Airbnb has — with no hyperbole — changed the way we vacation. For those few of you who don’t know, Airbnb is a peer-to-peer website which connects people with extra space to rent with travelers who will soon be visiting the area. These accommodations range from extra rooms to guest houses to complete apartments or homes. For the first time in history, tourists can stay in homey to luxurious accommodations often for a fraction of the price of a hotel suite. And the system works great for the most part. Sure, you have to be cautious as there are tricksters and a-holes on both sides of the equation. Honestly, minor complaints are so rampant, there’s even a site dedicated to the day-in, day-out trials of Airbnb. Most of them don’t rate very high on the “nightmare” scale. Every so often, though, there comes along someone who really goes out of their way to get creative in the way they disrespect their fellow human beings. This is in no way meant to dissuade you from trying the service as a host or guest, but here are and handful of Airbnb horror stories you should be aware of.
1. The Palaiseau Murder
Let’s start on the more horrific side of the scale. When a group of 20-somethings spent a mere $435 at a 7-bedroom mansion (complete with swimming pool), they were most likely anticipating an evening of wine-soaked revelry in a swanky Parisian neighborhood. Unfortunately, what they got was a body, decomposing on the edge of the property. The corpse had been there for the better part of a month, though no identification was made at the time of the discovery. An Airbnb spokesman pledged to help in any way possible, adding, “Over 80 million people have traveled on Airbnb and problems for hosts and guests are extremely rare.” Nobody wants to stumble upon a corpse while on vacation, but you can’t blame this one on either host or guest.
