Hotel Keating Host Accused of Dishonesty to Suppress Negative Review

I’m currently navigating a frustrating experience with AirBnB and a mediocre stay at Keating Hotel (At Mine) in San Diego from last month.

Background: The hotel gained notoriety for a 2010s episode of Hotel Hell with Gordon Ramsay. I booked without realizing its history. The property allegedly closed in 2020, citing the pandemic, and reopened in 2023 as an AirBnB.

The stay itself was disappointing. Furniture was broken and stained, decor felt dated, and most notably, there were no coffee facilities or water glasses—something I’ve never encountered in a lodging before.

I left an honest, negative review. Within 24 hours, AirBnB notified me that I had violated the platform’s review policy.

AirBnB claimed the host at Hotel Keating provided screenshots of a conversation that allegedly never occurred, asserting I threatened to leave another bad review unless I was refunded. I did not engage in any communication with the hosts outside the AirBnB app, and I did not request a refund or even consider it. My outlook was simply that the experience wasn’t worth repeating, and I wanted future guests to see a candid assessment.

This discrepancy raises questions about the host’s claims and the platform’s verification processes. The reviews on AirBnB appear favorable, while critiques outside the platform are far less flattering.

AirBnB has not provided clear answers regarding the authenticity of the screenshots. How does the platform verify such information?

Update: After further review, AirBnB determined that my review complies with the policy and restored it. I did not receive the screenshot in question. I’m still awaiting clarity on any action taken against the host for providing questionable “evidence.”

Link to the incident: https://abnb.me/6eVvcgmiTzb

If you’ve experienced a similar situation, or have insights into how review verification processes work, I’d appreciate your input.