Two young women claim they had the holiday from hell when they were ‘held hostage and robbed’ at an Airbnb apartment in Marbella.
When friends Rae Breakwell and Paige Mitchell arrived at the property in Spain they claim the host was nowhere to be found – and they were greeted by the sight of two women passed in the room they had paid for.
The friends, both from the UK, allege they were later robbed of their personal belongings and ‘held hostage’, fearing they would be attacked with a kitchen knife.
Friends Rae Breakwell (right) and Paige Mitchell (left) arrived at the property in Marbella to find two girls passed out in the room they had paid for
An Airbnb spokesman said the host had been suspended while an ‘urgent’ investigation got underway
Rae and Paige said when they contacted their host, they were told she was out of the country and her cousin would be in charge during their stay.
But shortly before they arrived at the apartment on August 21, the cousin refused to answer his phone – so the owner told them to let themselves in using a spare key.
Rae told UNILAD: ‘When we got in, the place stank of alcohol and the curtains were drawn.
‘We were sitting on the sofa and then the cousin rang and got angry when we told him we were in the apartment.’
She said when they went to their room, they saw ‘two girls passed out.’
In a bid not to let it ruin their sunshine break, Rae and Paige went to the room next door and put their valuables in their suitcases before going out.
But they claim they later returned to find their belongings strewn across the room, with items missing.
Rae told UniLad she approached the other girls in the apartment who became ‘aggressive and started shouting’.
Rae claims she and her friend returned to find their belongings strewn across the room, with items missing
Paige claims she was trapped inside the apartment before eventually managing to flee
She claims she then saw a knife on the table and feared it ‘would be used’ – so she and Paige locked themselves in their room and called the police.
Rae said: ‘I do think if things had gone even a little bit further it would have ended up with that knife being used.’
Eventually, Rae ended up outside the apartment while Paige was trapped inside after the girls locked the door. Paige says she eventually managed to run and unlock the door.
They moved to a villa after Rae’s family arrived in the town a few days later.
Rae said the theft of their belongings and the cost of a new hotel cost them £1,000.
Rae (left) said the theft of their belongings and the cost of a new hotel cost them £1,000
An Airbnb spokesman said: ‘We have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour and are providing the guests with our full support.
‘The host has been suspended while we urgently investigate.
‘There have been over 200 million guest arrivals in listings and negative incidents like this are incredibly rare.’
- Have you had an Airbnb nightmare? Email amie.gordon@mailonline.co.uk or phone 020 361 53729