Stayshort.com Reviews 

Very disappointing experience immediate cancellation request refused

I am extremely disappointed with my experience involving StayShort in Dubai.

During the booking process, the amount initially displayed was significantly lower than the final amount charged to my credit card.

As soon as I noticed the charge, I contacted the company to request cancellation, within approximately three minutes of receiving the booking confirmation.

Despite my immediate reaction, StayShort refused to make an exception to its cancellation policy or offer a refund.

I explained the circumstances and made it clear that I had not intended to accept the final amount charged.

What concerns me most is the complete lack of flexibility and willingness to consider the circumstances.

I have already initiated a dispute with my credit card issuer and intend to report the matter to the relevant consumer protection authorities in Dubai.

I believe future guests should be aware of this experience before booking.

I strongly encourage travelers to carefully review the final charges and cancellation conditions before confirming any reservation with this company.

What a great company. Super professional responsive and understanding.

Hans, christine and George was simply amazing. You can talk to them anytime. Superb five stars service. Will alwasy stay with them. I recommend them for your dubai and uae stays.

Very bad, they communicate very bad i had to fill a form on there website with a selfie and pictures of my passport as requested. I arrive at 2 at night and nothing was communicated i could not enter a room and had to go to a other hotel because there was nobody, this after a long travel. Please dont book anything here

Had a wonderful stay! The property was very clean, comfortable, and conveniently located. A special mention to Sabarish, who was extremely helpful and always quick to respond whenever we needed anything. His support made our stay even more enjoyable. Would happily stay here again!

Apartment was good , but unfortunately there was toxic paint thinner solvent leaking into the apartment from next door construction, and they could not find where it come in , so they kinda didnt believe me and wouldnt find an equally good apartment or better i could relocate to because they didnt want to upgrade me. So my health is worth less than a couple hundred aed pr month extra for them. The fumes came in 3 times within 1.5 week , and one point i was so Dizzy we had to leave the apartment. Bad service i dont recommend them

Extremely disappointing experience – serious cleanliness and maintenance issues. If I could give them 0 stars I would.

Unfortunately, my experience with StayShort has been extremely disappointing.

The apartment was not properly cleaned when I checked in. The bathroom was filthy, there was mold on the wall, and the overall condition of the apartment was nowhere near the standard I reasonably expected from the listing.

The washing machine was also broken, leaving me unable to wash my clothes for approximately one week. Despite repeatedly contacting StayShort and arranging cleaning, I spent considerable time waiting for their cleaning team on several occasions, only for the appointments to be rescheduled or for nobody to arrive.

I was then informed that maintenance needed to be carried out on the mold-affected wall while I was still occupying the apartment. This would have involved work on the wall and repainting it while I was living and sleeping there. I refused because I was not prepared to remain in the apartment during this type of maintenance or sleep in a room with fresh paint fumes.

What has been particularly frustrating is the amount of time I have had to spend chasing basic cleaning, maintenance and solutions for problems that should have been addressed before a guest checked in.

Based on my personal experience, I would not recommend StayShort. Guests should expect an accommodation provider to deliver a property that is clean, properly maintained and ready to be occupied from the moment they check in—not spend their stay repeatedly chasing the operator to resolve basic issues.

**StayShort (Link Intl L.L.C-FZ) — 1 star**

**Apartment nothing like the listing, host completely unreachable**

I booked a StayShort apartment through Booking.com and paid in full in advance. What I arrived to bears little resemblance to the listing.

The apartment was dirty and clearly had not been cleaned or prepared before check-in. The washing machine is broken. There is water leaking from the ceiling, still not fixed. The kitchen extractor hood doesn't work. The unit is packed with so much surplus furniture that it isn't practical to live in, and the balcony is unusable — full of rubbish and more stored furniture.

I reported all of this to StayShort immediately. No response. I have called and emailed repeatedly, and nobody has replied, attended, or repaired anything.

Paying for a stay and then spending your time chasing a host who won't answer is not acceptable. If you are considering booking with StayShort, ask for current photographs of the actual unit and the balcony before you pay.

I have raised a formal complaint with Dubai Consumer Rights and a payment dispute.

During my stay at this property, the digital door code was updated without prior notice. I stepped out for a short 20-minute walk and returned around midnight, finding myself completely locked out with all my personal belongings inside the apartment.
Between midnight and 03:00 AM, I spent three consecutive hours trying every possible channel to reach customer support: calling all the numbers provided, sending WhatsApp messages across two different support channels (which explicitly advertised 24/7 support), and searching for alternative contacts. Nobody answered.

I had no choice but to book and pay for an emergency hotel room for the night. The first response arrived at 05:00 AM via the website chat from an agent who provided the new code. The main WhatsApp support channel did not reply until 11:00 AM—11 hours later—claiming they had not received my calls, despite over 30 phone calls and 30 messages thoroughly documented in my call logs.

At the time of writing this initial review, despite repeated requests and statements that payment was on its way, no refund had been issued for the night I was locked out, nor for the emergency hotel expenses incurred and significant disruptions caused.

* Reply after reply.

Do you take my report seriously? Really? Same "bla bla bla" since one month and not refunds at all. Is it your way for serious?

