I write this review in hopes that others can avoid the issues we experienced.
We stayed at Luciano (Ivan)’s Biennale Flat (Via Garibaldi) for 8 days during the Biennale preview, and during that time, we were regularly without heat or hot water. Eventually we realized a pattern. The heat would turn off sometime in the evening. Then in the morning we would find that we had no hot water to shower. (In fact, the water was ice cold.) The first time we reported it, Luciano (or Ivan) told us that it was a result of street construction. However, the problem persisted for the remainder of our stay, and we had to contact Luciano (or Ivan) an additional three times (four times total in a short eight-day period) at which times there was clearly no street construction. The first time, it took at least an hour and a half for him to reply and several more hours for him to fix the issue. By that time our day was mostly gone. The second time was the same and I had to cancel several critical meetings. The third and fourth time, he replied more quickly, but I still missed important meetings, which caused irrevocable damage.
We reached out to him toward the end of the stay to discuss compensation for the ongoing issues with heat/hot water. However, he refused to consider any price reduction. This seemed especially egregious considering that the cost of the flat was significantly inflated for the preview week. No one should have to pay nearly $350 a night for a place that doesn’t even have reliable heat or hot water. If he had been reasonable, you probably would not be reading this review. (This is the first negative review I have ever written, and my husband and I travel for several months each year, regularly staying in Airbnbs.) But the fact that he took no responsibility for this, and seemed to think that this was acceptable, is a concern.
So, here are my suggestions:
For those of you who are considering this place, look elsewhere. For those of you who already made a reservation, try to cancel. If you are unable to cancel, please contact Airbnb when you first experience this issue. If you contact them right away, they will give you a refund and help you find other accommodation. Don’t wait, like we did, believing that it would be a one-time issue. Airbnb is unable to assist if you don’t report the problem immediately.
And one final note: Perhaps the place fell into disrepair during the pandemic and we were among the first to stay in it. I can only assume that he will eventually fix this issue. He also seems to have found a way to fix the issue more quickly each day. However, other issues will inevitably arise, and I can only assume that he will respond in the same dismissive and insulting manner he did with us this week. There are plenty of delightful hosts in Venice with fully functioning Airbnbs. There is no reason to deal with this.