Airbnb horror stories are being swapped after one disgruntled guest shared a photo of what appeared to be a large bathroom with a bed in it.
David Holtz shared the picture on Monday, attracting the attention of Twitter as well as the company itself, which has offered to help sort out the issue. It is believed the room without a view is in London but the original listing has not been made public.
“Tfw [that feeling when] you arrive at your @airbnb and realize [sic] that the whole space is essentially just a large-ish bathroom that the host put a bed into,” he wrote.
In another tweet, he continued: “After sleeping for 2 nights one foot away from a toilet, I’m ready to sleep for 26 nights in the jungles of Fiji.”
tfw you arrive at your @airbnb and realize that the whole space is essentially just a large-ish bathroom that the host put a bed into pic.twitter.com/ImlxVWtAXF
— David Holtz (@daveholtz) July 10, 2023
His post sparked jokes and other stories of bad experiences with Airbnb, including one who said she slept on a baby cot.
An official Airbnb account replied to Mr Holtz: “Thank you for reaching out to us. Please send us a DM with the email address connected to your Airbnb account, so we can take a closer look.”
Mr Holtz has declined media requests beyond that he hopes the exposure can help him appear as a contestant on US reality series Survivor, a Bear Grylls-type show.
Airbnb told the Standard: “Our customer service team has been in contact with this guest to provide support. We encourage guests to review all photos, as well as the description and reviews, prior to booking a stay.”
But he was not the only one to have had a bad experience with Airbnb. Here are some of the best stories found online. The Evening Standard is unable to verify the accounts beyond what has been shared.
‘I once slept on a baby cot in a hallway in NYC’
I once slept on a baby cot in a hallway in NYC
— Helen Tran (@tranhelen) July 10, 2023
Helen Tran said on Twitter that the experience several years ago had not put her off.
She added: “Airbnb is especially bad in New York, Montreal and Paris, in my experience. I think the latter two may have been a confusion in translations.
“I mean it's kind of funny. Adventures of the 20s!”
Sulanga Ghosh added: “I had to shift out of a student hostel and landed in a similar bathroom!”
When in London...
I’ve had one exactly like this in London. It was in 2016 I believe … left after 20 minutes (it was super dirty) and fortunately found another Airbnb …
— Tina Nigro ✨ 🥽 (@tina__nigro) July 10, 2023
Tina Nigro tweeted: “I’ve had one exactly like this in London. It was in 2016 I believe … left after 20 minutes (it was super dirty) and fortunately found another Airbnb …”
“This is awesome, man,” Fahir wrote. “You don't have to get up when you need to pee.”
Jon Nilsen added: “Always wanted to brush my teeth in bed.”
Well, at least...
I stayed somewhere like this in NYC. Only difference was curtain between bed and toilet lol
— Maile (@MailePRMedia) July 10, 2023
Maile could at least see the positive side of her own experience.
She wrote: “I stayed somewhere like this in NYC. Only difference was curtain between bed and toilet lol.”
‘I saw my kitchen in the background’
On Reddit there are many more stories of Airbnb listings gone wrong.
One anonymous user said: “I had one "tenant" make a porn. I didn't find out until I was cruising [a Reddit thread] r/unexpectedsex (NSFW). I noticed my living room and kitchen.”
Another said: “Had a guest rent my apartment for a music festival and my wife and I came by to check on the place and found that the guests were storing their drugs in my child's crib. We bought a new crib after we kicked them out.”