Let's see if you take it more serious with Det report and lawyer.

UPDATE 04/09/2026
Following this review and the submission of this matter to the relevant local authorities (Department of Economy and Tourism - DET and Al Ameen), management contacted me via email demanding the removal of my feedback within 24 hours under threat of legal action. All correspondence was forwarded to the authorities for formal review.

UPDATE 05/09/2026
Following the intervention of the authorities and after two months of continuous follow-ups, management finally processed a partial refund on 20th August and notify me just today, this strictly covering the single night of unprovided accommodation.
However, the out-of-pocket expenses for the emergency hotel room and the significant disruptions caused remain completely uncompensated and declined. All call logs, receipts, correspondence, and official case references remain documented on record.

Poor customer service, they don’t answer quickly if you have any concerns or complaints but they keep text you for the check out. Cleaning service is not very good and we had an issue with AC but their service was really bad, they didn’t even made any complementary changes.

I accidentally left my key inside the apartment. I asked for the code which they told me they didn’t have. Then told me the spare key is locked away at another location, and now not even answering my calls or texts. Unprofessional and bad English grammar

Nothing is professional about these apartments or this company called Stayshort. The apartments have cockroaches in the bathrooms and kitchens and they’re not clean. The employees are unprofessional and will not be of any assistance and will refuse any refund even with proof of a cockroach problem in the apartment.

They rent out apartments without doing a background check; the noise from the highway outside makes it impossible to sleep; their service is unreliable; they’re inconsistent in their communication; I don’t recommend them—choose another company.

Extremely disappointing experience. My reservation was cancelled only 3 days before check-in, leaving me in a very stressful situation.

I was offered only one alternative, which was significantly smaller and clearly worse than the original unit, and I was asked to pay an additional €188 on top. This is completely unacceptable.

Instead of offering a fair solution, they tried to shift the problem onto me. I had to insist on a full refund rather than being properly supported.

I would not recommend booking with them if you expect reliability and professionalism.

My confirmed non-refundable booking was cancelled last minute by StayShort.

No proper replacement was offered—only very low-quality, non-comparable alternatives. These were then used to justify the cancellation, which feels like a tactic to relist units at higher prices.

This left me without accommodation and caused unnecessary stress and extra cost.

Very unreliable. Book at your own risk.

I am writing this to warn others. I have been physically shocked by a faulty electrical panel in a unit managed by StayShort.com—a severe life-safety hazard. Despite reporting this immediately, management has been negligent and even attempted to lie about communication to avoid responsibility.
In addition to the electrical danger, the property has a cockroach infestation. I have paid in full through April 1st, yet I am being forced to stay in an uninhabitable and dangerous environment. I have officially escalated this to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.

Do not trust this company with your safety or your money. They prioritize excuses over guest lives.

They are not reliable. They missed the scheduled apartment viewing, and it cost me 2 hours of my time and taxi expenses.

I had a very disappointing experience with StayShort in Dubai.

I had a confirmed booking for my stay, but due to flight disruptions affecting travel to Dubai, I was unable to reach the destination at all. This was completely beyond my control.

I contacted the hotel in advance and explained the situation, requesting either a refund or even basic flexibility given the circumstances. Unfortunately, the hotel refused any form of refund or accommodation and strictly enforced their policy, despite the fact that I could not physically travel to use the booking.

What is most disappointing is the lack of understanding or customer care in a situation involving genuine travel disruption. I made this booking in good faith and took reasonable steps to resolve the issue directly, but was left with a financial loss for a service I could not use.

I would strongly urge future guests to be cautious, as there appears to be little flexibility or support even in exceptional situations.

First reservation the apartment was filthy.

Stained and hair inside the sheets. One towel for 2 people. The couch was extremely wet for over 24 hours.

I gave a second chance and booked again. Given the regional situation, my flight was cancelled. Stay short did not accommodate and is only agreeing to 50% refund which is the original policy. No help was provided especially given the situation.

Terrible experience with "Stay Short." Due to the regional conflict of March 7, 2026, and the resulting closure of Dubai's airspace (DXB Airport), my flight was officially canceled.

Despite presenting the airline's official documentation and the Dubai Airport passenger notice, the provider refused to issue a full refund, unfairly withholding 50% of the amount (over AED 4,500).

Charging a fee for a stay that was physically impossible to reach due to international emergencies is ethically and legally questionable. I was forced to report the matter to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

I consider Dubai my second home, but I strongly advise against this agency: they do not respect Force Majeure clauses and show a complete lack of empathy towards customers in critical situations.

This review relates to an incident with the housekeeping team, and the communication with StayShort that followed on from it.

They found my jacket that was accidentally left (after check out) and didn’t bother to follow up and advise me (suss - I assume they were hoping to keep it?) which is odd. When I realised it wasn’t in my possession, they advised I had two weeks to collect. I am writing this review after 10 days, only to discover that it’s now been “discarded” after promising to keep it safe. Have in mind that this is in and amongst the current volatile situation unfolding in Dubai too. So sneaky and untrustworthy! On this basis alone, I would not choose to stay with StayShort again!