As you know, what I look for in an Airbnb experience is Comfort, Location, Accommodation, Privacy and Safety (CLAPS), not necessarily in that order. So, let me give you the breakdown on my latest experience. For this particular trip, I sought to spend 4 nights in a private bedroom/bathroom at Mission Motel booked through Airbnb, while visiting with my 3 ½ year-old daughter in California. With that being said, here is what I noted about my stay...
SAFETY:
The area felt fairly safe depending on one’s level of comfort. However, there was an individual staying at the motel that played very loud music at various times in the evening.
LOCATION:
It's about a 20-minute drive/Uber/Lyft from Long Beach Airport, and a 1-minute drive/5-minute walk to and from markets and restaurants. The local parks and recreation, however, were about 5-minute drive/20-minute walk.
PRIVACY:
As previously mentioned, my stay was in a private bedroom/bathroom. It was basically a cheap motel. Access to my room was with a keycard which was provided upon checking in.
COMFORT:
Here’s a list of the amenities that I observed during my stay. It’s not to say that what was listed was not available. This was just my observation of what was readily available and useful to me.
My room: keycard lock on entry door, Wi-fi, Television (1), Microwave (1), Refrigerator/freezer (1), Dining Table (1) and Chair (1), Dresser (1), Pillows (2), Blankets (1), sheets (2), and Hangers (4).
In the bathroom: Hot water, Toilet paper (2), Shampoo packets (3), Bars of soap (3), Towel (2), and Washcloths (2).
The entire place looked fairly clean, with the exception of a dirty Q-tip left on top of the bed in plain sight. However, further inspection revealed the floors to be filthy, graffiti on the room mirror, dried yellow stains on the mattress cover and an offline bottom drawer to the dresser. The smoke detector kept beeping, probably due to a low battery. I had to reset it every 4-5 hours to shut it up.
ACCOMMODATING:
There was no need for accommodation because everything I needed was either already readily available or I had it. The only thing better than a host immediately addressing a concern is never having a concern in need of addressing. I did, however, ask to have a room closer to the front entry of the motel, but I was denied. Other than that, I have no complaints.
OVERALL: In my opinion, this Airbnb was decent. Despite a few flaws, it was reasonably priced, had hot water and felt safe. So, if you’re looking for a decent, safe place with competitive pricing to lay your head down at night, Mission Motel maybe the place for you.