were not able to arrive at the apartment at the time we thought we would. The host informed us that if there was a delay, we should contact her assistant.
AirBnB message from host - Received June 1, 2021 at 9:46 AM.
“Hola Zaina
Already sent you the late check in fee request for you to approve.
My assistant will welcome you inside the apartment. If you have a delay please get in contact to: (phone number)
If you need anything else please what ap (phone number) me or email me here! Just consider I live 6 hours time behind ;)
Latest check out time is 10 h. Simply leave keys on the table.
Thanks
Mey”
With the information that the host provided us, we followed her instruction and provided the assistant with the information about our arrival as soon as we boarded the plane. We messaged the assistant, as well as the host about the situation. The time we arrived was out of our control and we did notify them.
At 12:26 AM (00:26), we received a call from the host and she told us that the assistant was waiting for a long time and it was getting too late to stay longer. We ordered a cabify to bring us to the destination since it was much cheaper than a taxi, but the host told us to instead take a taxi to get us to the apartment quicker. We felt rushed and unsafe as we thought we would not be able to check into the AirBnB because the host informed us that the assistant was going to leave. Again, we told them about our situation and it was out of our control that the plane was delayed, we had to take a bus from the airport to the center of Madrid, and we had to get a taxi to the location.
Second, the furniture and decor did not match the images provided on the listing. As we opened our door to enter, we wound up opening the door into a side table which was supposed to be located beside the couch. The poor placement of furniture could have caused damage to the table or the door, possibly resulting in a damage fee we would have to pay. In addition, the comforter on the bed did not match the images provided in the listing. The bedding was white in the images, but when we arrived the comforter had a duvet cover that looked like it belonged to a young boy.
Besides the home decor, after we checked-in we looked around the apartment to see if there was any prior damage and/or cleaning issues. We already knew about the cracked toilet seat from the reviews, but the window/door opening to the balcony in the living room was also damaged. In the kitchen, the faucet on the sink is loose. The kitchen was also not completely clean. As we looked above the cabinets, one side was completely covered in dust. Clearly the cleaning job wasn’t done completely, and it looks like it hasn’t been dusted in a long time - which is very concerning due to the COVID-19 virus. We also had a problem with the sink in the bathroom. The sink drains slowly. This isn’t too important and did not affect our stay, but can become a problem if it isn’t handled properly.
Third, the amenities on the listing do not exactly match what was provided during our stay. For one example, there is not a hairdryer in the apartment as that was an amenity “provided” on the listing. Secondly, the air conditioner did not turn on. As this was a problem for us since the weather is warmer than we are used to, we contacted the host to tell her that the air conditioner was not working. She proceeded to send an assistant to fix it, but it was not in a timely manner. We messaged the host the night we got to the apartment asking if someone could repair the air conditioner. She responded the morning after (which is understandable since we messaged her late at night), but her assistant did not come until after 7:30 PM (19:30). The assistant tried to fix the air conditioner, but since there