Angela Sue Lucas booked a two-day getaway for her 40th birthday in July 2020 at Club DLuxx, an Airbnb run by Dennis Peter Weisse in North Fort Myers, Fla. Or, so she thought.
“I refused her reservation,” said Mr. Weisse, 70, who was nicknamed DLuxx by a high school buddy. “I don’t allow guests to throw parties at my home,” he told her on the Airbnb app suspecting that was what she was up to. “I have other guests staying at Club DLuxx and it wouldn’t be fair.” The house is Mr. Weisse’s home, out of which he rents two rooms.
The next day, Ms. Lucas, 43, who goes by Angie, set him straight.
“I was excited about my birthday staycation,” replied Ms. Lucas, who was looking for a quiet solo escape in early pandemic times. She was thrilled that it featured a pool and was only 20 minutes from Lehigh Acres, Fla., where she was then living.
“I am very quiet and would not wish to cause harm or annoyance,” she said, adding that she accepted his decision, and wished him “a happy summer.”
Her note, along with her photo on the app, catapulted him into sending an apology 11 minutes later.
“OMG, I’m so sorry,” he said, explaining that a previous party thrower racked up $900 in damages. “I will welcome you with open arms,” he wrote. “Your host, I hope, Dennis.”
A few more exchanges went nowhere: “I was really nervous about doing anything wrong,” she said. So he called her.
