We recently went on a family trip and booked everything well in advance through Airbnb. The reservation was confirmed, everything was set, and our kids were excited.
But then, out of nowhere—and at the very last minute—the host cancelled our booking.
We were already on the road, with our children in the car, in an unfamiliar city when it happened.
We immediately contacted Airbnb support. They promised they would book a replacement home for us and told us to "sit tight" while they handled it.
That’s when things went from bad to worse:
They sent us useless links to listings that were either already booked or not accepting same-day check-ins.
Every few hours, we got the same copy-paste line: “We’re working on it. It’ll be resolved in 30–60 minutes.”
In reality, we waited 6–8 hours at a time—with no help, no resolution, and eventually, our case was just closed.
We were stranded in our car with small children, in the heat, with nowhere to go.
After hours of stress and exposure, our children fell sick. Actual illness caused by being stuck in those conditions for so long.
We finally gave up on Airbnb support and contacted a host ourselves.
We ended up paying 100% more than our original booking just to get shelter that night.
And to top it all off:
The refund of $1,055.08 didn't come from Airbnb.
It didn't come from the host.
It came from my own travel insurance—which I had thankfully added during booking.
Airbnb's "support"? A 20% coupon for a future stay. That’s all.
We even emailed Airbnb leadership directly. Sent receipts, timelines, screenshots. What did we get?
More scripted replies, more “we’re sorry for the inconvenience,” and then... case closed.
At this point, we’re not just disappointed—we’re angry.
Airbnb promised to book a replacement home. They didn’t.
They watched us struggle, while our kids got sick.
And they offered nothing meaningful to make things right.
