I had booked another apartment, but that host cancelled at the last minute. So I found André’s apartment and booked for 9 nights. It is advertised at $51 per night. But upon reserving, the total amounted to $996 … (i.e. $110 per night). I never met the host. The arrival was impersonal and somewhat botched. The day before, the host sent me instructions on where to find the keys. The instructions were unclear and it is was freezing cold outside. It took me 20 minutes to figure out what the deal was. Nobody lives in this apartment. Consequently there are no handy consumables that guests can tap into. The only items available for us were (1) three rolls of toilet paper, (2) a jar of instant coffee, (3) three tea bags, (4) a bottle of shampoo, and (5) a handful of salt and pepper sachets stolen from the local fast-food store. I am used to a bit more amenities and comfort. For example, a bar of soap and a few condiments would have been appreciated. Leaving only three rolls of toilet paper was especially cheap, considering that I reserved for nine nights, with family and friends occasionally visiting. The three convenient stores in the area did not carry toilet paper. I had to walk seven streets in blistering cold weather to find a pharmacy that would sell big bundles of toilet paper. The host left me with two small bath towels for our entire stay. That wouldn’t be such an issue if there had been a washer-dryer in the apartment. There is no washer and dryer in the apartment. Instead, there is a small laundry room on the ground floor. It has four pay-machines, no counter top, and the machines are often occupied. Don’t contemplate sleeping on the sofa. The cushions are mobile and have a tendency to move out of position. The toilet was malfunctioning. We had to flush three times to get rid of waste. There is no “winter rug” at the entrance to soak up the snow from our boots. Hence, either you take off your boots outside the apartment or you make a mess on the floor if you leave them on when you enter. Most apartments in the building are rented out to AirBnB guests. There are many young people having parties. A few of these were loud and we could smell marijuana. Twice (… that’s right, two different nights) the fire alarm went off when I was sleeping. We had to evacuate the building in the freezing cold. As a consequence of these fire alarms going off, the elevator was out of commission for three days. On those days, I had to walk up six flights of stairs to get to the apartment. On the positive side, the apartment is well-located with regards to Chinatown, Quartier des spectacles, etc. Also, the host is very nice and usually responds to text messages within an hour. He kindly contacted the janitor on my behalf when the...