Although for some reason the apartment was NOT the one in the picture which I booked, and did not have the same character, it was clean, comfortable, and quiet. So far, so good.
On the other hand, the communication with Finlay was not good, by any standards. More hostility than hospitality. The owners insist on keys being picked up in a cafe and before 7pm. I was booking the flat for a friend who was travelling by train from Wales, a 7 hour journey. I was in Edinburgh at a work event. I had asked if my friend could pick up the keys and go to rest in the apartment. No, I was told, only the booker could. Finlay then started mentioning protection against fraud etc. Not terribly welcoming, but I agreed to come and collect the keys before 7pm. They had mentioned bring ID, fair enough, although I've never had that insisted upon on AirBnB - after all, they have my bank details, my personal details, identity verified and my photograph. I had my debit card I had used to book AirBnB with me as I headed out to the work event, as well as a work photo ID, a Rail photocard etc.
I mentioned this in message to Finlay, expecting a 'no worries, so long as you have some form of ID' type response. After all, there was no mention of passport or driver's licence in our communication. Instead, I had a bureaucratic insistence on No valid ID, no stay - valid ID means passport or driver's licence. I was trying to reassure Finlay that I was a decent person and not a criminal, but it just became more hostile. It was all quite upsetting, to be honest. He even accused me of being aggressive in my email and said if I wanted to cancel, I could. I was preparing for a work event, so didn't have time to find an alternative. I had hoped to meet Finlay in person on picking up the keys but he sent his father, the owner instead. And I didn't receive any meaningful apology from Finlay's Dad. He instead tried to make light of the whole thing, made a joke about my nationality and offered me a packet of shortbread. As an aside, my pal arrived after what ended up being an 11 hour train journey with delays following Storm Barra. My partner had to drive into Edinburgh to drop off my passport but of course it wasn't needed because Finlay's Dad was able to verify me from the verified photo on the LinkedIn profile. I am sorry if Finlay somehow got into his head that I was a criminal. Indeed Finlay's Dad mentioned how since Covid, the AirBnB has occasionally been used by criminals/ teenagers partying etc. I totally understand their caution. But, in the interests of hospitality, please give guests the benefit of the doubt, don't assume that all your guests have malicious intent.
I had appealed to the better nature, but was met with a flat response - I asked if we could talk. It would have all been resolved by a real time phone call. Instead there was back and forth of AirBnB messages. I hope we can all learn from this. Having an AirBnB may be a source of easy cash with relatively little work. But don't forget: you are in the hospitality business. Most people are good and decent and just want their friends to enjoy a stay in a beautiful city. Indeed, I have hosted people on occasions and have always got on well with anyone I stayed with.
So that I am not misrepresented by the host, if anyone wants to contact me to see the correspondence, I am happy to share in private.