In the U.S., turning 21 is a momentous occasion fit for celebration–the milestone is often commemorated in the biggest of ways. This is what one newly turned 21-year-old woman was thinking of when she booked an Airbnb in Scottsdale, Arizona, to ring in her coming-of-age. What started as a weekend partying with her friends, however, ended in a sour feud with the Airbnb host.
What happened at the Airbnb?
In a viral TikTok, Katie Eaton (@brightenedbykatie) shares her nightmare experience at a villa hosted by The Glam Homes in Scottsdale. On June 27, she arrived at the Airbnb reserved for over 16 people only to find it in a state of disarray. She shares pictures of the beds being unmade, the trash still present, and no clean towels.
Understandably, Eaton was outraged as she was expecting guests. Plus, the chef she hired was unable to cook because of the dirty dishes. Eaton says she messaged the host and then started cleaning up before her birthday dinner guests arrived. Eaton, who paid $2,500 for the reservation, says she thinks she should’ve gotten a refund for the first night, which was about $1,000.
“They were only offering to [compensate] me for the cleaning fee, which was $400,” Eaton says. Fast-forward to the next day, Eaton says she and her friends are at the pool when one of them informs her that two strangers were taking pictures of the Airbnb inside.
Eaton says the host never informed her that people were coming. Upon her confronting the two women, Eaton says they told her they were sent by the host to clean. The TikToker says she agreed to no such thing–she needed them yesterday–and sent them on their way.
Upon checking out the following day, Eaton says she made sure to leave the Airbnb clean–much cleaner than how they left it for her, she says.
She wrote a “bad” review describing her experience, as a guest does. In an unsurprising turn of events, the host did not appreciate Eaton’s candidness.
‘We will drop the charges if you drop your review’
After her trip, Eaton receives a message from the host charging her a $600 cleaning fee. According to Eaton, the women who showed up on Saturday were using the photos to indicate that that’s how Eaton left the Airbnb. Eaton claims the host sent the photos to Airbnb to prove that they left the premises dirty.
When Eaton called the host, she says she was told they would “drop the charges if [she] dropped the review.”
“Basically, I’m getting blackmailed by an Airbnb host,” Eaton says.
Airbnb backlash
While Airbnb was welcomed as a hotel alternative when it first skyrocketed into popularity in the 2010s, folks aren’t so eager to book them in recent years. Many guests have come forward, sharing their issues with the home-stay platform, particularly the hosts. The company has also been involved in lawsuits, such as one including indoor surveillance, as reported by CNN. Earlier this month, the Mary Sue covered another story where a host also retaliated in response to a less-than-perfect review.
In that story, the guest left a 4-star review because one of the amenities listed was not working. The host left her a bad review on her profile and requested a $150 fee for “breaking” said amenity. In the end, she got a refund for her stay.
Did Eaton get her money back?
Yes. Eaton shared a comment updating folks that she was able to get refunded for her stay.
“I’m so happy thank you for everyone’s help lol,” she captioned a follow-up post.
In an email to The Mary Sue, an Airbnb spokesperson confirmed that they had refunded her.
We have been in communication with the host regarding the accusations from the guest and have taken appropriate action,” they said.
@brightenedbykatie PLZZ HELP I’m so frustrated !!!! #fyp #airbnbexperience #airbnbfail @airbnb ♬ original sound – KATIE EATON
The Mary Sue reached out to Eaton via email. The Mary Sue was unable to contact the host.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
