Booking an Airbnb is always a bit of a gamble. You could score a stunning apartment in the heart of the city you’re visiting, or you might show up to find that the photos on the site were taken a decade ago and all of the home’s amenities are barely functioning. But no matter how disappointing a rented place can be, we still expect them to be safe.
Unfortunately, one traveler recently learned that even safety isn’t always a guarantee. Below, you’ll find an upsetting story that was shared on the Airbnb subreddit, detailing why this woman says she’ll never use the platform again.
While staying in an Airbnb all by herself, this woman was shocked to wake up and find someone else there
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Now, she says she’ll never use the website again
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Later, the guest shared an update after speaking to the host
Image source: [anonymous]
She also posted the response that Airbnb sent her
Over the past few years, Airbnb seems to have lost its luster
Airbnb was once a godsend for travelers on a budget who wanted to have an authentic experience in the cities they visited. Rather than sleeping in a sterile hotel room with free breakfast in the morning, many of us were thrilled to have the option to save $20 per night and sleep on a stranger’s fold out couch. This is how the locals live! And at least we have a kitchen!
But over the past few years, the appeal of using Airbnb has been diminishing. Due to exorbitant cleaning fees, the stress of having to coordinate with hosts, issues upon arrival and the opportunity to stay in hotels for much less, many travelers have now sworn off the site. Time reported in 2022 that many Airbnb rentals that were fully booked a few years ago are now sitting empty, as the vacation rental site has lost its charm.
“It seems like a lot of people are kind of fed up with Airbnb, and they’re angry about how some hosts treat them now,” host Jim Ewing told Time. “I’m curious to see if my timing for leaving the short-term market is the right move, and if in six months or 12 months, Airbnb becomes a bad investment for people.”
We reached out to the woman who posted this story on Reddit, and she shared that there haven't been any updates on the situation since she shared Airbnb's response in the comments. "They said they would investigate the matter, but that was the last I heard." She also noted that their solution to the issue was to simply refund her partially for her stay. "I probably won’t use Airbnb again," she told Bored Panda.
This is not the first time a guest has had concerns about their safety
When it comes to cutting costs, Nerd Wallet reports that the average Airbnb for 6 people is 33% cheaper than booking three hotel rooms. However, the average hotel is 29% cheaper than booking an Airbnb if you only have two guests. So the best option financially will depend on the size of your party. But that’s not the only factor to consider.
According to Bloomberg, the woman who shared this story on Reddit is certainly not the only one who’s had a dangerous and frightening encounter while staying in an Airbnb. Yet the company spends millions of dollars every year to keep these unsavory stories from seeing the light of day. In 2015, a woman staying in a Manhattan Airbnb came home to find a man waiting in the room with a knife, ready to rape her.
Apparently, this particular Airbnb had two sets of keys floating around, one of which was never returned. After the horrifying experience, Airbnb wrote the woman a $7 million dollar check as long as she agreed not to talk about the settlement or imply that Airbnb or the host was responsible for the assault.
Airbnb’s entire business model rests on the idea that we can trust strangers to open up their homes to us, and we’ll have a safe place to stay for a reasonable price. But today, travelers are realizing that the service is not always the most affordable, most convenient or safest option. Stories have surfaced over the past couple of years exposing hosts for secretly filming their guests, and exorbitant cleaning fees have deterred guests from making future bookings.
Alternatives to Airbnbs may be cheaper, more convenient, more ethical and safer
According to Airbnb’s site, they’re available 24/7 to assist guests and hosts and ensure their safety. But the reality is that it’s very challenging to enforce these rules with over 7 million properties listed around the globe. And when we look at the ethics of Airbnb as a whole, the idea can become questionable.
Using valuable living spaces as vacation rentals can contribute to housing crises in certain areas, and these rentals can negatively impact locals’ quality of life. Rather than having a lovely neighbor they can build a relationship with and rely on when they need to borrow a cup of sugar, suddenly the grandmother next door has to deal with dozens of new loud and disrespectful tourists every week.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this frightening story in the comments below, pandas. Are you an avid Airbnb user, or have you sworn off the site as well? Feel free to share, and then if you’re looking for another Bored Panda article to read, we recommend checking out this one discussing why travelers are opting to avoid Airbnb!
Readers were quick to shared their concerns for the woman and their criticisms of Airbnb in the replies
Some even had similar experiences to share
