Review for Donna and Gerald,
TLDR: There were no curtains at all on this ground-floor rental and it was clear to us that animals were allowed onsite (we're allergic), forcing us to leave at our own expense.
We booked the villa for Thanksgiving weekend and were looking forward to a romantic getaway for just the two of us. Given that we both have really bad allergies to animals, we double checked that no pets were allowed by guests and saw no indication that any lived on the premises either.
We arrived and the premises was very clean and tidy, however there were no curtains or window coverings on the floor-to-ceiling windows that line the entirety of the living space, including the bathroom - meaning that when you step in and out of the shower there is a full-length window that you can clearly see out of - we checked later from the outside and there is a screen but it certainly doesn't feel protected or private from the inside. We also learned as we left the property after dark that the curtains in the bedroom were almost entirely see-through, meaning the one place that had window coverings in fact did not have privacy at all. We took photos and videos to show how exposed this is and we'll try to post them if we can. Additionally, the owners live above the rental with many ways for them to see you, so it did not feel as private as initially promised, the cameras did not help.
When we attempted to take a shower, the fire alarm went off. The sauna door was jammed and required a good deal of effort/maneuvering to get the door to close, which was necessary for not only enjoyment of the sauna but also to avoid setting off the fire alarm (which was indicated as a risk in the manual, to their credit.)
About an hour after checking in, the pool guys came by unannounced, but that was fine - they were exceptionally friendly.
As my husband and I spent time indoors, however, we both began to feel allergic (anyone with cat or dog allergies can relate) - we double checked the cloth surfaces on the couch covers and saw cat hair, plus there are multiple shag/high-pile carpets that we imagined would hold dander.
We determined that we wouldn't be able to stay and decided to cancel the remainder of our reservation and check out the following day, not our ideal way to spend Thanksgiving morning (feeling ill and having to relocate.) We reached out to the hosts in response to their check-in message and got this response. - I've copied the conversation below.
We will be following up with AirBnB directly to attempt to recoup some of our costs, as we feel there were key facts that were misrepresented.
My message:
Hi Donna and Greg,
Thanks for reaching out, we've actually encountered a pretty problematic situation that's significantly impacting us and our stay. My husband and I have severe allergies to animals and we review all of our Airbnb reservations and descriptions to ensure there are not animals onsite or allowed by guests. Upon our arrival here, however, we've noticed what looks like cat hair on the couches and we're both feeling very allergic. As such we're physically unable to stay here and will be leaving today to stay elsewhere. We would have cancelled our reservation last night but were unsure if doing so would have forced us to find somewhere else to sleep immediately.
We understand this cancellation falls outside of your refund policy timeline and as it stands we'd essentially not be entitled to any of our money back, however we were hoping to get some portion of the stay returned as we will only be using 1 of our 3 nights.
We're currently eating our breakfast and will be packing up and leaving shortly, we'll message you when we've left.
Message from Donna and Greg:
Hi Ashley,
We are sorry to hear that you and your husband have had allergic reactions. However, they certainly cannot be attributed to animals in our home, as we have had none here. The ‘hair’ on the couches are the result of the wear and tear of the fabric but are not of animals.
As I am sure you will understand, on Thanksgiving Day it will not be possible for us to organize the necessary home cleaning and open the Airbnb calendar for others to reserve the home.
We hope that you get well soon, can find a place to stay and will still be able to enjoy the holiday.
Best regards,
Gerald