The host was unresponsive. Our stay was officially refunded by the AirBnB safety team after they were unable to reach the host. Detailed info below:
We waited in the summer heat with our luggages on a narrow road for 2 hours with cars horning at us as we tried to find the apartment. Finding parking on the street was also a nightmare - on a Tuesday afternoon. The host didn’t send any check-in instructions until 30m before 4pm which was the first red flag.
We realized that the pictures in the listing didn’t match any of the check-in photos and instructions. The exterior of the building and wooden doors didn’t match any of the buildings at the address the host gave us. For example, the official address on the listing is “6 Albers”, whereas the check-in instructions described a “4 Paradise Bay” and a “metallic white gate” with the number “7”.
We asked passers-by on the street who tried to help despite the fact they couldn’t speak English. We also found a kind old lady, a neighbor, who walked with us to numerous buildings and felt sorry for us and helpless.
During this period, we made numerous calls to the 2 numbers the host provided, one of which was an “ emergency line” and also sent 5 messages on AirBnB pleading for the host to respond. We then called the AirBnB safety team who were also unable to reach the host which meant we were stranded in the evening with no place to stay (after a tiring day of travel). Ultimately, the reservation was refunded but I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else.
Some suggestions for the host:
1) Display accurate photos of the building exterior and doors so that they match the listing photos.
2) Provide clear check-in instructions and make sure you are available via phone or via AirBnB at the time your guests are checking in.
3) Please don’t call your guests back 2 hours later to brag that you have had hundreds of stays and we are the first guests who have had this issue. It is disappointing that the host didn’t even apologize and blamed us instead.