Update - After I messaged the Singapore host back, host apologized for tardiness that the place was not clean. Then I responded back by requesting a refund of the so called cleaning fee I was charged on initial booking as I paid for something that was not performed, a clean place. That's the end of it.

Definitely airbnb is a hit or miss. I don't think I would have done airbnb if I were saving minimal $. Because I was saving over $1K for my overall trip, I took a chance to try.

Checked out of my Tokyo Airbnb after staying there for a week.
Only real issue was the portable WiFi didn't work since day 1. On the device it said no service. Second day we purchased a sim card.
Sent a message to the host, the first night regarding the WiFi, had to go seven 11 for the WiFi in order to send that message.
The host never responded to our messages. So we sent Airbnb support a message within 24 hours of check in. We also mentioned other things wrong with the airbnb, cleanliness and what not.
In the end we got 50% of our money refunded and we got our sim card money refunded.
Now contemplating on writing a review or not because I think it was a fair resolution to the situation.

I find it very annoying that more and more AirBnb hosts are explicitly requesting me to give them 5 star ratings, even when I had horrible experience. One time in Tokyo Shinjuku AirBnb, I booked for 7 days and almost every night, a punk living upstairs blasted heavy metal music until 3AM. I complained as your whole trip is ruined if you can't get enough sleep. The place wasn't properly cleaned either prior to my arrival. Even with this experience, host sends me a blunt message that anything less than 5 star is very poor rating and that I must give them 5 star rating...

Your response could be fairly simple.. provide a 5 star experience, get a 5 star rating.

What you describe above sounds like a 1 to me.

Had an interesting experience with my last Airbnb..currently traveling through Europe and have used Airbnb in Budapest, Vienna, and Prague, the Budapest and Prague places have been outstanding, great professional hosts, leave you with a tonne of info and help along the way with good contact.

The Vienna host Had fewer ratings than I usually go with but I risked it as it was the best location and looked like the nicest place.

Host contacts me prior to arrival says his associate will meet us at the place, I tell him the train schedule and say it will be around that time. I phone the woman when I am in an Uber heading that way and right off the bat she gives me a little attitude about being late, fine I don’t really care whatever.

We get there and she’s an older woman probably late 50’s early 60’s fairly typical Arian Austrian, she lets us in to a fairly bare apartment but in a nice secure building and our paticular apartment is fairly hard to find in the building.

She kinda has an attitude towards most things and she comes off fairly abrasive, I think part of it is she doesn’t understands how her tone comes off in English but her English is pretty good. We tell her we’re going to Prague next and she says something along the lines of why bother because Prague and Vienna were both Hapsburg empires and they are the same. Ok..

Then as I’m basically ushering her out she gets to the front door which has a huge heavy duty dead bolt and a mortis set door lock, she goes over how it all works and then says

“Yea so make sure you lock the door and do not open for anyone, you do not know anyone here so no one should knock, if they do knock it may be refugee, and when refugee open the door they spray you and come in”

Uhh..ok..

I’ve travelled far more dangers places than Vienna of all places but it was kind of unnerving for my wife. After a few days in Vienna I saw a total of zero “refugees” zero homeless people and zero resembling anything that looked like what I assume she meant as in African/middle eastern migrants..

Again she met up with us to take the keys and gave some attitude to me because I put the towels in the washing machine..

So upon leaving a review I left a 4/5 star review and decided against leaving the refugee comments in the public note and told the host directly in the private message I felt that probably wasn’t the best approach to tell people renting your place...

Later the next day the woman is power dialing me so I finally pick up thinking maybe I left somthing in the apartment..she tells me “Phillip is very angry with me because of a message you left him, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you so badly I’m just calling bla bla bla”

I’m like basically bitch, I wasn’t scared at all I just said that’s not how to approach people..she kept rambling on and I just hung up..lol

Now it’s a running joke about getting sprayed wherever we go

when i was in europe (specifically Germany) and i got a chance to stay and chat with the host; sometimes they are just pure blunt. Again, cultural differences I guess. Maybe it's just Germans? ahhahha

In Prague we met a few Italians whos father was Austrian and mother Italian, he said Austrians are racist as fuck and his fathers side essentially don't talk to him cause he's a darker skinned Italian, so yea might be a cultural thing lol

I do AirBnB wherever I go, always been a pretty good experience.

We're heading down to Isla Mujeres and Playa Del Carmen this Sunday, doing AirBnBs at both spots.

careful when you use shower if you ever end up in a place with "instant hot water heater"
Make sure that it's installed properly before jumping in the shower. I almost got electrocuted last time I was in Playa Del Carmen due to poor installation.

I did not experience this when I was in Austria. It was quite the opposite.

What's the opposite of being racist af? Inviting you to fuck all their daughters? :troll:

It depends on what part of Austria from what I heard from our uber driver when I was there. Vienna is good but outside Vienna in country side there is a lot more racism.

so like Canada

maybe i'm a basic bitch but don't really care about the host's preferences as long as check-in is smooth, it's clean, shower and wifi works then give me some peace and quiet

Before you book with Airbnb, make sure to check out VRBO first. Many hosts post on both sites and generally, they are cheaper on VRBO. However there arent many people reviewing on VRBO.

So check for the same place on airbnb and read the reviews there and go book with the cheaper option (usually VRBO)

I prefer vrbo as well but it's predom US listings in my exp
couldn't find much for accom abroad

We got back from Isla Mujeres, Playa Del Carmen yesterday. Airbnb in both spots, as usual everything went well without a hitch. I like the VRBO idea though, I used to use that a lot prior to AirBnB, but the lack of reviews make it more guessing work. But that's a good idea to compare the two on the same location.