We never met Thomas himself, but his mother was present and welcomed us into the house. She was very kind and explained everything as best she could for us in English. We had no problems with the room and it was only a 5-10 minute walk to the subway station, from which it's easy to get downtown. The surrounding area was nice and felt safe, and there was a shop that sold pastries for breakfast on the way to the subway. I'd certainly recommend this room to others.