University Lecturer Left 'Shaking and Unable to Sleep' Following Racist Airbnb Ordeal
A university lecturer has been left profoundly traumatised after Airbnb initially refused to ban a guest who subjected her to a sustained campaign of racist abuse. Baoxiu Qi, a biomolecular science lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, described feeling her "whole body go cold" and being left "shaking" after reading the vile messages, which have fundamentally altered her sense of belonging in the UK.
A Sustained Campaign of Abuse and False Allegations
The incident began in December when guest Simone Kyriakopoulou, a 49-year-old who runs a Greek food van, stayed for 20 days at Ms Qi's Grade I listed Georgian property in Bath while working at the city's Christmas market. Following a dispute over the flat's temperature, Kyriakopoulou launched a racist tirade against her host.
In private messages, she called Ms Qi a "dictator from China," claimed she had an "uncivilised background," and stated that her passport "won't buy you a new culture." She absurdly complained the property contained asbestos, despite it being built over a century before the material's domestic use. Alongside the abuse, she submitted a wave of damaging negative reviews.
Airbnb's Inadequate Initial Response
Despite Ms Qi, an 11-year "super host," providing clear evidence of the racist harassment, Airbnb's initial response was woefully inadequate. The platform told her to "post a professional public response to address the feedback" and refused to remove the public reviews, claiming they "directly described the guest's firsthand experience."
Only after relentless complaints from Ms Qi, who estimates she spoke to "tens of representatives" and called twice daily, and following enquiries from the Daily Mail, did Airbnb act. The reviews were eventually deleted, and Kyriakopoulou was removed from the platform. Airbnb stated it had suspended the guest during its investigation.
Profound Personal and Financial Impact
The fallout has been devastating for Ms Qi, a Bath resident of 30 years. She has suffered an estimated £4,000 in lost bookings, with her rental income plummeting from around £4,000 a month to nothing. The mental toll, however, is far greater.
"I couldn't sleep afterwards for the first week," she revealed. "The financial loss is one thing but it's more the mental stress. It's made me look at the world differently... it's made me question if I really belong here." She added that the experience was so damaging she would have "preferred it if she had punched me," as physical recovery would have been easier.
A Pattern of Problematic Behaviour
It has emerged that previous hosts have accused Kyriakopoulou of similar conduct, including sending abusive messages, fabricating lies about properties, and even urinating on a door. This history raises serious questions about Airbnb's vetting processes and its responsiveness to reports of user misconduct.
Broader Questions for Platform Accountability
The case starkly highlights the gap between Airbnb's public commitment to its non-discrimination policy—which prohibits bias based on race, religion, or national origin—and its practical enforcement. Ms Qi expressed being "disgusted and disheartened" by the platform's handling of what she called a "clear-cut attack."
"I was really shocked because I called them straight away and this is such a clear case," she said. "I thought anybody who saw that message would say 'Oh my God, we're going to remove that immediately'. But that wasn't the case." The ordeal has left a lasting scar, with Ms Qi stating the racist abuse from December "still feels really hurtful" and has fundamentally changed how she interacts with others.
