Note: When I refer to the host I mean Catherine, Kathleen’s mom, Kathleen was not present at any time during my stay.
This was one of the strangest experiences I’ve had at an Airbnb. I stayed for about 5 weeks, while my girlfriend joined me for the first 3 weeks or so. When we arrived the host was kind and showed us around, asked us if we’d be cooking, we said yes, and she offered to show us how to use the stove, air fryer, etc, and offered anything in the fridge for us to use.
The next day we cooked - just a light pasta with some tomatoes and pre-cooked shrimp mixed in. The host complained about my girlfriend cooking too hot, turned off the stove element, then turned it back on HIGHER than what it was before. When we ate, the host asked to speak to us about cooking. She said we weren’t supposed to cook more than “boiling an egg.” We explained that we were staying 5 weeks and needed to cook and the listing said light cooking was OK. The host replied that “just because it was offered doesn’t mean we expect you to use it” and “hotels don’t expect you to use their kitchens.” The host then complained about us being messy in the kitchen - keep in mind this was the first time we cooked there and hadn’t yet had a chance to clean up. The host kept pointing at spots smaller than a pinhead. We explained we’d clean up and we’d keep to light as possible meals (we basically kept to salads and wraps after this) and the host relented. We have never had problems like this before, but I will take note in the future to clarify more strongly what we’ll be cooking before booking.
While talking to us the host made some uncomfortable comments. For context, my girlfriend is Asian. The host said “Asians like to cook hot” and “Asians are messy.” After my girlfriend left the host spoke to me and was talking about how messy my girlfriend was and said “Asians don’t know what the standards are here [in the US].”
Finally, my reservation ended with Airbnb contacting me saying there was a potential breach of terms of service by the host and to leave without informing the host as it may have been a safety issue and they wanted to limit risk. I do not know the outcome of this.
Cleanliness - Overall good, but ironically the host often had rotting food in the fridge or on the counter for several days at a time. Bathroom and bedroom were clean.
Accuracy - Poor, due to the fact that the host didn’t really want us using the kitchen despite the listing saying it was available.
Communication - Poor, due to the host’s remarks and poor communication about the kitchen.
Value - OK, would be good if the listing was accurate so expectations could be properly set.