After a woman reported an unsafe situation at an Airbnb in Tulum, comments emerged that other tenants had the same or worse experience, so how can you protect yourself?
Tulum, Mexico has perhaps been one of the most popular get-away vacation spots over the past couple of years. With pandemic protocols not as strict as in the United States, the parties were endless in this tropical location, but not everyone had a great experience there. After a post about a vacation gone wrong went viral in recent weeks, several black women shared their disturbing experiences at an Airbnb in Tulum. Several have claimed they were robbed, while some suspect the property’s hosts may even be involved in sex trafficking.
In late July, Amber Jackson of St. Petersburg, Florida took to social media to share his story about a trip with friends to an Airbnb in Tulum where the group quickly felt their safety was in jeopardy. Although she intended to raise awareness of the dangers women can encounter while traveling and to specifically share warnings with other travelers who might book the same Airbnb, similar allegations quickly surfaced. After the story circulated on Instagram, the comments section revealed other black women who claimed they had indeed experienced theft and even sexual misconduct at that same Airbnb.
Jackson’s initial post detailed how she was traveling in a group of nine women who had booked to share an Airbnb in Tulum listed under the host name “Bibiana.” When the group arrived, they noticed what appeared to be blood on the door – their first sign that something was wrong. They were assured by the property’s concierge that the red they saw was just a paint splatter, but they weren’t convinced. Nonetheless, they continued with their stay, later noticing that the keypads in their rooms were not configured correctly, making it extremely easy for anyone to gain entry. They took the time to reconfigure the pads themselves and again opted to continue with their stay as planned.
After a few days in Tulum, the group returned home after a day and encountered a man outside the house claiming to be property security. The problem? They had never seen security on the other days of their stay, nor was security listed on their rental documents. Concerned, they reportedly tried to contact the host and concierge about this new development and were unable to reach anyone who worked for the property until the next morning. This was odd since the owners and concierge had been prompt with responses every day prior to this “security” arrival, who had also asked for their house codes, which the ladies would not reveal.
Scared enough by the incident to sleep with knives as a means of protection, the group then decided to leave early and share their story on social media. As the story began to unravel, more revelations emerged. Three more women have come forward in the comments section of the popular news and entertainment page The neighborhood conversationclaiming even worse experiences in the same Airbnb.
“No lie word!” one user commented. “My daughters and I were there three weeks ago in a room listed by Bibiana, and we were robbed for our money and things and my sister woke up for [the so-called security guard] touching his feet GOD KNOWS WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO!
“Omg the same thing happened to me and my friends!!! And it’s the same Airbnb host,” another user claimed.
Another user alerted potential renters, “Be aware that I was also staying with this host on Airbnb and contacted her after seeing this to express my concern and cancel my reservation. She changed her name to Patricia and her profile picture! ”
As for Jackson, she claimed that Airbnb only offered her a $67 refund for the $3,671.65 stay and that her review of her experience at the property was removed from the rental company’s website. vacation. At the time of this publication, Airbnb has yet to make a public statement on these claims; theGrio has asked for comment and will update this article if and when we receive a response.
Still, situations like this can be scary and may even deter even the most adventurous travelers from wanting to try vacation rentals again. We urge you to be careful when traveling and staying, and be prepared to leave the premises at the first appearance of any fun business. Below are some tips to implement when using a rental or home-sharing platform.
Check reviews on multiple platforms
Usually, if an Airbnb host is an avid renter, they use more than one home-sharing platform to rent out their property. A good rule of thumb is to check the rental on multiple platforms and check reviews wherever you can. Search the World Wide Web!
Use the review filter
When looking for rentals on any site, it would be in your best interest to direct yourself to the reviews section. Once there, you can search for keywords to help you make substantive decisions about booking with a particular host and in a specific rental. Look for words like “safe”, “dirty”, “incomplete” and “area” to get a deeper idea.
Search for hosts on social media and multiple websites
We have way too much access to people on the web, so use that to your advantage. Do as much research as you can across multiple platforms about your host. Look for comments, hashtags and even reverse image search on their profile – check out their friends if you must! Stay on the lookout for anything alarming that might make you want to pull out of a reservation.
Research the area
There are times when you come across a great rental but things seem too good to be true. The price is low, the hosts are super nice and responsive, and there may even be some great house favors involved. Scenarios like these can be the result of a not-so-good rental location. There could have been a theft or criminal investigations in the area and this left the neighborhood with a bad reputation. The tenants then try to make up for it by other means. Stay awake!
Use Airbnb Support
If you rent with Airbnb, their support is available to answer your questions and help you 24/7. Do not rent with a platform that does not offer it. Even if you have your host’s contact, if something goes wrong, alert Airbnb support immediately and keep chat records.
Noel Cymone Walker is a New York-based writer specializing in beauty, fashion, music, travel, and cultural anthropology. She has written and produced visuals for several notable publications such as The Recording Academy/The Grammys, The Fader, Billboard, OkayPlayer, Marie Claire, Glamour, Allure, Essence, Ebony, and more.
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