Our Air bnb is rated 4.64 out of 5 and yet..

[PurpleBaskets]

…it is dirty, it’s noisy, it smells. There are hardly any kitchen utensils, no baking trays etc. The windows don’t shut properly. I have had to put pieces of cardboard in the huge gap in the front door because it was rattling. It’s so cold. The house creaks and rattles, the road outside sounds like it is in the living room and bedrooms. Everywhere is sticky and dirty.
Yet it is rated so highly! Over 100 reviews. It wasn’t cheap either. This keeps happening to us, maybe I’m just expecting too much?

It doesn't have to be Airbnb or a hotel. There are 10s of thousands of holiday properties you can rent directly for much less than using Airbnb.

Urgh air bnb has really gone downhill I think.

I do also think that because they rate you, it does incline you to be nicer in your review. Even though you don't see each other's feedback until it's published, there's a kind of etiquette that you are polite.

It used to be relevant to rate guests because so often they were literally in your home and it almost had a home swap or coach surfing vibe about it. It was cheaper too. People would rent out their homes during the times they were away.

But now so many properties are year round holiday lets and largely commercial - they often appear across all the holiday letting websites - so the idea of rating guests is a bit churlish. Hotels don't.

I always read every review carefully and even if everything else is glowing, the mere mention of 'perhaps the wifi could be a little stronger' or 'the walk to the beach is perhaps a little more than the stated five minutes...' I run for the hills. Because that is air bnb review speak for 'the wifi is dial-up which only works when the north wind blows' and 'the beach is three bus rides away (but no buses).'

@allgreythings

Op have you been drinking

It sounds like one of the two of you may have been.

They’re definitely hit and miss. We’ve had one brilliant one, a handful of ok ones and one really shit one.

The last place we stayed had loads of excellent reviews and comments about how clean it was. On first impression it did look that way - but when the kids dropped something behind a sofa cushion I pulled it away and omg it was rank- hair, loads of bits of food, plastic toys, dust. After that I just kept seeing ‘hidden’ dirt everywhere - weird marks/ streaks on the wall, dust if you ever moved anything out of place, stains on the crockery.

The final straw was when the carbon monoxide alarm kept going off and we couldn’t get hold of the host. Not exactly a relaxing holiday experience …

But I agree with others about the reviews - generally there’s a bit of an unspoken agreement not to be overly harsh or personal when it’s someone’s home and they know who you are… a couple of times I’ve felt really guilty posting an average review only to get glowing feedback. But on the flip side, I once gave a decent review and didn’t mention the minor niggles we’d had, only for them to mark me down for stripping the beds (thought i was being helpful!)

Don’t like Airbnb’s that much the standards are never met, the rating goes both ways so everyone mainly gives people good feedback however this makes it unfair and disappointing when greeted with a rundown place to stay.

We've stayed in great Airbnbs as we have allergies in the family too. It's a shame that you've been so unlucky. I don't think the other websites listed are better. They're just more corporate.

Yep I’ve stayed in some awful ones - I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one that had bad reviews?!

I have given up on Airbnb because the pictures are always taken when the space was brand new and doesn't show the current reality, the reviews are inflated because people just don't like giving poor reviews. If I were you, I would message the host and tell them that the place is unacceptable and you will leave a bad review if they do not allow you to cancel so you can go to a hotel. If that doesn't work (though, it has always worked for me), I would tell them they need to send a cleaner over to deep clean and provide new kitchen supplies.

Well, we all had an awful nights sleep. The bedroom windows (which are single glazed anyway) don’t shut properly as they are so old. I can hear every car going by from the fairly busy road below as if the window is wide open. Yet in the reviews, some people describe it as “quiet”!
We spoke to the owner yesterday about a couple of issues which they did sort out to be fair. I’m not sure what else we say now really, do I really point out every issue while we are here, they won’t be able to do anything about the majority of it and I can see them coming round and making a big fuss which I don’t want. The house is just really awful!
Thanks for all the responses, at least it isn’t just us. Don’t think I will be using air bnb again.

Have stayed in ten airbnbs, 9 were excellent, 1 was rubbish. The rubbish one was a new property with only one review (clearly from the owners friends), I only stayed there as everything else booked up and I regretted it.

They all had baking trays 😬

Stay in places with at least 15 reviews and an average if 4.9 or above and you’ll be fine. And always read every single review before you go.

@JimmyDurham

Why use Air bnb when there are perfectly good hotels?

We much prefer Air Bnb as you can get a whole place rather than being stuck in a room and we prefer to self cater. A lot of holiday cottages have a minimum of a week booking but you don't have that with Air Bnb. And also in a lot of the places we like to go there aren't any hotels.

