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We've booked an AirBnb in Malaga for a few days. It's only got 5 reviews and is a pretty good deal (without being so ridiculously cheap that it raises red flags). The small number of reviews and the nice photos make me nervous.
What sort of scams might they pull and what do I need to do to avoid them. I'm guessing all communication needs to go through Airbnb?
I have travel insurance.
Book a local hotel rather than using a platform that relies on removing homes from the local sales and rental market and causing problems for the locals that live around them and stay somewhere run by professionals instead of insurance salesmen or IT consultants having a go at being hoteliers?
Agreed
+1
Enjoy your trip!
Obviously it would be prudent to have a backup plan just in case (eg note down a few local B&Bs/hotels) so that you can just go elsewhere if it ends up being a scam (unlikely). Obviously a hotel is nowhere near as nice a holdiay as an [air]bnb type place so sorry if that happens to you - very likely won't!
Obviously it would be prudent to have a backup plan just in case (eg note down a few local B&Bs/hotels) so that you can just go elsewhere if it ends up being a scam (unlikely). Obviously a hotel is nowhere near as nice a holdiay as an [air]bnb type place so sorry if that happens to you – very likely won’t!
Thanks. Also we arrive on Christmas Day so communication may be more difficult than usual.
Have a really definitive plan set with the host with exact timings spelled out incredibly obviously
"Ie we plan to arrive at 09:00 on the 25th. please can you ensure that someone will meet us at 09:00". The evening before, reiterate this.
“Ie we plan to arrive at 09:00 on the 25th. please can you ensure that someone will meet us at 09:00”.
The eveningA few days before, reiterate this.
Try not to worry. If they aren't asking for other payments and/or messaging through other channels 99% it should be fine.
If booked/messaged and delt with through Airbnb and you have any issues at all with fake properties etc Airbnb will sort the the best replacement accommodation that's convenient for you.
Book a local hotel rather than using a platform that relies on removing homes from the local sales and rental market and causing problems for the locals that live around them and stay somewhere run by professionals instead of insurance salesmen or IT consultants having a go at being hoteliers?
I wish some of the hoteliers in establishments I've visited over the years had tried their hand at getting into geological services or IT instead 🤣
The small number of reviews and the nice photos make me nervous.
would you be happier with no / bad photos? Or if there were a large number of poor or suspiciously similar reviews. AirBnB exists to make booking easy. New suppliers are likely to be especially keen to get a positive 6th review from you.
They may well have more than 5 previous booking - we've hosted 100's and found around 1 in 10 don't leave a review.
The photos thing is a fine balance isn't it - if they are rubbish you won't want to stay there, but if they are really nice you think it's a scam! Must be companies who specialise in just the right quality of photos for Airbnb.