Is this Airbnb a scam? In St Germain, Paris France

[Katie1771]

Link is below.  There are 70+ reviews but they are all within the last year or is (usually more spread out over time).  The price of the Airbnb is cheaper than others in the area (and on VRBO) if it is as nice as advertised.   I have also read that there is a lot of Airbnb fraud in Paris specifically.   When I go to reserve it, there is no service fee.  Why do some listings have service fees and others do not? 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/582337361009287864?check_in=2025-05-01&check_out=2025-05-06&guests=4&ad...

[Joelle43]

Hello @Katie1771 

I'm a French host and had a look at the link you provided.  It will get taken down by the moderators but you should feel confident that this is a genuine listing.  

Why?

1. Airbnb reviews can only be submitted by those that have stayed and once published, they are impossible to alter
2. The owner is a Superhost
3. The listing has been verified by Airbnb - indication of the red house on the location part
4. It is run by a conciergerie that have many, many other listings

As for the service fee, some listings do not have the Airbnb commission fee that guests are normally asked to share with the host.  In this instance, the host is paying  all of the Airbnb commission themselves which is automatic if the host/conciergerie uses a Channel Manager.  In view of the number of listings involved, this must be the case for this listing.

So all in all, a win/win for the guest.  You have to remember that with the Olympic games and the quality of the listing, they will  have been very busy so I am not surprised that they have so many reviews to be honest and this is not a red flag for me.  It's in one of the best locations in Paris so again, it will be very popular.

Have a great holiday in Paris!

Let us know what you decide though😉.

Joëlle