We were looking forward to our weekend stay in Paris - self check in was simple and clear. Overall, I would not recommend this stay or any of the properties hosted by Arnaud and Gary.
Once in the apartment, we followed the instruction manual and began to settle in. Unfortunately, the hosts claim to offer management & janitorial services for several properties I find it hard to believe given our experience. We arrived to an apartment that claims to be a luxury stay with a $110 cleaning fee. The kitchen and bathrooms featured empty / half finished low end hand soaps and empty body wash products in the shower. Nothing at all like the photos on the listing. The host also failed to follow Air BnB COVID protocols outlined - there were no paper towels / wipes, sanitizer or gloves. Our first night, there was no hot water and no working heater.
In the morning, we woke up to no internet service - I contacted the host to which they were rudely dismissive and said someone could TRY to be there before end of day but they have 40 properties to manage - as though we are to beg for this ‘luxury’ service and haven’t already paid for it. Air BnB contacted the hosts and within 20min a young teenager walked upstairs from one of the apartments - did not introduce himself - entered the apartment with the hosts on the phone and turned on a switched inside a storage room. He then said everything works now and showed us a YouTube video on his phone to claim the internet was working. The hosts still did not acknowledge their failure to adhere to the Air BnB protocols and claimed to have a professional cleaning service as though it is a pardon for falsely confirming to follow all COVID protocols. Given the times we live in, I felt it was important for our and future guest safety that this be addressed. I spent half of my day back and forth with Air BnB until the host finally agreed via Air BnB to provide the COVID list of items.
For the remainder of the stay (Friday - Sunday) - there were all night parties with loud music / talking, people ringing our intercom, the building smelled of cigarettes and weed in the morning. The walls are thin and door allows you to hear everything by the neighbors and stairway.
This was far from a luxury stay - I felt extremely unsafe as a female traveler especially after writing Air bnb for assistance - the property became more like a fraternity house with questionable men standing outside the front door at 8am clearly dealing with a hangover. People were ringing / knocking on our door between 1am-5am when there’s a curfew in France from 6pm-6am.
The description does not match the space at all - there is no dedicated work space (host said to work on the bar top - it is higher than the seat which has your forearm / wrist at a 90 degree angle - painful to say the least). There is no dryer, no basic cooking items (empty balsamic vinegar no olive oil).
Best part of this luxury apartment is the fact that it did not even have wine glasses. Cheers to drinking great French wine in a water cup, be wise and avoid these hosts and their properties.