At first glance, Joseph seemed accommodating, as I inquired about adding people to my party; however, it
he had some implicit bias and his advertisement was unclear.
He implicitly believed my stay had to do with the Ohio State football game, but I was in town for a wedding. This bias influenced how I was treated throughout the correspondence regarding the reservation.
Secondly, his advertisement was unclear as it states, “private parking behind the building”. I messaged him for clarification of the clearance, as the spot is located under a fire escape. Only after inquiring, was I informed the day before my reservation that a restaurant nearby would be occupying the “private parking”. Per the restaurant owner, Joseph was informed of the parking changes on Monday, 29 August (4 days before my reservation). With this, his communication was delayed and he was not readily available upon check-in to deal with issues concerning parking. Even with all of these things, I was still planning to stay at the property. However, I was denied a stay and refund.
Per Airbnb guidelines and US ADA Laws, no guest may be denied a stay due to the presence of a service animal. Similarly, no guest has to disclose the presence of the service animal. I informed him, out of courtesy, hoping that he would inform us about elevator access or stairs. He denied our stay due to the presence of my mother’s service dog being a part of the party intending to stay at the Airbnb.
To add insult to injury, once I called Airbnb to for a refund, per his request, he called me to chastise me about the service animal asking if I was “stranded” and gloating about how “that’s why I ended up in a hotel”. These actions were unprofessional, hostile, condescending, arrogant, and apathetic. As someone providing a service, he was not prepared or teachable concerning servicing others with accommodations.
Despite the needs of any guest, if he could not meet or satisfy them, he is responsible for a full refund and timely, tactful responses that reassure and inform the guest. While his rating is stellar with many other guests, his bias-fueled behaviors concerning my reservation were neither hospitable nor appropriate.
In the future, I would recommend Joseph speak to everyone with tact and dignity regardless of what effort they require from him as a host. I was making provisions for my mother who is a decorated disabled veteran. It is his job as the host to be accommodating and assuring at all times.