This was honestly the poorest Airbnb experience I've ever had. It started with their incredibly strict cancellation policy. I discovered after booking that the ICE condos have a reputation in Toronto for being unsafe party buildings. I shared my concerns with the host, with ample time left (2.5 weeks) for cancellation, and they refused to allow me to cancel with more than a 50% refund.
When I arrived, I found that the place was a shoebox, despite being priced higher than other condos in the area. They say it sleeps 4, but it was almost too small for one person to occupy. The listing also says it has a designated work area with a desk and comfortable chair, but it definitely doesn't — as someone with neck issues this wasn't good for me. It was also grossly understocked: there was no oil, only one small pan and a few pots in the kitchen, only one tablespoon, no chopsticks, 4 dishes sets and glasses, 3 mugs, no strainer, no dishrags, no tea towels, only 5 hangers between the two closets (for my one-week stay), and only 5 coffee pods. There was all-purpose cleaner with a broken spray handle that made it unusable.
On the first night, the lock mechanism on the door fell off, and I noticed one of the vertical blinds was missing. I also noticed a lack of maintenance: there was a clock that was broken, and a charging hub that didn't work. No extra care had been taken to maintain the space.
I brought up all these issues with the hosts and received canned responses first from Lily, and then a general check-in from Alec asking if everything was okay, ignoring the issues I’d reported. I was told a handyman would be coming to fix things.
Then, I heard nothing for days.
I bought everything they needed. A cast iron pan, dish rags, a strainer, dish towels, batteries for the broken clock, all-purpose and glass cleaner, tablespoons, hangers, and oil. I looked up the lock online and fixed it myself. I also ended up moving one of the vertical blinds so that my privacy was more complete.
On the second last night of my stay, the fire alarm went off at 5:30am, I assume due to partying in the building. When I finally fell back into bed, the frame collapsed. I hadn't even checked the app after not hearing from the hosts from the 19-22nd as I was just aghast and at my wit’s end. I upended the bed myself and found that it had been broken and fixed (poorly) in that corner before. I ended up fixing it myself with epoxy and screws. Lucky that I'm handy, because the sofa bed mattress was uncomfortable and stained.
The time and money I spent making this stay bearable amounted to over $100 and roughly 3-4 hours of shopping and repair and maintenance.
After all of these issues, I asked for a partial refund on the rental. The refund was denied and I didn't get any kind of counter-offer at all. I've now involved Airbnb and am waiting for a response from them.
This is just a cash grab for these hosts. It's tiny, overpriced, and they don't care about their guests beyond the money. Avoid it if you can.