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The cold shoulder! Airbnb told snowboarders the $186-a-night Lake Tahoe rental was ‘not required’ to provide them with HOT WATER during snow vacations, forcing them to take icy showers
- A group of friends traveled to Lake Tahoe to enjoy the snowy weather and rented an Airbnb property
- The first night everything was fine, but the second and third day there was a shortage of hot water forcing the group to take cold showers.
- When contacting the owner and Airbnb to report the issue, the company claimed that the host was not required to provide hot water.
A group of friends had a rude awakening when they discovered that there was no hot water in the Lake Tahoe Airbnb they had rented, despite the fact that the stay took place in the dead of winter.
Alexander Yee traveled from Alameda in Northern California to the winter getaway in the Sierra Nevada mountains to spend time skiing and snowboarding.
The group believed they had found a bargain with the three-bedroom, three-bathroom property priced at just $186 per night.
After a day on the slopes, vacationers were looking forward to a steamy shower to warm up, only to find that hot water wasn’t part of the deal.
Although there was lukewarm water on the first day of their stay, by the second and third days it had completely run out, forcing the group to take cold showers.
A group of friends traveled to an Airbnb in Lake Tahoe to enjoy the snowy weather and rented an Airbnb property
The first night everything was fine, but the second and third day there was a shortage of hot water forcing the group to take cold showers.
An exterior view of the Lake Tahoe Airbnb the five friends rented, only to discover there was no hot water for showering
One of three bathrooms inside the Lake Tahoe Airbnb rental where it ran out of hot water on the second day
“Because of that, we didn’t have hot water at the Airbnb and we contacted the host,” Yee told ABC13.
“We just let them know there was a problem with the hot water and we were taking cold showers, which was not good in the cold Tahoe weather of course.”
“When we heard from Airbnb customer service, we were quite surprised by the response,” Yee explained. “They had mentioned that because hot water was not specifically included as an amenity at the Airbnb we were staying at, the host was under no obligation to provide hot water.”
Airbnb’s response initially sided with the property owner that the listing was accurate, and that hot water was not listed as an amenity, although a hot tub was.
Alexander Yee, pictured, contacted the owner and Airbnb to report the issue. The company stated that the host was not required to provide hot water
Following the complaint, Airbnb refunded a service fee and cleaning fee, equal to the cost of one of the nights, and the host also issued a partial refund.
“We allow hosts to select hot water as an amenity, however this is intended to be used for off-grid remote listings so guests can plan accordingly,” Airbnb stated.
“For this particular case, our team followed up with the host to inquire about any service issues that need to be addressed,” an Airbnb spokesperson told the television station.
Following the complaint, Airbnb refunded a service fee and a cleaning fee, equal to the cost of one night’s stay. The rental property owner also issued a refund for a portion of the stay.