Dear AirBNB community,
I have been an AirBNB host for over 5 years. I am a Superhost and an AirBNB Plus host. I recently had a concerning situation and would like other hosts feedback.
The situation:
The guest made a reservation for 1 person. He arrived at 11pm and I made sure he was able to enter. He hurriedly said 'I'll be right back' and left the door of the unit and the gate door wide open and didn't return for the next 20 minutes. I closed and locked both doors.
He had a lady friend over and had loud relations all day and night. I had already informed him that I would be working from home, but rather than communicating over the app, called my cell phone to request a lighter (at which point I reminded him that there is no smoking in the unit) and later called my cell phone to ask if the wine in the room was for guests.
I asked him if there was someone besides him in the unit and he said 'yes, my girlfriend', so I asked him to please modify the reservation to 2 people.
He then stated that another lady friend would be coming over and I declined, stating that was not allowed by my house rules. He got upset and threatened to leave. He then knocked on my door. I was afraid so I did not open the door and I texted neighbors and friends to standby in case of an altercation. I also immediately messaged Airbnb. I waited hours for a response, phoned AirBNB, and still was unable to get assistance. I messaged with a customer service representative that I was concerned about safety and that I am not comfortable continuing the reservation and was told that the reservation is still active and I must continue the reservation. Meanwhile, I messaged the guest asking if he knocked on the door and if he needed something to please let me know through the app. He responded saying that he wanted to say goodbye because he was leaving.
Subsequently, the guest messaged saying that he forgot something and was coming back and would be staying the night. I responded that I could meet him outside with his belongings but that I had already changed the code and could not accept him back due to inability to follow house rules. Airbnb refused to cancel the reservation for me, so I placed a request to modify the reservation.
I am a woman who lives alone and was genuinely scared for my safety based on the angry response from the guest when I declined to allow additional guests. I felt AirBNB provided me no protection and it felt like I had just found a guest on Craigslist and had no support for a difficult situation.
What experience have others had?