Welsh tourist books Airbnb abroad but holiday is 'thrown into chaos' when he arrives
We all love jetting off to spend some time in a different country, but sometimes trips away don't always go as we expect. One person who recently discovered this is Ruben Chorlton-Owen, 24, from North Wales, who claims to have had an unlikely experience when staying at an Airbnb this year.Ruben opened up about his travel experience as he couldn't quite believe how it all played out. He spent some time away in March to have a break and dip his toes into a different culture, but it didn't quite go as he expected, as he faced unexpected drama as soon as he arrived.It's not the first time people have reported issues abroad either. Just weeks ago, tourists admitted they booked flights home early from a popular holiday destination.Recounting his recent trip to Iceland, Ruben said: "We landed late and arrived at our Airbnb just before midnight, expecting to warm up after travelling. However, when we opened the door, the entire property was completely pitch black with no electricity."It was around -5°C outside, and there was no heating in the apartment. The only heating available was two plug-in heaters, which couldn’t be used without power."We had to rely on our phone torches just to see inside, while our batteries were slowly draining. We tried contacting the host immediately but received no response."We were unable to get help that night and had to stay there without power or heating. Airbnb initially advised us to find our own hotel at that time of night and offered a 20% reimbursement, which was difficult given how late it was. We were eventually relocated the following day."Despite this, he noted the property itself was clean on arrival and access was straightforward via the key box, but he said that was as far as the positive experience went. He also claimed what was even more frustrating was that, after this happened, he checked the reviews and saw other guests had reported similar power issues.Ruben said he had booked the stay around two months earlier, so they had no way of knowing at the time, as the complaints were more recent. He added: "It wasn’t how we imagined starting the trip — arriving somewhere new in the middle of the night expecting somewhere warm and safe, only to find no power in freezing conditions."To add to the chaos, when we were relocated to the new accommodation, we accidentally entered the wrong property as the house next door had the exact same lockbox and code. We ended up briefly walking into someone’s home by mistake before realising, which, in hindsight, was quite surreal (and luckily no one was in)."Throughout the situation, the host remained unresponsive and most replies appeared automated. While Airbnb did eventually provide full compensation, the first 24 hours were stressful and difficult to resolve."If you've never heard of Airbnbs before, they're really popular. Airbnb is a global online platform and app that connects travellers with hosts to help people rent out unique spaces - ranging from spare rooms to entire homes.Founded in 2008 as a peer-to-peer, short-term rental marketplace, it allows tourists to find authentic, local stays in over 220 countries and territories while also allowing hosts to monetise their properties. It offers people a different option to staying in a hotel.When asked about the issue, an Airbnb spokesperson said: "We were disappointed to hear about this experience, and we’ve provided the guest with a full refund and the host has been removed from the platform. All bookings come with AirCover, meaning in the rare event something isn't as expected on arrival for a stay, we’ll help the guest find a similar place or give them a refund."
