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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to mention the smell?

43 replies

friedeggsandcustard · 08/08/2019 06:44

On holiday this week and in an Airbnb. It’s a newly done cottage and its very comfortable, well equipped with lots of extras. I think we are some of the first visitors, the hosts have been lovely. 5 stars so far...

But, it smells. I am very sensitive to smell but even DH has mentioned it. When we arrived the whole place reeked of chemical air freshener and the scented conditioner used to wash the bedding etc. We’ve had to keep the windows open all week just to breathe... however we have now found out why - we thought they might be trying to hide damp - it’s an old cottage, but now we discover that the property shares its boundaries with a sewage works and a intensive chicken farm.

I appreciate this is the countryside and you have to expect smells... but the combination is nothing like any rural/ farm smells I had before. AIBU to mention this in our feedback?

OP posts:
Jamhandprints · 08/08/2019 06:49

It does sound gross but they can't do anything about it. Is it ok inside with the windows closed? Other guests should know but nobody would ever stay there again if they read that in the reviews.

BettyFilous · 08/08/2019 06:52

We stayed in a cottage where the artificial air freshener and pot pourri were over powering (no neighbouring smelly businesses) because it made DS and me wheezy for the first 48 hours of our stay. I went round unplugging all the plug-ins and hid the pot pourri in a cupboard and it got better. I mentioned it to the owner because she was new to it and had asked for feedback. DS and I have mild asthma too. It was too much!

SummerSun10 · 08/08/2019 06:53

That sounds horrible, you should definitely mention it. People should be warned about things like this before they book.

StripeySocks29 · 08/08/2019 06:56

You should definitely mention it in a review, I’m very sensitive to smells so I would want to know, because I wouldn’t be able to stay there.

GirlRaisedInTheSouth · 08/08/2019 06:59

I bought an old Merc from a Sri Lankan guy (known for their high standards of cleanliness) and it had 17 air fresheners in it.

Bourbonbiccy · 08/08/2019 06:59

You should mention it to the owner direct and see what they say. Then put it in the review.

I always think it's a bit weird when people put things in a review but haven't even mentioned it during their stay.

Roomba · 08/08/2019 07:03

It wasn't my dad, was it Grin? Kidding, he's not Sri Lankan, but he loves filling his car with a million overpowering air fresheners! If he ever gives us a lift, me and the kids have to wind all the windows down as we're suffocating with it. It is so overpowering, sickly and makes my eyes water. We all get headaches after being in his car too, I can't believe it doesn't bother him! He loves a good old plug in air freshener at home too.

growlingbear · 08/08/2019 07:03

YANBU. They should have mentioned it. And overpowering artificial scent is repulsive. Had to stay in a B&B that reeked of it so much it triggered my asthma. Luckily it was warm and we could sleep with the windows open but it's a health hazard. Mention it, If I were booking an airbnb I'd really want to know.

Bagadverts · 08/08/2019 07:05

The neighbours and both smells would really affect someone enjoying a holiday so please mention it. Include all the good stuff as well.
Unfortunately the owners have to accept that location will limit the people who will stay.

Podwoman888 · 08/08/2019 07:10

I would mention the smell, then maybe they'll tone it down a bit next time.

A good job no-one in your family has an allergy otherwise it could set them off wheezing !

BustedDreams · 08/08/2019 07:10

I wouldn’t be able to stay anywhere where I wasn’t able to have windows open. I need fresh air, especially to sleep. Otherwise I wake with a muggy hangover type thing. I’d mention it on the feedback, it will help other visitors decide to stay there or not.

Furrydogmum · 08/08/2019 07:10

Will the feedback go online? (I've never done airbnb) I wouldn't want to book somewhere like that and would hope previous guests would put it out there..

Chouetted · 08/08/2019 07:15

I'd complain about the air freshener (asthma), but not the sewage or chickens.

I grew up in a rural area and some of the smells were ghastly, especially after muck spreading, but you just get used to it. And learn not to breathe through your nose.

Tentomidnight · 08/08/2019 07:17

I’d email the owner directly to explain fully and mention it briefly in your review. I’d want to know if I was going to book as I am really sensitive to smells, too.

We stayed in an Air BnB where the bedding stank of highly perfumed laundry liquid/conditioner and it permeated the whole place and made the entire family feel nauseous.

MrsSpenserGregson · 08/08/2019 07:24

I'd say something to the owner - I'd be pretty cross actually. Being next to a sewage plant is absolutely something you should have been told about before booking. It's dishonest.

I'd mention it in reviews too. The owner surely understands that not everyone will want to stay next to a smelly sewage plant!

I'd also mention the chickens in the review.

Ellmau · 08/08/2019 07:33

The battery chickens nearby would also be offputting.

verticality · 08/08/2019 07:38

Don't mention it in a public review, but leave private feedback for the owner - Airbnb allows you to do this with a separate section.

Gizlotsmum · 08/08/2019 07:39

I would mention the artificial smells. Did the sewage works and chicken farm actually smell noticeably when you were outside the property or had the windows open? If so mention them if not just mention the chemical smell overload.

errorofjudgement · 08/08/2019 07:41

I think one of the difficulties with air bnb is that you don’t know the exact location of the property until you book. So if the owner hasn’t mentioned the sewage farm then visitors will be unaware until they’ve paid and turned up.
Absolutely you should mention this in your review, the owners are being unfair in not raising it.

tulippa · 08/08/2019 07:43

I think potential customers deserve to know. That would ruin a holiday for me - chicken farm smell is AWFUL!

Alarmclockstop · 08/08/2019 07:44

Yes mention it in your review, they bought a place next to a chicken farm, renters should have the option to not pay to stay there.

theWarOnPeace · 08/08/2019 07:50

Definitely complain, they knew what they were doing. I’d be really pissed off if I were you, all of that would have ruined my holiday.

MerryMarigold · 08/08/2019 07:58

Can you smell the sewage or chickens? If you can, mention that too. You could say: it didn't bother us as much as the air fresheners!

Doilooklikeatourist · 08/08/2019 07:58

Mention it to the owners ( you can message them via Airbnb )
Put it in the review , and give them a bad score for location

PaperFlowers4 · 08/08/2019 07:59

The fact that you’re even asking about whether you should mention these problems in a review is one of the reasons why I’ve gone off air bnb. The hosts are often “lovely” so guests are then hesitant to be honest with their feedback, which makes the reviews pretty useless as a means of choosing a suitable property.

If it was a review about a Premier Inn I bet you wouldn’t think twice about leaving honest feedback.

Please mention the issues in your public review. As an asthmatic the air fresheners would bother me, and the chicken plant would disturb me. It’s the kind of thing I would want to know about so I could scratch the property off the list.