****BEWARE OF LAST MINUTE CANCELLATIONS HOURS BEFORE CHECK-IN
Where do I begin? So I booked my reservation about 1 month prior to staying at the property and messaged the host with an introduction and additional details as to why I was going to be in town. I received no response. I checked 24 hours before my check-in and I had still not received any response from the host. About 3 hours before check-in while I was traveling from out of state - I received a notification that the reservation had been cancelled. Their reason, because I mentioned it was my 27th birthday and the hosts didn’t feel comfortable with my “age.” Along with the incorrect assumption of the age of my guests/ family - they also made the assumption that I had intentions of having a party because I said it was my birthday. There was zero intention to have a party - we are in a pandemic and we all took the proper safety precautions of being tested prior to the trip. My friends and family are all working professionals in law/ banking/ finance industries and the average age of the group was well over 30. The host explicitly said they were not comfortable renting the home to “kids in their mid twenties.” I’m not sure why my background must even be explained. Regardless, if these were the true reasons behind the cancellation - I don’t understand why it took an entire month to inform me of this? I had already paid all of the fees for the reservation over a month ago. So upon landing in SD, I had to find somewhere to set up and try to find a last minute booking for the weekend. I had other guests flying in as well, so this created a lot of last minute stress. With that said, AirBnB has not helped with this matter still and it has been over 3 days. It’s extremely unfortunate and I don’t wish this sort of thing to happen to anyone so I think it’s importation future guests considering this booking under the age of 30 are aware of the discrimination you will receive. Food for thought: I paid for this reservation a month ago and essentially gave a free one month zero interest loan to this host? The host won’t respond to any of my messages for an additional explanation and the listing was back up within minutes of the cancellation. It’s extremely unfortunate because it looks like a lovely home and that is what drew my attention and interest in this reservation. Please plan carefully when considering this property and make sure that you have a back up plan in case you are hours from checking in and receive a notice of cancellation.