Airbnb Host Checks In ‘Polite’ Woman, Not Prepared For 5AM Call They Get

An Airbnb host who accepted a booking from a “polite” woman from the same city was left stunned at the reason her neighbors called her at 5 a.m.

The host and original poster (OP), user EntildaDesigns, shared her story on Reddit, explaining that she has been an Airbnb host for nearly four years.

She had recently been contacted by an Airbnb representative who persuaded her to enable one-night bookings for “gap nights”, despite normally avoiding local, single-night requests.

Soon after, a woman from the same city requested a stay, claiming her sister and children needed a place to sleep for just one night.

“She seemed so nice, polite and polished,” the OP wrote. “I agreed.”

It was a decision she would soon regret.

The following morning at 5 a.m., she received a call from neighbors reporting a party.

“By the time we get there, there is no party,” the OP wrote. “But there are 14 people in a tiny apartment.

“Sofa bed is broken, there is spilled wine and who knows what sticky substances on the floor.”

Security camera footage revealed more than 30 people rotating in and out all night, some appearing in lingerie, others lingering in cars, and multiple suspicious deliveries.

A Heavy Price to Pay

The OP replaced the damaged sofa bed with one from her own home and paid $598 for an emergency cleaning to prepare for the next guest, a woman arriving later that day for her mother’s funeral.

“I didn’t mention anything to the booker on the chat (this is relevant),” the OP wrote.

“The automated message went out, which says we hoped they enjoyed their stay and please leave a review (our message doesn’t have any fillers for being good guests or how we will leave them a good review etc).

“I kept it cool and sent her images of left behind jewelry items and asked her how to get those to her and pushed for a review.”

Time for Reviews

“I guess, at the end, I fooled her too,” she continued. “She thought I was letting go of the party and damage, or more likely, she didn’t know I had been to the unit to cut out the party and get people out.

“She left a glowing five-star review. I left her a one-star review with all the facts of the party.”

The woman then messaged the OP, claiming she had rented the space for her daughter’s birthday and didn’t know it would turn into a larger event.

When informed of the damages, she refused to pay and called the total “crazy”.

The OP submitted a claim and provided video evidence to Airbnb and is considering taking the woman to small claims court after discovering she lived just blocks away.

Airbnb’s Response

In a message to Newsweek via Reddit, the OP wrote, “Airbnb is not very interested in looking into it. The safety team said they would look into it and did not call back. They make you submit the damage claim through a different department.

“I submitted everything, despite the overwhelming number of videos showing an ongoing party, they are not paying me the cost for the damaged sofa bed or the cleaning, because what needs to be cleaned is not very visible in the photos.”

The OP told Newsweek that despite having a video of the broken sofa bed, Airbnb has claimed that they “couldn’t see it clearly”.

“I can only ask for damages they broke, but they won’t even cover that,” she noted, adding, “I have no other choice but to go file a police report (I suspect the girls were underage) as well as small claims court.”

Reddit Reacts

Commenters on Reddit responded with disbelief, with one writing, “Wow. That’s absolutely wild. But also, sounds like some solid detective work and quick thinking on your end.”

Another added, “I get anxiety sometimes that maybe I’d forgotten to throw out the trash or recycling when staying at various Airbnbs, but then I read stories like these. Sorry you have to deal with this OP — that’s wild!”

“I would absolutely take them to small claims court,” one Redditor urged. “You have all the evidence you need.”

Hosting Headaches

This OP isn’t the first person to vent their frustrations online about an experience with Airbnb.

In one previous example covered by Newsweek, a worried Airbnb guest took to Reddit for advice after her host charged her $3,000 for staining a couch during a memorial gathering for an old friend.

Another Newsweek story detailed a host who was left stunned after an influencer finished several boxes of their cereal but didn’t throw out the boxes.

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, click here.