Pros:
Communication was easy and fast. Paolo gave us exact directions and we magically managed to not get lost even when we first arrived to Venice at night.
Paolo also included a great packet of his advice and recommendations for the city that was really nice.
Location was great. Quiet street off of the main road but close to Vaporetto station and easily walkable to anywhere in the city! We were in town for the Biennale which is mostly situated on the other end of the island but it was really easy to walk there.
Air conditioning was great.
Bathroom was modern and clean.
Sheets hospital clean and crisp. (though the pillows are very hard so maybe pack a soft one if you prefer that)
Cons:
Whole place smelled strongly of cat and cigarettes. We think it might have been coming from the apartment below us but it was still pretty bad. We bought air-fresheners but they didn't do much to help. Hopefully they can find a way to fix this even though it probably wasn't their fault.
The internet was spotty. We were working on this trip so it was frustrating for us but probably wouldn't be a problem if you were only needing it to do some quick emails.
There was also a weird thing where the cleaning person came in by mistake while we were out and left some things in the apartment for the next guests. It weirded us out seeing things moved and we didn't know what happened until the next day when Paolo checked with her and let us know. It was probably an isolated incident but I thought I'd still mention it.
The only other thing was the mosquitos! Though this is just an Italy thing. Not the fault of our hosts but bring spray if, like me, you're candy for mosquitos.