I recently attempted to book accommodation through Airbnb for a work trip to the European Parliament. As soon as I submitted the booking request, the platform immediately blocked €357.70 on my account — the full amount for the stay — even though the reservation was still waiting for host approval.Despite the listing promising fast responses and having excellent ratings, the host never replied at all, and I was forced to wait 24 hours while my money remained frozen. I now have no booking, lost valuable time during a critical travel window, and the blocked funds will not be released for 10–15 business days. This means I cannot confidently book an alternative accommodation without risking further financial issues.Airbnb claims this is the system’s standard process, but it makes no sense to charge guests before a booking is confirmed. It is incredibly stressful and unfair that customers can be left with a large amount of money held hostage while hosts remain completely unresponsive.Airbnb needs to implement stricter measures for inactive hosts and provide a faster process to release funds. This experience has been extremely disappointing and has caused unnecessary stress, financial inconvenience, and wasted time. I will be reconsidering my use of the platform in the future.
Claim your business profile now and gain access to all features and respond to customer reviews.
Our mission is to create a world where people can belong through healthy travel that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable.