Guest Left After a Few Hours, Airbnb Refunded Them & Ignored Our Evidence

[Kim4457]

Hi everyone,

I'm very upset right now and really need some support from fellow hosts who might understand what I’m going through.

We’ve hosted for over five years at our rural home in Spain, with nothing but amazing reviews and kind feedback. Our local team in Spain, who are like family, take enormous pride in maintaining the property, and we’ve always gone above and beyond for guests.

Last year, a guest stayed just a few hours. They were welcomed by our house manager, shown everything carefully, air conditioning, kitchen, water, heating — and were seen later relaxing in the pool and chatting happily.

Then, without a word, they left and sent a long list of complaints, full of exaggerations and misleading photos. One thing our manager overheard the guest say was, “It’s too private, I don’t want to stay.” That seemed to be the real issue.

We responded immediately, provided over 20 time-stamped photos showing the property was clean, safe, and just as advertised. But Airbnb refunded them fully, and even deducted the money from a future guest’s booking.

It’s been devastating , not just financially, but emotionally. The Spanish family who’ve cared for our home for years were in tears. They’ve now stopped supporting Airbnb entirely, saying they feel betrayed.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? Is there any real way to get through to Airbnb when you’ve done everything right?

Thanks for listening, I’m honestly heartbroken and just need to know we’re not alone.

Kim

[Thembelihle1]

I completely understand your frustration, @Kim4457 . It's disheartening to invest your heart and soul into something, only to have it overlooked. I've recently had a similar experience with 3 of my listings, and my team was devastated.
The harsh reality is that Airbnb's support system is often unhelpful, but it's now worse. These days they seem to prioritize their brand growth(collabs with E Musk) over host relationships, and are quick to delete listings without thorough investigations.

Their AI-driven decisions lack nuance, with no room for special cases or grey areas. I was shocked when they removed one of our Superhost listing without fully investigating a guest's issue with a smart lock, despite our clear instructions. We appealed promptly, but they removed the listing anyway, saying we'd get it back if we're found "not guilty."

It's clear that Airbnb's priorities have shifted. They're no longer invested in supporting hosts or communities.
Now, it's about either accepting their flawed approach or exploring alternative platforms. Has anyone found better options?