SINGLE WORST AIRBNB OR CORPORATE STAY IN THE YEARS WE'VE BEEN TRAVELING!
Here's why?
- First, we had to confirm by back-and-forth emails, based on a review on their page, that they actually have fitted sheets on the beds. (Should we really have to ask that question?). Now they do.
- We had three people (my wife, her sister, and her daughter; that's two 60 year-old women and one 30 yr-old) booked for a 10-day stay, after a cross-country flight from NYC. We paid in advance. Husband booked it for them on our joint account. The host (Abode) REQUIRED that husband email DOB, picture of driver's license, pic of self with driver's license, and 2 more pages of information, in advance.
- There is no personal feel to their interactions. It's all corporate, and you're interacting with a different customer service representative with every new email.
- Abode charges $50 for an early check-in, which is not advertised. One can only assume that a late checkout also comes with a fee
- 10 mins before the early check-in, husband in NY was emailed by Abode to say that all of that same information was required of ALL THREE TRAVELERS BEFORE THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO CHECK IN! (Mind you, there is no on-site host, as they do not own the building. So, all of this had to be done online, and then there's the inevitable lag in time before one of their online customer service people reviews and clears it.)
- Husband in NYC was going back and forth online and on phone with customer service. One agent contacted his manager for clearance to allow us into the site, since they already had paperwork on husband and had already received our full payment by credit card. Agent informed husband that he spoke with his manager who was "in a meeting" and couldn't take husband's call, but evidently had enough time to say that the three guests could NOT check in without the forms filled out by all three travelers!!!!!! Nice!!
- TWO HOURS LATER, the 3 guests were cleared to enter.
- Upon entering the room, the TV did not work. So, wife was on the phone with the customer service rep who was in.....wait for it.....the Philippines. Yes, a rep in the Philippines was attempting to explain to guests how to make the TV work. It took 36 hours before they had their housecleaner on-site to remedy the situation.
- Also, while nearly all Airbnb hosts thoroughly apportion their rooms with anything a guest might need, ESPECIALLY ON A 10-DAY STAY, this apartment had:
- no dishwasher soap
- and no laundry detergent (they had to bring some of this and the dish soap the day after the check in, and there were only four uses of each in the amount they brought!!)
- no light in the right-hand bedroom
- no salt
- no tin foil or saran wrap for saving food
- only the bare minimum place settings and other dining needs
- not even sponges for washing kitchen things or cleaning off counters
Count on spending $100 or so on these basics, on top of any money you will spend on your food and drink.
Location was great and the gym/hot tub were lovely.
But sooooooo not worth all of the headaches, as is evidenced by the fact that they have literally no other bookings for the next six months.
This is total corporate-run Airbnb stay, and very poorly done at that. Every corporate Airbnb is smooth and effortless, because they realize travelers don't want headaches.
This Airbnb was ONE GIANT HEADACHE!!!