Airbnb, and the entire vacation rental industry, is in the middle of a public relations tailspin.
The backlash makes sense if you consider the vacation rentals pricing people out of their neighborhoods, high fees, hosts enforcing curfews and odd rules, maybe-almost-murders, etc...
The hotel and hospitality industry, when left to non-professionals, is bound to go sideways at some point.
Stories like this one are great examples of why there is a growing movement to just stay at hotels and resorts.
There's less chance you'll get fed dog food for dinner.
Well, let's be honest, there's less chance you'll get fed dog food for dinner ... without you knowing about it. You could totally get fed dog food if that's your thing.
The concierge may not kink-shame, but they'll definitely charge extra for it.
TikTok user Kendall Marie, an ex-employee for Airbnb, is sharing her story about a strange customer service issue she dealt with a few years back.
Initially, the guest contacted the company to let them know that there were problems with how the property was listed.
The group had booked it believing it was a private space, as listed. But once they got there they realized they would be sharing the space with strangers.
They tried to make the best of it since the host seemed really nice, she even made them a "Welcome Spaghetti"
Oh yeah, and about that spaghetti—it might have been made with dog food.
As the guests explained, they thought that "Welcome Spaghetti" tasted really strange, so they checked the trash. Maybe the meat or sauce was expired or something?
Except they didn't find any ground beef. Or any plastic wrap, foam, etc. that would indicate beef. But there was definitely meat in the spaghetti. That's when they noticed the empty can of dog food in the trash.
The guest wanted Airbnb to know the host may have fed them dog food spaghetti.
Oddly, Kendall says they aren't sure that it was purposeful if it happened.
The host was, apparently, an elderly woman who seemed kind and well-meaning, but confused.
It's possible that she grabbed dog food intending to grab canned ground beef. Canned beef isn't what most of us might grab, but for someone older who may be trying to stretch a budget or just unaccustomed to the joys of refrigeration, canned beef might make total sense.
Also, there were tons of other reviews from guests praising her "Welcome Spaghetti."
Intentional or not, TikTok is taking this as a cautionary tale.
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And sharing some tales of their own.
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Do you have vacation rental horror stories to share? Do any of them involve spaghetti?
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