I wish only to share only the well documented facts in my situation:
1. First of all, the trash from the previous guest was still in the unit!
2. The host advertises “Wi-Fi” but, as your device will alert you, the Wi-Fi’s security is “not secure” and you will rarely get more than one bar of signal strength. You will see that “locked” Wi-Fi all around you and even down the street have full bars but the host has gone with the bare minimum so they can claim to have Wi-Fi. When I complained about this, the host responded (in writing) “ go sit in the corner by the window,” and another time, “go to a library, or restaurant” and finally, “we ONLY claim said we have Wi-Fi and said nothing about it being string Wi-Fi.”
3. The host advertises a kitchenette with stove, refrigerator and oven. Okay, keep in mind, the stove does not have a working hood/exhaust system. It was broken and stashed in the laundry room. They will claim it is only cosmetic and that it is functional. This is not truthful. The kitchenette is in the one room with your bedding and all of your clothes. Because the stove exhaust hood is broken, any fumes from what cook go everywhere in the room! Plus the kitchenette has cracked tiles on the cooking surface which harbor bacteria.
4. The place smells like a Porto-potty our outhouse. Basically, it smells like Sh$&!! One of the worst things of all was the smell of the place! At night it came in exceptionally strong. There is something seriously wrong and regardless of whether the pipes are old or not, something needs to be done! I was nauseated every night. I slept as close to an open window as I could and it was freezing out.
5. No fresh linens and no clothesline outside to dry them! I sent messages twice asking for fresh linens as I mistakenly signed in for 2 months. These requests were ignored. Airbnb tried to help but they ignored them as well
6. The drain over and towel bar were broken and also stashed in the laundry room on a shelf.
7. The room was so poorly cleaned that there was a thick level of lint on the wooden beams above you as well as clinging to the glass light
shades.
8. If you are looking for Airbnb hosts that care about your experience this is not the place for you! You will be lucky if you get a wafer thin bar of unwrapped soap, that’s what I got!!
9. If you need help, the hosts have you call the cleaning guy “Domenico.” This is what happened to me the first night. When Domenico cannot figure out things like “how to get the heat started” because you froze the first night. They then expected you to let the neighbors have a go at it. Anything to keep them from having to deal with it.
10. The problem with this property is that the hosts do not care. It is all about money. The pre pandemic reviews are outdated, the husband is in charge now that the real owner had a baby a year ago.
11. Yes, this property has a couple of pieces of antiques furniture but everything else, including the bedding is all IKEA. So, all of that stuff you will read about how they are into sustainability? IKEA is the worst offender! The hosts just don’t want you to run up a high electricity bill because that is not included!
12. The location is in a lively Piazza. It is something you will love during the day and most likely hate at night. Six out of seven nights a week you will hear drunk and rowdy 20 something’s yelling and screaming until all hours.
13. TV, if you are not Italian, and hoping to have a flatscreen or decent “smart” Television to be able to enjoy some of your shows or news from back home, you’ll have to use your computer. The hosts have plugged in small computer screen sized TV that will only get you 4 italian only channels.
14. I overpaid the owners by $500. They said they would meet me on the first day to greet me when I arrived but did not show. The husband of the owner came two days later but did not bring my refund. He began making up excuses about how he was not going to give me the entire refund. I finally received it but ONlY because I convinced them I would vacate a month early, forfeiting the last month (so I could escape the smell of fecal matter). Once they finally credited me on Airbnb, I elevated all facts in the matter to Airbnb. Airbnb allowed me to leave before the second month, and issued me a refund due to the hosts unwillingness to fix or even respond to my repeated written requests.
There are good things about the location and it is close to the Ponte vecchio bridge but it would not be my choice of locations next time I am in Florence.
As I write this, I have stayed in 2 other Airbnb’s; One near Portofino and the other in Sorrento. Both were gracious hosts (as I am finding throughout most of my travels). All had nice amenities and personal touches to show they care about your experience and that you are not just another quick thousand plus euros. All had hosts that go out of their way to help.