I recently stayed at a listing in Mexico City that turned out to be an active construction site. When we first arrived, my group was frustrated but unsure how to proceed. Within two days, the conditions became unbearable: construction noise, dust, and debris made the unit uninhabitable. We reached out to Airbnb at that point, but were essentially ghosted. The Host’s only “solution” was to offer us a much smaller unit that was not at all comparable for our large group.
As the stay went on, the construction moved closer and closer to our direct path, forcing us to walk through scaffolding, exposed wires, wet staircases with no railing, and dust-filled hallways. By midweek, the situation had escalated so badly that I required virtual medical care for respiratory issues caused by the environment.
What’s most upsetting is how Airbnb handled this. At first, I was told this wasn’t a safety issue. Later, another case manager admitted it was a severe violation of hosting standards. My repeated requests to speak to the Trust & Safety team went nowhere, and no one ever followed up about the health impacts. We ended up checking out early as we did not hear from Airbnb in a timely fashion.
The Host manages hundreds of listings and has a major social media presence, so they should know better than to advertise unsafe spaces. Airbnb has since removed the listing, which confirms my concerns were valid, but I still haven’t received a resolution.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of inconsistency in how safety issues are handled? It’s deeply unsettling to travel abroad, face escalating hazards like this, and then feel brushed aside or blamed by Support. Guests deserve timely, serious responses when reporting unsafe conditions, not contradictory messaging.
I’m sharing my story in hopes Airbnb will review how safety-related cases are escalated and resolved. Guests should not have to go through this when the platform promises “AirCover.”
