My wife and I booked an apartment in central Milan through Booking.com for Dec 20–23 as part of a longer Italy trip. On arrival late at night, we noticed a damp smell but went to sleep after a long travel day. The next morning we found black mould everywhere. Ceilings, window sills, skirting boards.
This was especially concerning because we were traveling with our 4 year old who has asthma, and I have Crohn’s disease. I contacted the property manager, who claimed they didn’t know about the mould and offered to send cleaners. I explained that surface cleaning black mould doesn’t fix the issue and actually exposes us to more spores. I asked for a refund or a replacement.
The property manager then told me Booking.com said a refund would only be possible if we checked out immediately so they could re rent the apartment. I contacted Booking.com support and eventually reached a human after dealing with their phone system. The call dropped and they didn’t call back.
Later, Booking.com called me and said the property agreed to a free cancellation, but only if we left immediately and did not post a negative review. If either condition wasn’t met, no refund. That part honestly shocked me.
I pushed back hard. Multiple agents hung up on me. One eventually told me that if the property doesn’t respond after 48 hours, Booking.com might investigate and decide whether they’ll refund us themselves. In the meantime, we’re stuck. Everything else nearby is far more expensive due to the holidays, and the reviews we relied on clearly didn’t reflect reality.
This experience seriously changed how I view Booking.com reviews and their role in protecting guests. Sharing in case it helps someone else avoid a similar situation.
0