First, I am grateful to have found an airbnb in beautiful Twickenham. I am also grateful that I was refunded for the first night's stay (with a week's notice). It was marked nonrefundable, so I wasn't even expecting that. At check-in, I was offered tea, interesting conversation, and the suggestion to walk to Richmond the next day/vs take a bus - which again, the walk was beautiful.
At the same time, and more importantly, I'd also like to express that I was made to feel like an inconvenient, unwelcomed houseguest- despite me having paid good money to stay there.
That was the first time in my 10-year Airbnb history of stays that I have felt so unwelcomed. From being told repeatedly Diana could have had someone for 5 nights if she didn't accept my booking, meanwhile, I paid for two, and yes only stayed for one. Due to train strikes and a change of plans out of my hands, I let her know that day, through the Airbnb app, at 6/7pm, that I would no longer stay by her that second night. I paid for that night, as it was last minute, and I did not ask nor expect a refund. She still made me feel bad about it.
When I stayed by her, she made sure I was at the house by 10pm, when she and her son did not go to bed for another hour. I would have appreciated that time with my old friend of twenty years who I took a plane, train and Airbnb to see. I also didn't appreciate being asked to check out at 7:50am the next day because she did not want a stranger in the house while she took her son to school. I also didn't appreciate that she was being upset with me that I was using the bathroom to get ready until the time to go- because she needed it, too, and there was only one bathroom. I understand, but then maybe it wasn't a good time for her to have an Airbnb guest?
I really felt like an inconvenient, unwelcome guest from before I arrived until the moment of leaving. And that is a shame and not in the spirit of Airbnb.
In contrast, I spent my first night in London with another Airbnb and I had never felt so welcomed. I left a raving review for those wonderful hosts who treated me like an old friend and were more than happy to have me stay with them. They were impacted by my late arrival due to train strikes, but they understood it was out of my control and they handled it with grace and excellent, proactive communication. There too was only for one night. And there, I only paid for one night! Best, Raquel