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I recently stayed in Panama City, Panama for a week, and booked an Airbnb for my stay. When I checked in, I was so tired from the flight that I just wanted to
by toomanyrichies 4y ago
I recently stayed in Panama City, Panama for a week, and booked an Airbnb for my stay. When I checked in, I was so tired from the flight that I just wanted to take a hot shower and crash. I turned on the shower and waited for the hot water. And waited. And waited. Finally I messaged the host to ask if I was doing something wrong with the shower controls.
The host’s response: “We don’t offer hot water at this rental.”
I was, let’s say, surprised.
I asked them where in the listing they mentioned that, and they said “We didn’t list hot water as one of the amenities. That was intentional.”
So essentially, Airbnb considers hot water to be an “amenity”, on the same level as a coffee maker or a carbon monoxide alarm.
Of course I escalated to Airbnb support and of course they sided with the host. So completely aggravating. Like, ok but you also didn’t list “front door” or “roof” among the amenities. What should I infer from that?
- saboot 4y agoThis comment is the one that has convinced me to never use AirBnB again. That is absurd.
- yakireev 4y agoNever been in Panama, but my experience in Colombia was similar: in warmer areas hot water just was not a thing - homes, hostels, hotels just did not have it, without special notice. "Yeah, the temperature outside is above 30C all year round, why would you need more heat?". To be fair, the "cold" water was not really cold either, 25-30C or so, so showering with that was not unpleasant. Not sure whether things are similar in Panama, but it could very well be. If so, it's cultural barrier, not malignacy.
- pydry 4y agoI had a similar experience in Colombia too. Hot water was definitely an amenity. I remember walking along the street asking 10-12 hotels in a row if they had hot water. None did and the last one suggested (sarcastically) staying at a 5* hotel if I wanted it that much.
- toomanyrichies 4y agoEven assuming that’s the cause, Airbnb doesn’t let you filter out properties which don’t have this “amenity”. I can specify that I only want to see listings with BBQ grill, an indoor fireplace, or an EV charger. But I have to manually check each listing to see if it offers hot water? Really?
- aledalgrande 4y agoI was just in Barbados and almost every house had a solar water heater on the roof. You still need hot water to wash dishes and clothes.
- Tao3300 4y agoThis is my nightmare for using Airbnb to stay anywhere except the most mundane American suburb.
- carabiner 4y agoOur shower didn't work in an airbnb (well-reviewed) in WA state. Another guy I know got a place with no heat in the winter in Montana (probably illegal). Airbnb can sometimes save you a buck or get you a unique place, but you're really rolling the dice without those pesky regulations and professional hospitality workers.