We stayed for 5 nights. In the morning of our 3rd day stay, we found a large roach at one of the bathrooms. Later during our stay at night, we found another gecko. (We have photos for both)
We were really surprised and concerned when seeing the roach and reached out to the host right away. We also sent the picture and asked about their pest control. The host didn’t reply until the night of that day after we followed up. We said that we certainly didn’t except this to take place given their high ratings.
The host did apologize first and said the site management typically come to check every 3months. Nevertheless, once we expressed our concern, frustration and surprise caused by this (“this is a negative experience during our vacation”) , their response immediately got really defensive. They insisted that their place was “immaculate”, how much money they already spent in cleaning the bed linens, carpet etc before we checked in and this is beyond their control due to the tropical weather and the roach may snuck in from the front door or the patio door.
To be honest, their response didn’t feel to be genuine and solid. We understood that you may see a gecko in tropical region. But for roaches? Also in the morning at a bathroom? Isn’t that a much more serious cleanliness issue? For the record, we never left the front door or the patio door open. It is just like an excuse. Also keeping emphasizing your cleaning cost made the entire thing feel weird.
We appreciated that they prepared the home nicely while checking in, but it is a fact that we found a large roach at the bathroom! It is non deniable.
What’s more, after checking out, the host gave us a call asking about the stay. We said that we will report this issue to Airbnb.
She mentioned that the roach issue is quite prevalent in their site. There may be more in the first floor and sometimes the roaches can run into the second floor where their home is located. Obviously, they have been aware of this issue, but didn’t mention any in their earlier text reply or their home description.