I am planning to stay for a month in Oaxaca during mid December to mid January, and therefore, earlier today, I requested a one month reservation for a place that was listed as a "House" under property type, and the word "casa" is in the title of the listing, not "hostal". No where in the listing does it state, hint, or indicate that it is a hostel. In fact, in the description section, "The house" is a phrase that is used twice in reference to the property. I thought I was reserving a bedroom in a private home.
When the reservation was accepted by the host, and I was able to view the location, I googled the location, as I always do with my airbnb reservations, just to get as clear of an idea as possible on where I will be staying and where I am bringing my child. The street view of the place on google maps showed a commercial street, rather than residential, and then as I further rotated the 360 view of the street, I see the a building with the name "_______ Hostel", which is apparently where my reservation is. I am traveling with my 4 year old daughter, and I am personally not comfortable with staying in a hostel for one night, let alone one month.
Unfortunately for me, the long term cancellation policy entitles me to $0 if I cancel the reservation. Does anyone know if there is any recourse for me in this situation? Would this be considered false or misleading advertisement? And if so, is there anything that I, as the potential guest, can do to get a full refund for a cancellation? Is it simply up to the host whether or not they will refund me? With a refund, Airbnb will keep my money for the service charge for the month? Will the host be penalized if they cancel? Will the host likely make me eat the money that they will be charged by Airbnb for cancelling?
I contacted the host a few hours ago to attempt to resolve the issue, and I am eagerly awaiting her response. In the meantime, I am posting here to see if anyone has any insight on how this type of situation is usually resolved. Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for advice and solutions.