Renting an Airbnb over a hotel has its perks. Turns out if you book with the wrong host, free air conditioning is not one of them. TikToker Anjelo Casiano posted a video showcasing an air conditioning unit that required coins to turn it on. In just a week, the TikTok video has garnered almost 343,000 views on the platform. The clip was captioned “When your Airbnb host charges you for air.”
Photo: Steve CukrovShutterstock
This Airbnb Guest Was Charged for Air Conditioning and People Have Strong Feelings About It
All clues suggest the property is based in Spain, as the brand of the lockbox is said to be produced by a company in Madrid, according to the Daily Dot, and in previous videos, the TikToker spoke of their month-long trip in the region.
The brand of the lockbox said the product is “for saving and controlling the cost of electricity in hotels, hostels, rural houses, and all types of accommodation. They work by time, by coins or tokens.”
Many people in the comments were as shocked as Casiano:
- “Instant 1 star review.”
- “If a host is seriously going to be that stingy, they shouldn’t be renting their house out.”
- “Airbnb used to be cool but now it’s just boomers trying to squeeze every penny out of vacationers,” some of the comments read.
Although many commenters agree with Casiano that the coin-operated air conditioner was a bit much, others sympathized with the Airbnb host.
- “Me searching for this device. Love it, love it, love it!”
- “Seems fair to me, wanna blast a all day & waste power = pay up!”
- “Electricity in Europe is more expensive than in the US and even more so in Spain due to the crisis there right now.”
@papiwhiterice #airbnb #travel #viral #trending #tiktok ♬ Originalton – POV’s
The crisis the commenter was referring to was reported on by The Times in September 2021, which noted that the Spanish government faced “a growing crisis after months of rising electricity bills that have led to popular discontent at some of the highest rates in Europe.” The cost of electricity in Spain had reached “historic peaks” with customers paying an average of €140 ($159) per megawatt-hour — a threefold increase on the previous year.
But don’t be discouraged. There are plenty of amazing Airbnbs to stay at in Spain that (probably) don’t charge for air conditioning. And as long as you follow some basic rules to respect your host, things should stay nice and cool. 