Woman Pays $800+ for an Airbnb With AC in Maine. She Allegedly Had to Flee With Her Infant at 9:30 PM: ‘I Don’t Know if It’s Illegal’
All that planning…
A woman and her family fled their Airbnb in Portland, Maine, at 9.30 p.m. with their infant after the apartment hit 86°F and the promised air conditioning blew hot air instead of cooling the space. The stay-at-home mom, Kate Henry (@katehenry.mi), who posted her story on TikTok, said she paid over $800 for the two-night stay and is now fighting for a refund after Airbnb support sided with the host.
The trip was planned for the July 4 weekend during a Northeast heat wave, with temperatures climbing into the 90s. Kate, traveling with a young infant, specifically filtered her Airbnb search for properties with air conditioning. She said she reached out to the host a week before the trip to confirm the portable AC units would keep the apartment at safe temperatures for her baby – under 78°F during the day and 72°F at night. The host assured her the units would be sufficient.
When the family arrived, the apartment was already 86°F. The creator described the space as “grosser than expected,” with stains on the furniture and a strong weed smell throughout the building. By 9.30 p.m., after a day of activities, the temperature inside was unbearable, and the portable AC was blowing hot air.
Kate decided to leave
Kate said she made the call to pack up and leave, prioritizing her infant’s safety. “Something just got to me that we have to get out of here,” she said in the video. They drove 20 minutes to a Hilton Embassy Suites, whose customer service, cool room, and complimentary upgrades met her expectations. “They gave us waters when we walked in,” she said. “I mean, so many little things to make a better experience.”
The next morning, she contacted Airbnb support to explain the situation. The company initially told her they would investigate but later informed her they sided with the host because an AC unit had been provided, even if it wasn’t working. “I never at any point said that it wasn’t provided,” she said.
“It’s just that it wasn’t working and it was not cooling things to a sufficient temperature.” Airbnb allowed her to request a partial refund of $620, covering only the room rate, but the host denied the request. She said she’s been escalated to higher levels of support three times with no resolution.
Kate’s TikTok video details the entire ordeal, from the initial booking to the failed resolution attempts. She said she filtered her Airbnb search for properties with air conditioning because she had been “burned by that in Hawaii” before.
When she saw the forecast shift from low 70s to high 80s and 90s, she proactively messaged the host to confirm the AC would work. “I know that typically in Maine it’s not this temperature,” she said. The host responded that the portable units in the bedroom and living room would “be totally fine.”
It wasn’t just the lack of proper air conditioning
Kate also shared her experience at the Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport, where she stayed the first night of the trip. She said she didn’t realize the hotel didn’t have air conditioning when she booked it, but the room stayed at 76°F even when it was 92°F outside. She made do by dressing her infant in just a diaper and using fans, but the experience left her wary of trusting accommodations without reliable cooling.
The Airbnb host had even messaged to say she turned on the AC and a fan, so the apartment “should be nice and cool.” However, Kate noticed stains on the couches and duvet but decided to overlook them, assuming the AC would eventually cool the apartment.
By the time they returned from dinner and a cruise, the temperature had risen, and the weed smell was overpowering. She said. “I don’t know if it’s illegal in Maine. I don’t, I don’t know. Um, but I know that it’s a really gross smell when you have a kid.”
What’s worse is that when Kate reached out to the host, she responded that the heat was “out of her control” and stopped replying. While Airbnb allowed her to initiate a case against the host, she could only request $620 back – the cost of the room rate – leaving her on the hook for taxes and the cleaning fee, which totaled about $250. The host denied the request, and multiple escalations to Airbnb support have yielded no results.
The video has really resonated with viewers
Many shared their own Airbnb horror stories in the comments. Some praised Kate for prioritizing her infant’s safety, while others criticized Airbnb’s customer service. Kate said she posted the video to warn others about the risks of booking Airbnbs, especially with young children, and to seek advice from viewers who might have gone through similar experiences.
Her story comes amid broader discussions about the reliability of short-term rentals, particularly during extreme weather. Heat waves have made air conditioning a non-negotiable for many travelers, and stories like Kate’s highlight the risks of relying on portable units or host assurances.
For now, Kate said she’s done with Airbnb, at least for trips involving her infant. “This experience has been extremely frustrating,” she said. But she’s grateful for the Hilton’s hospitality, which she said turned a stressful situation into a positive one. If you’re planning a trip to Portland, she added, “I actually really do recommend them.”
(Featured image: freestocks-photos on Pixabay and katehenry.mi on TikTok)
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