The apartment itself is well-appointed and efficient with its tight space and in an amazing location next to Rue Cler, with a view of the Eiffel Tower from the bedroom. But communication overall was quite poor. Starting with check-in. I sent a message through the app once we were in the taxi from the airport. After already communicating our arrival time. But we ended up standing on the street with our luggage in the heat for a while trying to get in touch with someone to let us in and store our luggage until the apartment was ready.
But the biggest issue was that our air conditioning was not working properly. It was clear to us at check-in that the apartment was very warm and there didn’t seem to be any air coming out of the vents, but our site manager Wilson was adamant that it was working fine and that Parisian air conditioning was just not as strong as American. The thermostats were set to 19C, but the temperature read 26.5C. When I pointed this out, he said that’s the outside temperature, which I know is not how thermostats work, even in Paris. He said he could bring us fans, but this was as good as it gets with the air. The next two days we were hot and sweaty. It was not unbearable, especially when opening windows at night, but it was very uncomfortable and not pleasant. Plus there was a heatwave in excess of 40C coming in a few days and we were quite worried. I continued to message our hosts saying that I really don’t think the air conditioning is functioning properly. They said someone would come out to look at it. I then received a message that the unit needed a new part, but they would not be able to get it until the next day. The next day I continued to ask for an update and was told that a specialist had inspected the unit again, and that everything was functioning properly and this is just as cool as it will get, because it is very hot outside and we were on the 4th floor. I then sent a message threatening to seek a refund through AirBnB, and then when we returned to the apartment that evening, the air conditioning was actually working for the first time!! The thermostats read 19C and we could actually feel the cold air blowing through the vents quite forcefully. Luckily just in time before it reached 40+C the next two days.
So in the end, we were right from the start that it wasn’t working properly. We were told we were wrong and that “we didn’t understand Parisian air conditioning”. Then we were told that someone inspected it and was waiting for a new part. Then we were told someone else inspected it and it was actually working fine and deal with it. And then it was “magically fixed” while we were out. So basically we were gaslit about it and spent two very warm uncomfortable days in the apartment worrying about the coming heatwave. The sad thing is that other than that issue, almost everything else about the apartment was great. The rug in the living room seemed like it was not vacuumed before we came, and when you pull out the sofa bed, the sofa cushions rest on the ground. The refrigerator door/handle is nearly impossible to open. And I asked a few times if there was a place to store suitcases because there was no storage space at all in the apartment, but I never received an answer. Again, very poor communication.