I Booked a Private Apartment on Booking.com but Got a Shared Bathroom and Dirty Room

I want to share the awful experience I had in July during a one-night stay in Vienna that I booked through Booking.com. I reserved a property listed as “Charming Stay at Märzstraße Apartment Close to Vienna Attractions MZ17a” and specifically chose it because it stated the entire apartment was private, including a private bathroom.

When we arrived, nothing matched the listing. The apartment looked nothing like the photos, and it turned out to be a shared flat with 4–5 separate rooms and a shared bathroom/WC. This was completely different from what was advertised. Feeling deceived, I immediately tried to contact Booking.com, but all I received was an automated response promising follow-up within 24 hours — which never happened. They left me to deal with the property alone.

When I messaged the property, their first excuse was that no one else was staying there, so we should just “consider” the bathroom private. Later, when I sent photos of the uncleaned room, they offered to move us to another — which was just as bad.

We were so uncomfortable that we left the apartment at 5 AM, just six hours after checking in at 11 PM. None of us could sleep properly, and the entire experience was stressful and disappointing.

Despite leaving poor reviews and reaching out to customer service again, Booking.com has done absolutely nothing to address the situation. I demand a full refund of the ₺ I paid and urge Booking.com to remove misleading listings and provide real customer support. No one should go through this kind of experience.