Communication with host: pretty fast and efficient, upon the day I made the reservation. I tried to maintain constant communication with Raja, through the Airbnb chat. He was pretty short and skipped the basic kindness/pleasantries. I can make my peace with that.
I had warned Raja that my gf and I arrive at Vienna airport around 7pm, so he can expect us at the apartment around 8pm - he confirmed it wasn’t a problem. However, our plane got delayed by 1.5hrs, so that affected our arrival time. I warned Raja before our flight even took off - got no response except for a phone number to call for instructions for entering the apartment, upon arrival at the address.
Eventually, right before we arrived (around 9:30pm), I got called by an elderly woman, asking “Are you the guest for tonight?” and “How long is this going to take??” She did not introduce herself or explain why she’s calling me and what she has to do with the host.
All in all, we arrived successfully, got coldly greeted and accommodated by the elderly lady, who’s apartment this seems to be. She did not offer any explanation on who she is and why I’ve been communicating with “Raja”… she gave us the keys, had some small talk and bid us good night.
Hygiene: I wouldn’t say I’m a hygiene freak, but the apartment definitely needed some cleaning and basic maintenance . There were webs and spiders on the walls (I made a video of one, in case the host decides to deny), the shower drain was clogged and created a huge pond on the floor of the bathroom, I found a hair on one of my towels, the bath had a semi-used shampoo, which looked forgotten by a previous visitor… all in all, with some 30 mins of work, I think those bits could be fixed.
Apart from all that, the apartment was great. Considering the not-so-great amount we paid, I’d say that the location and “everything-necessary”-amenities can compensate for the not-so/great hygiene and slightly unkind, though flexible, host.
I’d probably use it again, if I need a quick one-night stay.