We've travelled pretty extensively throughout Europe, and have used AirBNB many times. We have always had amazing hosts, with the exception of this awkward welcome to Rome. We arrived to Dario's apartment around 5pm after a long travel day. Dario was in the apartment cleaning it and was apologetic. Dario lives in the apartment and moves all his things out when a guest rents. The whole situation was awkward; we felt like we were invading his place. He had bags of clothing and belongings in the bedroom where we put our luggage. There was food in the fridge, a full trash can, etc. We decided to walk around the block to get a coffee and some groceries while he finished cleaning. (After traveling all day, all we wanted to do was relax in our rented apartment.) Dario wasn't finished cleaning and moving all this stuff out until 7pm, which is completely unacceptable. We're accustomed to hosts having local travel books and maps of the area for guests; this apartment was void of any travel information. Since the apartment doesn't have internet, one better educated oneself on the area beforehand. There is a TV in the apartment, which Dario says has 200+ channels, which it does, but all in Italian, so they were little help to us.

The apartment is nice to cook, and there's a comfortable bed. It's located right near a grocery store and a great cafe. Dario is good with communication. The checking-in/welcoming experience dropped our star rating drastically. We have come to expect a higher level of professionalism with AirBNB hosts.