We haven't had a bad Airbnb and we've used it quite a few times now, but I read every review and I also go to Google streetview and find the property so I can check out its exact location. If you're a decent sleuth you can use pictures of the outside or the terrace or the view from the windows to figure out exactly where it is - that way I can see if it's on a busy road, above a cafe or restaurant, etc. Having stayed in one (otherwise lovely) apartment that was above a cafe I'll never make that mistake again!

Air BNBs are ruining small towns and tourist areas for locals who can't even live near their hometown anymore (and contribute to housing shortages nationally). I'd urge you to think twice, although most people don't care because it's not their problem.

Only stayed in three but all were nicer than we had expected for the price.

@kindlyensure

Urgh air bnb has really gone downhill I think.

I do also think that because they rate you, it does incline you to be nicer in your review. Even though you don't see each other's feedback until it's published, there's a kind of etiquette that you are polite.

It used to be relevant to rate guests because so often they were literally in your home and it almost had a home swap or coach surfing vibe about it. It was cheaper too. People would rent out their homes during the times they were away.

But now so many properties are year round holiday lets and largely commercial - they often appear across all the holiday letting websites - so the idea of rating guests is a bit churlish. Hotels don't.

I always read every review carefully and even if everything else is glowing, the mere mention of 'perhaps the wifi could be a little stronger' or 'the walk to the beach is perhaps a little more than the stated five minutes...' I run for the hills. Because that is air bnb review speak for 'the wifi is dial-up which only works when the north wind blows' and 'the beach is three bus rides away (but no buses).'

Exactly this. Imagine a hotel rating guests! Most of the AirBNBs I've stayed in have been commercial lets, just as expensive as any other let. It just has a good website/interface.

I have also stopped using Airbnb, I love hoseasons website, it’s mainly uk but have never been disappointed.

We prefer self catering to hotels and will stay in anything from a caravan to a large house

We always used to stay in B&Bs which were affordable and usually really nice. We only stopped because it's not always as easy with a child and hotels tend to be more practical. But now we're child-free again to all intents and purposes we will go back to staying in B&Bs. We use a network called Bed and Breakfast nationwide - they are always good, very good or excellent.

I've never liked the idea of AirBnBs, always seemed to be at the mercy of the capriciousness of the owner.

As for reviews, if most people say the place was clean and the staff were pleasant, that's all I want. If someone bitches about the size of the bathroom or the softness or otherwise of the towels, I ignore those reviews. If most say the place was dirty or the staff didn't care, I won't stay there.

@DrSbaitso

I hate Airbnb. I hate staying in someone else's house with their stuff everywhere. I'd infinitely rather pay a bit more and go to a hotel with a private room with only hotel stuff in it. I don't care if it's sterile, in fact I kind of like that...makes me feel like I'm really properly away and someone else is dealing with the cleaning and laundry and bed making. Feels professional and reassuring. I've never had a "bad" Airbnb, but I just don't like it.

But loads of them are commercial let's now not problem renting their home out. We've used it a few times and it's generally been ok. One place we struggled to get the heat working properly but we just went out and bought an electric oil heater.

Some agencies now use it as a booking platform as well so you'll see them listed as the 'host'.

As to the stay in a hotel ideas... much more room in self catering!! No sitting in the bathroom waiting for the kids to go to sleep!!

But on the flip side, I once gave a decent review and didn’t mention the minor niggles we’d had, only for them to mark me down for stripping the beds (thought i was being helpful

For goodness sake. Just proves my point about owners being capricious!

Air b and bs sometimes are actually small letting companies and those can be better. It’s hard to tell which but I’ve booked a place in brighton and they own a few places. That was much better.

The way the reviews are done on airbnb with guests being rated too means people are not honest in my opinion. I have only ever stayed in two airbnb and both were poor for the money. I have given up now. In the UK I will book travel lodge or similar now.

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience OP.

I run an Airbnb (superhost), and am currently staying in a beautiful one by the sea right now. I have had one bad experience, staying in a room in someones house and was made to feel unwelcome, but it was £30 and felt I couldn't complain.

I would like to say that far from ruining communities, ours has really boosted our little town. We have people globally come to stay, and we recommend places for them to visit. Our town is not on the tourist trail, and seeing others delight in our 'hidden gem' of a town is a true pleasure.

Please let the host know how your stay has affected you, and has broken your trust to rebook other airbnbs. If they are in any way good hosts, they will refund you heftily.

You deserve what you get for using a mainly unregulated site that ruins cities and towns and destroys renters safety