Hubby and I have travelled extensively within the US - and to a more limited extent, internationally. We both have happily stayed at and appreciated the value of the full range of housing options, from super cheap motels and hostels to five star resorts, and everything in between. We have AirBnB’d several times since COVID and have had fantastic experiences with each stay… until now.
When I say these properties should be approached with extreme caution, despite some glowing reviews, I don’t say so lightly. We run several small businesses and always want to honor and give the benefit of the doubt to other small businesses, but we feel we were both manipulated and cheated (as we spent a couple thousand dollars for a week stay which was nowhere worth that money), and my health may have been put at risk as well.
We have experienced two of this lister’s properties. The first we arrived at to find pubic hair in the master bathtub, hair on the floor, filthy baseboards and air vents, smears and rings on all glass and furniture surfaces - dirt and grime throughout the dwelling. Most importantly, there was mold growing in the bathroom, and having previously being exposed to mold, I am allergic. I immediately notified both the lister and AirBnB of cleanliness and probable health issues and was offered a another of “Tu’s” properties.
Note the “air quotes” around the name Tu… I don’t know who the pleasant looking young woman whose photo accompanies these listings might be, but she is not who showed up to show my husband this property. The middle aged man who did was unapologetic, unfriendly and actually rude when my husband arrived. He asked this gentleman on the property how to find Tu, he pointed without speaking or smiling to the door, later reappearing to ask if we would take the property, confirming that he was in some way associated with the owner.
This property was not as bad as the first, but certainly hadn’t been cleaned throughout. Though the property is listed as “new,” the vents certainly are not; they appeared to have a “beard” of dust and dirt, definitely not new and probably not cleaned (inside or out) for years. The furniture looked (and the place smelled) as though they had been bought used, then sprayed with metallic spray paint; there were children’s or dog nose smears at knee level on the (tiny) patio’s glass door; and we noticed after automatically removing our shoes to come in (as is our usual habit) that the bottoms of our feet were black within minutes. After showering, same thing again - we awkwardly had to wear shoes indoors. We suspect it may be continually tracked in from from the grit and silt in the garage, which is abysmally grimy - with a dark gray patch covering about 1/3 of every stair’s carpet from the garage up to ground level. The floors throughout were filthy, but this was well masked by the dark color of the vinyl “wood” floors indoors. There was hair on the floor as well, about 20 loose and disintegrating pills in the master bathroom mirror cabinet - and among other bizarre “features,” instead of a curtain or shutter on the front door window, it was covered with the same vinyl shelf lining as the microwave. 😶 Why cover it in the first place? 🤔
All of this, the ridiculous to the repulsive, we endured - because we needed a place to stay and I am immune compromised and disabled, so finding a third option for the remainder of our week’s stay would have been even harder than the “beds” on property, which appear to be one box spring stacked on top of another. 😧 They had sharp edges and were as hard as a rock, lol. I personally have no problem with very firm mattresses - but I was nowhere close to comfortable in either bed, and my husband is still in pain and seeing a chiropractor from it (and that’s never happened to him from any bed he’s slept in for his 55 years).
I probably would have let *all* of this go without leaving a negative review, as I do my best to give folks the benefit of the doubt - times are especially tough these days, amirite? - and I had seen some positive reviews! I figured perhaps the property manager(s) was/were having a rough patch… but then? 😬
After checking out, I got a message from “Tu” (or whomever is pretending to be this self-described “very nice” person), with a screen shot of a 5 star review for me as a renter, actually requesting that I do the same for “her” - but also, to “not leave any comments” if I was “still stuck.” Lol. All of a sudden it all made sense…
It does explain why there are some glowing reports, even if these properties are *always* in such an atrocious state. Plenty of people would feel guilty, and so hesitate to leave frank criticism, about a lovely-looking young lady who makes a point of saying she is “very nice.” However, if she does exist - and is intending to be in integrity with AirBnB’s policy to supply a clean, comfortable environment - she did not succeed. The blatant manipulation represented by that message is simply not acceptable. I suspect it is a conscious attempt to provide atrocious or unacceptable service but evade the consequences of doing so.
I would personally NEVER stay at one of these properties again under any circumstances. I wouldn’t even if I *weren’t* allergic to the probable mold my husband saw and photographed (and I sent to AirBnB).
If you choose to stay at any of these properties, please be prepared to inspect and report it for cleanliness and possible mold/health issues, and then move, more than once if you’re not as disabled as I am… to be supremely uncomfortable and sometimes disgusted if you do stay,