# Check a vacation rental or hotel listing for red flags

A careful review of a lodging listing and its reviews to spot scams, hidden fees, and deal-breakers before you book.

- Topic: Personal Life & Wellbeing
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Design, Analyze, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/check-a-vacation-rental-or-hotel-listing-for-red-flags

## Prompt

```text
Help me check a vacation rental or hotel listing before I book.

**Listing details (paste them):** [DESCRIPTION, AMENITIES, HOUSE RULES, PRICE BREAKDOWN]
**Recent reviews (paste a selection, including negative ones):** [REVIEWS]
**Where it's listed:** [booking platform / direct website / social media / classified ad]
**What matters most to me:** [e.g. quiet, parking, walkable, good beds, kid-safe, accessible]
**Dates and total price shown:** [DETAILS]

Check:
1. Scam warning signs: requests to pay outside the platform, wire transfers or gift cards, prices far below similar places, pressure to book fast, a host who won't answer basic questions, and copied photos (suggest I do a reverse image search).
2. Hidden costs: cleaning fees, resort or service fees, deposits, taxes, parking, and early check-in charges. Compare the total, not the nightly rate.
3. Review patterns: recurring complaints (noise, cleanliness, misleading photos, Wi-Fi, safety), how the host responds, and whether reviews are recent.
4. Fit for my needs, and what the listing doesn't say (stairs, air conditioning, distance to transit, neighborhood).
5. The cancellation policy in plain words.

Return: a verdict (book / ask questions first / skip), the top 3 concerns, a short message to the host with my questions, and anything to confirm in writing. Only use the information I've pasted; don't invent facts about the property.
```

## What to fill in

- DESCRIPTION, AMENITIES, HOUSE RULES, PRICE BREAKDOWN
- REVIEWS
- DETAILS

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.