I unfortunately can't recommend this stay to others based on my own experience. However, I hope that my review might be helpful to those who do choose to book. Apologies in advance for the lengthy review. I truly mean for this to be more helpful than anything, and hope it doesn't come across as overly critical.
I booked this stay based on its ideal location in Montréal, the beautiful photos on Airbnb, and the almost 5-star rating. It wasn't the least expensive option, but I booked it because I wanted my family and I to have a really nice place to stay during our weekend trip to Montréal. I felt really confident in the few months leading up to our trip feeling that one big thing was out of the way and we wouldn't need to stress about it. Unfortunately, much of that changed within the few weeks leading up to our trip.
It started when I received an Airbnb email from the host, "Merry," a few weeks in advance asking me to confirm our stay as well as how and when we were arriving. I replied but received no response. I received another very similar Airbnb email from the host about a week before our stay, again asking me to confirm the same details I had already provided. I again replied but again received no response from the host. I reached out a day or so later and asked the host to confirm they'd received my messages. I received no response until a few days before our trip, which seemed automated and directed me to text someone named "Sam" for check-in information. I thought it was odd to not communicate through the Airbnb app since Airbnb recommends doing so "for your protection." Sam did not respond right away, and while I waited I started to worry that this listing might be a scam, or at the very least just a poor host, and that either way this might affect all of the plans we had carefully made for our trip. I decided to read through some of the other reviews and found that many of the other guests before me had had similar experiences. I also learned from one guest that "Merry" is not the actual host, nor is she an actual person. Her photo is a stolen photo of an actress. Sam messaged me back just as things started to seem more and more strange. I asked for check-in information since Airbnb told me I'd receive that 3 days before my trip, but was informed that that information would not be sent until a few hours before my check-in. Sam did offer to provide this information 24 hours before as a courtesy, but at this point I was getting more and more nervous that we might arrive in Montréal not knowing how to check in or if we even have an actual stay to check into.
I still hadn't received check-in instructions 24 hours before our trip and again reached out to Sam early in the day. I hadn't received a response from him later that evening, so I messaged again. While waiting, I called Airbnb customer support and explained that I was having trouble communicating with the host, and that I was suspicious the host wasn't real. Airbnb was extremely helpful and understanding of my concerns, which I greatly appreciated. They explained that "Merry" is not a real host, but rather, the listing was a "software listing" operated by a third party management group. This worried me because I figured it meant our stay would not be as nice or as personalized as previous stays hosted by actual owners who cared that we had a great experience. Airbnb assured me this listing was not a scam. I received a response from Sam a few minutes after hanging up with Airbnb, finally providing check-in instructions. At this point it was around 10 PM the night before we needed to wake up early to drive to Montréal, which was a bit stressful given that it was so last minute.
Upon checking into the stay, we found that it was not as clean, nice or updated as it appeared in the photos on the listing. It looked as though someone purchased an unfinished condo unit then slapped it together into a cheap Airbnb stay. The vinyl plank flooring was raised in spots and there were gaps between it and the walls. The walls had holes and dents in them. The ceilings were unfinished concrete. The furniture was all very low quality Ikea furniture. The appliances and windows were all streaked. It smelled very strongly of lemon household cleaner. All in all, it didn't feel much like a cozy home away from home, and it didn't feel like a lot of care had gone into the unit. We decided to check the beds and found strands of hair all over the sheets and comforter. What's worse, we discovered many large, brown stains on the mattresses after peeling back the mattress covers. We hoped those were just from water. Unfortunately, we needed to wash the bedding ourselves to be sure it was clean, something you don't expect to have to do during your stay while on vacation. While doing that, we found dust underneath the beds and decided to quickly sweep and vacuum. We wanted a clean home away from home during our stay. Unfortunately, the vacuum didn't work and the bristles on the broom were so warped and covered in dust bunnies that it was pointless to try to use it. There was also food spilled down the side of the oven and crumbs on the floor, and the lights beneath the microwave didn't work in the evening.
Overall, we were disappointed by the quality and cleanliness of this stay, especially since it doesn't appear as it did on the listing. I felt deceived, but mostly disappointed because I really wanted my family to have a better place to stay during