RECENT NEGATIVE REVIEW prior to stay

[Kit536]

we are booked for 7 days and i recently read some reviews about untruthful photos and cleanliness.  should i  reach out to the host to inquire prior to the stay. i do not want to rebook as the price and locations are great -- advise?

[Emiel1]

@Kit536 

"untruthful photos and cleanliness" are serious issues, so if you are concerned, contact the host.

(Assuming the host did not leave a public comment on that reviews ?)

[Gordon0]

How bad is/are the review(s), @Kit536? If there's a pattern/trend, I'd want answers, fab location or not. 

[Anonymous]

@Kit536  If multiple recent reviews make similar negative claims, they're very likely to be true. But if you definitely don't want to cancel your booking, I don't really see much to gain by contacting the host about it. 

I guess the advantage to being forewarned about the problems is that you can lower your expectations accordingly. Hopefully you'll be enjoying your vacation enough that it doesn't get to you. But you might want to have a Plan B for what you'll do if conditions are truly unacceptable and you just can't bear to stay. Airbnb would probably grant you a refund, but you'd have to bear the extra cost and hassle of finding a last-minute alternative.