The worst Airbnb experience I’ve ever had. The whole thing is run by a company, similar to a estate agent, who sends you copy and paste messages and never seem to read what you write.
First, the check in has no flexibility. Once paid, the first message I get from them is to book a time slot between 3 to 6 to enter the apartment. They wait for you for 15 minutes otherwise they mark you as a no show and take your money. I was driving from the other side of the country and couldn’t give them that kind of exact estimate, so I had to request a day off from work not to lose my money in order to arrive within the 15 minutes they demanded. It completely stressed me out and cost my a day off from work that I should have been able to use for leisure. I tried to change the check in time from 3 to 6 and they told me I couldn’t because all there slots for checkins were taken, so basically I had to figure out a way to arrive faster in order not to be penalised nor be denied access to the accommodation I paid for.
Second, when you arrive at the property they make you sign a document and they take a photo of your passport. I have done Airbnbs all over the world and never have come across such thing. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable to have to share my personal information with them, but if I didn’t they wouldn’t let me in and I’d have nowhere else to go, plus I’d lose my money.
Third, after all this stress, in the document they make you sign, it says you will be liable for a bunch of things, including things missing. They provide a little book with their inventory, and have of the things listed weren’t in the house. It made me worry weeks afterwards that I’d be charged for things that weren’t there in the first place. I ended up taking photos and making videos of the entire house to prove the state it was in, especially with the stains in the couch and other damages.
I have never had such an impersonal Airbnb experience, where I felt like I was going to be scammed.
The house itself is not too bad. It doesn’t have all the nice decoration like the photos, it’s really bear. Cleaning fee is really high but you can tell they are just pocketing the money and cleaning the surfaces only for the next guest. There’s no parking within the building, as listed. There’s street parking, but only about 15 cars would fit. We managed to get a spot, but for the rest of our stay all other spots were taken all day, so don’t rely on that.