My partner and I have been using AIRBNB for quite some time now and have had many WONDERFUL stays across the world!!!
What a disappointing experience this was compared to the 20+ stays we’ve had over the years. Let me just note that none of our 20+ stays charged extra for additional guests or parking and none of our stays had surveillance cameras everywhere.
So, my partner and I booked this place for the 4th of July because we needed a quiet space for our newborn baby. Our apartment is in a neighborhood with booming fireworks so we wanted to get away for the night. Let me just say, my partner made the mistake of not adding myself and our newborn to the reservation. So after the hosts brought that to our attention, they told us they would “gift” us a waiver of their $10 fee for an extra guest as new parents. We were grateful, but also thought $10 was ridiculous as we had never been charged before.
Upon arrival,
We parked our car in the driveway to unload. We brought our newborn into the space, and while I breastfed, my partner unloaded. Within maybe 5 min of our car being parked the hosts sent a message that read:
HOST(S): We noticed that you parked in the
driveway, which is fine if you are just
unloading. Please move it at your earliest
convenience if you do not intend to park
on-site ($9). Thanks.
Since I was breastfeeding and didn’t want to be on my phone, I sent a short sweet message:
We were just unloading. We moved it. Not
interested in paying for your parking space at all.
The host then responded:
We are not pushing for the parking space
at all, so you don't have to use that tone,
esp. we just waived your extra guest fee.
We have NEVER had hosts scold us like this. In fact, most hosts call or text to make sure we’ve arrived safely and greet us in some way with kindness and graciousness. The first thing these hosts did when we arrived was use their surveillance camera to hover over their $9 parking space (which is also ridiculous…we’ve never had to pay for parking at ANY AIRBNB stays before), and watch us as we unloaded to make sure we didn’t keep our car parked there (creepy). These hosts seem to be money hungry, their space is overpriced, it smells like mold in their space, their couch pillows were wet upon arrival, the house slippers that they want you to wear look like they’ve been worn by previous guests, their closet smelled like feet, and the space felt like a hotel rather than a unique, one of a kind space like our other AIRBNB stays.
You’re really paying for the location, but the space is, as another person wrote in their reviews, mediocre at best.
If you are someone looking for a motel-like experience and don’t need the cultural exchange of staying in Oakland, then this place is for you. It’s like staying in a motel with all of the channels that take you back to 2004 and without the continental breakfast.
BUT, if you are someone who has never been to Oakland and want COMPLETE PRIVACY, friendly hosts (even if they’re not physically present), and an experience that is unique to Oakland, keep scrolling for something different on your AIRBNB feed!! There are so many better options!!
This place is as cold and stuffy as their hosts!! KEEP LOOKING!! I’m sure you’ll find something better and cheaper!!