A British holiday-maker says she was almost killed after contracting a deadly disease from an Airbnb hot-tub in Florida. Pamela Farman, 75, was having a holiday of a lifetime with her family in the sunshine state when she suddenly had difficulty breathing. Doctors said she is "lucky to be alive" after her lungs became "severely damaged" by the bacterial infection.
The family have since slammed the "awful" customer service received by Airbnb after blaming one of their hot tubs for leaving Pamela in hospital for weeks. Pamela contracted the dangerous Legionnaires' disease, an often fatal form of pneumonia caused by bacteria infecting the lungs. The retired mum said: "The Legionnaires’ disease has stolen the joy of living from me.
"Because of my trouble breathing and extreme fatigue as a result of the disease, I dread that I may never get back to the way I was prior to staying at the Airbnb. I can no longer exercise, and trying to go for a walk is a nightmare.”
She now struggles to do daily tasks, suffering from fatigue similar to severe long-Covid. The long-term effects which she has lived with for nine months have also stopped her from accessing treatment for her osteoporosis which she has been waiting for for over two years. Pamela arrived with her husband and daughter in Florida for a vacation in May 2022.
The family were then ferried between three different Airbnb villas after they found the first two were found dirty with algae growing in the pools. After staying at the third accommodation for a few days, Pamela developed a cough and difficulty breathing. She was rushed to hospital where she remained for a week before flying home.
She then had to spend a further four days in hospital in the UK. Legionnaires' disease is often caught in hotels, pools, hospitals and office air conditioners with an infected water supply, becoming much riskier for people over the age of 45.
Pamela's daughter Lindsay Martin said: "Before we knew it, mum was in hospital. We immediately called Airbnb to report what had happened so they could get the pools and hot tubs cleaned to prevent any more cases. Their customer service was awful and we spent hours communicating with them on an online chat.
"It was incredibly frustrating and they initially refused to accept responsibility or offer us a refund. It wasn't about the money, we didn't want anyone else to become ill and go through this - people can die from it."
Airbnb said they take customer safety seriously and are now looking into the incident. The family are now in the process of filing a lawsuit against the company. Thomas Scolaro from US-based legal firm Feesfield Scolaro representing Pamela said: "If Airbnb's are unregulated there is no uniformity in cleaning policies.
"We all know if we stay in a hotel or resort there are expectations that rooms are cleaned on a regular schedule."
He added: "Airbnb needs to do better. It rents out homes and advertises them as safe, secure, and sanitary. A wonderful woman has now contracted Legionnaires' disease. She is in the fight of her life against this deadly bacterium."
A spokesman for Airbnb said: "The safety of our community is our priority. We were concerned to learn about this, and are in contact with the guest to support them as we investigate this matter."
The company said it holds hosts to "high standards" and works with safety experts around the world to ensure guests' safety."
