Honestly, very disappointing.
Prior to checking in, I have already received a bunch of messages from the host including "do not tell the neighbors you are staying at an Airbnb, tell them it's a company dorm" or "if you leave the lights on when leaving the room, we will fine you $3000 ntd (about 80 USD)"
These are not the type of messages you want from your Airbnb host
The building itself is a residential building that is at least 30 years old, the owner bought out from 2F-5F, and built additional rooms on the rooftop, that's what this 6-floor unit was that we stayed in.
The building originally did not have an elevator, but the owner installed a lift(like the ones in the old movies with the sliding shutters) on the side entrance for the Airbnb guests. I am sure it is up to code but it is by far the slowest elevator I have ever been on, a bit scary too.
the host contacted me again: let us know if anything is broken, if you didn't let us know in advance, we will bill you for the damages when you check out.
We arrived at the property and checked into the room. The interior lights were very dimmed. I started checking for damages so i don't get fined. the only light in the bathroom, is a light that's supposed to be attached to the side of the wall, is actually falling off, the screws were loose.
I messaged the host and he told me he will come and take a look the next day at 3pm. he didnt show up the next day. when i messaged him, he said he had forgotten about the arrangement.
Here is a list of all the things I was unhappy with this place
The AC was filled with mold inside. It rained all week when I was here, and we couldn't use it to dehumidify or warm up the room. it just smelled horrible. I sent pictures of the mold inside the AC to Airbnb support too.
Mold on the bathroom ceiling. There's no vent in the shower, only a window, and the ceiling has mold all over. You can tell they tried to paint over it but it is still there. The host even contacted me saying there was some mold on the ceiling but it's been taken care of. It hasn't.
The Fridge was also incredibly loud too. Sometimes it would start running at night. It would wake both of us from sleeping
Power outlet placements are extremely questionable.
They provided an electrical kettle but there's only one outlet in the kitchen area, and it's blocked by the tv mounted to the wall, you have to lift/tilt the tv a bit to get to it.
There's a lamp by the bed but the power cord is too short to plug it into anything. When i asked the host he told me to push the nightstand and plug it in myself. I did that and it was barely long enough. (why are there no extension cords? )
The toilet tank was making water noises, it wasn't leaking, but making noises, ended up fixing it myself.
Not soundproof, when people are coming in and out of other rooms, talking, showering, you can hear it all in your room.
The terrace is quite dirty, the staff probably doesn't clean it. It's cool if you want to go outside in the morning and stretch a little but I don't know if anyone would eat or do work out there.
I feel like a Karen writing this because I have never written a negative review in a similar fashion in the past. But this is a case where the owner has clearly does not care about the host, never stayed in any of these rooms themselves, and it shows. No incentive to QA the place. It costs 700 usd for the entire nights stay, it is not a premium price tag, but it is not cheap either. I don't need it to be fancy but at least it has to be clean.
I mean come on, the place is filled with mold. what in the world.
also shoutout to airbnb support not doing a damn thing to help.