This Airbnb consists of a small one bedroom apartment downtown/Little Italy area which is located in a private residential building whose occupants seemed to frown upon my entrance with suitcases in tow. I was not able to utilize the elevator due to it requiring a key fob and the fob being located upstairs in the room. The instructions said the elevator would work if I pushed the button soon after entering the lobby, but I was never able to get it to work. I was at the mercy of other residents who clearly didn’t want me there who started questioning me. It was a very uncomfortable situation. After finally getting up to the room it appeared neat and in order, however there was a very strong scent like a perfume or potpourri smell that assaulted my senses right away. I noticed a scented candle and what appeared to be a potpourri burner on the TV stand, I’m not sure if the smell was coming from there or not, but it was very strong and not a pleasant smell.
As far as the apartment, there are two windows, one in the living area and one in the bedroom, neither of which have a very desirable view, which is to be expected when trying to find a place with a very reasonable price. I noticed that the bedroom window was open several inches like someone had been trying to air out the apartment. I don’t know if the strong odor was due to trying to cover the smell of someone smoking, or if the scent was purposefully deployed there for some other reason, but either way it was unpleasant and heavy in the air. I sat by the open window to get some fresh air and to see if the smell would dissipate. After about 5 minutes in the room I realized that it was making me very sick, I had become nauseous and had a headache. Unfortunately due to the odor making me sick I was unable to stay in the room. The host did not have any other places to stay available so I left immediately after receiving that message from the host. The host did offer to “refresh the room”, but other than that did not offer any other solutions or recompense. This situation may have been caused by said “room refreshing” so I certainly didn’t want any more of that.
I found another place to stay on my own and started feeling better after settling into my new accommodations. I am not typically sensitive to smells, and I’ve never left a place because of the smell before, so if you are sensitive to smells I would strongly recommend to avoid this listing. However, if you don’t mind the smell and/or being hassled during check in; the apartment is neat and clean, although small, and seems to have the basic necessities, nothing fancy and is conveniently located in a busy area.