It’s no secret that hotels and Airbnb hosts have quite a few deceptive tactics under their belt to lure in guests to stay with them. After all, it’s true that in business, the end often justifies the means, no matter how sad that might sound. One of the most common ways people are tricked into booking a stay is by using listing images that promise picture-perfect accommodations that, in reality, fall terribly short.
The Bored Panda team has scoured the web for some of the worst hotel and Airbnb expectation vs. reality instances in hopes that it encourages you to double and even triple check the legitimacy of your booking. To find them, all you have to do is scroll down.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out a conversation with travel blogger Carrie Green-Zinn and travel content creator at Ange On A Plane, Angela Liu, who kindly agreed to share some tips on avoiding disappointment when booking hotel and Airbnb stays.
#1 Hahahaha When One Of The Troops Books An Air Bnb Specifically For The Pool Table
Image source: BrianAshe1
#2 Swimming Pool
#3 Had To Go To Southern Kansas To Lay Asphalt During The First Week Of The Year That The Temps Are In The Mid To Upper 90’s
Looked at the hotel on Google and got excited because they have a decent-looking pool. This is what I saw when we got here
Image source: AspChef
#4 This Polish Hotel’s Picture On Trivago vs. In Real Life
Image source: 0SafeBit
#5 Picture Of My Hotelroom On Booking Website vs. Picture I Made When We Walked Into The Room. I Hope My Roommate Doesn’t Need To Use The Toilet Tonight
Image source: Th3_Accountant
#6 This Was Our Flat In Vauxhall, London. Found It On Airbnb, €90,00 A Night. Turns Out This Was An Appartment With More People Living In It
And also no possibility to lock te room when you leave. Left the keys on the sink and left for a nice flat in Shoreditch.
Image source: mazeclaessen
#7 Over $200 Hotel Pool Mid Summer
Image source: GatoFuzzy
#8 Supposed Romantic Beachside Hotel Room
I wasn’t expecting a Marriott but…dang. When I raised my disappointment to the hotel manager, his response was, “…Is it the carpet?” No, no it is not just the carpet.
The cherry on top are the vinyl blinds with stock-image-quality prints. TWO of them. Even better.
Image source: PerformerAny3667
#9 In-Laws Booked Us A Cabin. What We Thought We Were Getting vs. What We Actually Got
Image source: Manodactyl
#10 From A French Airbnb Alternative
Image source: robot_accomplice
#11 Booked A Room In Kansas On A Cross Country Road Trip, Told My Daughter She Could Swim When We Got To The Hotel
Image source: forthaysinnsucks
#12 Inside It Was Great, Nothing Wrong With It. Just So Weird When You Arrive
Image source: adriaandotcom
#13 Hotel Room That I Booked vs. Hotel Room That I Got
Totally horrid experience with MakeMyTrip, as the hotel booking was “non-refundable” they won’t be able to do anything. Completely ruined my family vacation. I will advise everyone to check the refund policy before booking.
Not sure whether consumer court is a good option or not. This was a fraud in my opinion but not sure if MMT can get away with this by stating their “policies”
Image source: agnibha_bose
#14 Airbnb Expectations vs. Reality. Host Doesn’t Care About Resolving The Issue And Says The Pool Was Just Cleaned
Image source: reddit.com
#15 Hotel Ad vs. Reality In Vietnam
Image source: abenomic
#16 Expectation vs. Reality
Image source: leightravels
#17 We Left, Checked Into The Thompson, And Got A Refund
Image source: khzny
#18 Hotel Pool Expectation vs. Reality
Image source: gumbywho
#19 Airbnb Edition. Pretty T-O’d
Image source: Heisenberg3556
#20 I’m So Bummed With Our Airbnb They Didn’t Tell Us The Grounds Were Torn Up For Construction. I Complained
The host offered a refund if we cancel but there isn’t anything available that could work for us and we didn’t know until we arrived. The marketing vs. The reality.
Image source: imkylelambert
#21 Airbnb Room Online Compared To Real Life
A buddy of mine is currently in rome and pays 200€ per night for that beauty. The bed is rock solid and the bathroom is a biological research center for mold apparently.
Image source: MrKampfDackel
#22 Seeing A Bunch Of Tweets About Airbnb And Thinking About The One I Stayed In A Week Ago And How Awful It Was.. Expectations vs. Reality
Image source: gabfloor
#23 Let’s Compare The Photo Of The Bedroom In The Airbnb Super Host’s Listing Of The Apartment vs. The Moldy Bedroom That Made My Daughter Sick
And for which the doctor said we needed to get her out or she would develop bronchitis. I have the doctor’s note.
Image source: mr_cgc
#24 Airbnb In San Diego… Who Wouldn’t Love A View Of The Ocean With Porta Potties And Early Morning Construction?
Image source: sawdust_princess
#25 The View From Our Hotel In San Francisco. We Booked The Room Especially For A Bay View
Image source: Christopherfromtheuk
#26 Pent House Where?
Image source: denzeldion
#27 “Some Renervation Work During Your Stay”
Image source: manmikey
#28 What Do You See In The Airbnb Ad “House With Pool In Pelion” vs. What They Take You To When You Arrive At The Property
Image source: nyctalopos
#29 That’s Awful
Image source: vigilantebrittt
#30 My Boyfriend’s Air Bnb-Expectations vs. Reality
Image source: babyvampnicole
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