Where to start ... first off, let me say that I have been an AirBnB'er for years and have stayed in dozens around the country. I read the rules, I follow the rules, I am an excellent guest, I'm not a big complainer. Sometimes little things arise and hosts have been quick to respond (do you have a big knife to cut a watermelon, I accidentally tripped up the electronic lock on the front door and can't get in). I've never experienced a big issue that needed host intervention. And I always manage to find something nice and good to say about a listing or host. Until now.
1. The positives: The professional photographer did an excellent job at taking the photos in the listing. There are lots of board games, foosball and video games, plus 3 TVs in the apartment. Location is good, literally in the heart of Georgetown, one block from M. There are many restaurants within walking distance, all of which are excellent. The exterior is really cute.
2. The negatives: since the host never messaged me directly, ever, I didn't know where the advertised "free parking on premises" was. I only learned a few days ago from comments on this page that there actually was free parking and that the host had to let you know where it was. I parked in a garage a few blocks away for $25 via SpotHero. Although the location is great, it's also quite noisy with cars and trucks going by all night and the bedrooms face the street. One bedroom was advertised as having some kind of new special mattress -- well it may have been new years ago but it certainly isn't any longer. There was no mattress pad and when I pulled the sheets off the morning of our departure, there were multiple nasty stains all over it (glad I didn't see it the day we checked in). The mattress moves around on the frame so every time I rolled over in bed, the whole thing squeaked. The second mattress had a mattress pad and it was also stained with nasty things. The towels may have been white and fluffy at one point, but alas, the ones we had were thin, gray and stained. The shelves in the bedrooms, probably meant to hold the tv remote, were falling off the wall. There was one thin comforter on each bed, no extras to be found. The living room couch was slip-covered (not the lovely creamy colored sofa in the photos) and stained and had hair on it. The living room rug was stained and didn't look clean as it does in the photos. The shower was moldy and the organizer in the shower stall was dirty and falling off. The doors to the vanity were falling off. There was one tiny hotel-sized bottle of shampoo for 3 people. The whole place needed a re-fresh and probably a very thorough cleaning.
But wait! There is more! When we got up at 5:30 am to shower, there was NO HOT WATER. I ran it, and ran it, and ran it. I checked the kitchen sink and the bathroom sink. No hot water. We had to be across town for a medical appointment at 8:00. No showers. I messaged the host right away. Given the other issues I found, I politely asked for an adjustment in our fee (nearly $250 for one night). I texted the host when we got to the hospital to let him/her know that I had sent the earlier message. S/he texted back that they would check it out. I never heard back from the host, despite multiple messages. I requested a refund (per AirBnB, I could ask for only $180); the host did not respond within the allotted 72 hours so I have now gotten AirBnB involved. I have never had to do this. If you read December 2021 reviews, you will see 2 other guests had the same hot water issue.
So buyer beware.