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(CNN) - Ian and Denise Feltham, a couple from Britain, made vacation plans based on an Airbnb announcement about a property that apparently did not exist.
The Feltham's trip to the Spanish town of Ibiza included super-luxurious accommodation for 9,610 pounds (about $ 11,800) for two weeks in a VIP attic, which included a Turkish bath, hot tub and marble covered terrace.
The pet-friendly property - the Felthams were traveling with their two Yorkshire terriers - seemed to have been based on a real apartment. Or something like that.
The photos of the Airbnb ad, deleted after The Sunday Times published a story detailing the failed vacations, were apparently compiled from several condos for rent or sale that appear on the Las Boas complex's website, according to a man whom CNN Travel contacted in Las Boas.
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The Las Boas staff member called the Airbnb announcement "false" and said that such property does not even exist among the 40 units we saw on the Las Boas website. The man was contacted at the phone number on the resort's website, but he refused to give his name or say anything else on the matter.
Ian Feltham confirmed to CNN that the photos on the Las Boas website match the photos published in the Airbnb announcement that he and his wife reserved.
Maria Cala, owner of a Las Boas unit and co-founder of The Suites, a residential rental website that lists some units of Las Boas, showed confusion about the property rented by the Feltham and explained that the Turkish bath that was promised with The so-called “VIP” penthouse is for the entire complex, not for a single unit.
She also said that although "there are some nice penthouses in the building with direct access by elevator", there are no private elevators, another of the amenities that the Ibiza property listing had promised the Feltham.
Cala said some owners rent their properties on Airbnb, and according to information in The Sun, Airbnb is investigating the announcement.
The Sun published the following Airbnb statement: “Our handling of this problem fell below our usual high standards and we have contacted the guest to apologize and grant a full refund. We have suspended the ad while we investigate and continue working with the guest to do things right. ”
Airbnb did not immediately respond to CNN comment requests by phone and email.
Ian Feltham, whom CNN Travel first contacted through the LinkedIn messaging system, expressed his utmost dissatisfaction with the handling of the debacle by Airbnb, which caused the Feltham to have to look for a dog-friendly hotel when They discovered that their reservation literally did not exist.
Days before the trip, Feltham became restless because the announcement was too good to be true and he contacted Airbnb, who, he said, passed it from one person to another. Lux Travel Collective, who originally placed the ad on Airbnb, fell silent in the days leading up to its scheduled arrival and the few details left Feltham worried about his impending stay.
An Airbnb customer service representative wrote to let Feltham know he was going on vacation and offered him some phone numbers if he felt his situation was urgent, Feltham said.
But time was running out and the Feltham finally arrived at the planned location they had paid in Ibiza, only to be rejected by the reception of the building and forced to adjust their plans quickly.
"They are rubbish, a faceless organization," Feltham told Airbnb in his LinkedIn message to CNN.
Airbnb
