This was described as a ‘stunning’ Chelsea Flat. It was nothing of the sort. Had we not had the issues which I am about to detail, I would describe it as an average apartment at best and for a start it is in Fulham not Chelsea!
During the booking process I had good communication with Gerry who answered my questions promptly. I arranged an early check in for 2pm and collected the keys from the concierge. However, only one key was left for us and there were two locks. I contacted Gerry and Engin (the co-host I believe) arrived 2 hours later with the correct keys - not a great start.
As we entered the flat we were struck with a real ‘stale cooking’ smell which permeated every room. We asked Engin about the additional cleaning required due to Covid but he couldn’t answer our queries. As we inspected the flat it was pretty obvious that the Airbnb’s 5 step enhanced cleaning process as required by all hosts had not been adhered to. There was dust on most surfaces in the lounge which meant that all surfaces had not been cleaned and sanitised. Upon opening the fridge there were half used products such as yogurt and sauces still there and sticky, dirty shelves. No details had been left about how the flat had been cleaned and sanitised, there were no products left for us such as hand sanitiser, disposable paper towels, gloves etc. There were a few old products under the sink and which we used to clean ourselves. The flat was also jammed packed full of the host’s possessions - old food in the kitchen cupboards, drawers full of stuff, clothes etc. Clearly the flat hadn’t been ventilated either due to the stale smell. As we started to clean the flat ourselves we became increasingly uneasy about staying here especially in the current Covid environment and contacted Gerry for a refund. We left the flat and checked into the Double Tree Hilton Hotel across the road - almost half the price for a large room which was spotlessly clean.
So far I’ve received part of the refund but I am still awaiting the balance of what is owed.