Three old mattresses, plastic walls and a dumpster: That's what it looked like at the accommodation that Ben Speller had booked for an Amsterdam trip. She has been advertised on Airbnb as a "clean place with private bathroom," writes the Englishman on his Facebook account. But he found something else.
Scammers had illegally placed two shipping containers on the sidewalk and extolled Airbnb as a tourist accommodation through the accommodation broker, the Algemeen Dagblad reported. At Airbnb, the containers were not recognizable as such. One of the containers was meanwhile towed away by the city administration.
The local TV station AT5 spoke with Speller, who had booked the accommodation for 134 euros. "We drove past it three times by taxi and thought it could not be," said Speller. "When we got out, it turned out that this is the case." The Englishman preferred to go to a classic hotel, reports the newspaper. He got his money back from Airbnb.
Zeecontainers as illegaal hotel verhuurd via Airbnb: 'Heel brutaal'https: //t.co/N9CLHC44A2 pic.twitter.com/2bbhLgoedN
- AT5 (@ AT5) May 12, 2019Residents reacted differently to container accommodation for Amsterdam visitors. "Actually a fun idea, a nice solution as a place to sleep for tourists," said a man who works nearby. Another called "ridiculous" the container.