30 Hotel And Airbnb Experiences That Were The Opposite Of What Was Promised

Both travel content creators have had their fair share of bookings that fell terribly short of the listing pictures. Angela Liu from Ange On A Plane says it happens because the posted photos are usually from when the accommodation is new and freshly cleaned.

And after some years have passed, the wear and tear does do a number on these hotel rooms and Airbnbs, making our expectations clash with reality.

Her worst experience was when she stayed in an accommodation that hired a photographer who really knew his editing tools.

"The place was much smaller than in the photos, a lot less bright, and also much dirtier. There were spiderwebs on the inner corners of the windows, and there were a lot of windows in that house! It looked like no one had opened the blinds for years. When we lifted the bedsheets to check for bed bugs, we found lots of little spots of blood all over the mattress. I didn't bring any bug spray and had the worst sleep of my life there, covered in peppermint oil (after a quick Google search on what would deter bed bugs)," she shared.

It turns out the bed bug issue in booked accommodations is quite common, as travel blogger Carrie Green-Zinn had also reserved apartments in great neighborhoods on two separate occasions and both times, her daughters got horrible bed bug bites. It was so bad they had to leave and ask for reimbursement.

Unfortunately, those weren't the only times Carrie was disappointed when arriving at hotels or Airbnbs. "Once in London, the apartment was so tiny and the owner's things were everywhere—not what we expected by the photos at all. Once in Provence, the apartment was great but the location felt very unsafe and sketchy," she told us.

Carrie's go-to strategy for handling a stay that wasn’t at all as promised in its description and pictures is to immediately contact the manager or owner to try to resolve the issue. "And if that is unsuccessful, to request reimbursement. In the case of the bed bugs, the owner was so mortified that they offered a refund right away!"

Meanwhile, Angela says, "It depends if I've booked the stay, but usually I'll message the host first before leaving a review. Thankfully, most of the stays I've had have been incredibly accommodating and clean."