I would rebook this property in a heartbeat. When my retired siblings and were looking for a place to spend a week together in DC, there was simply nothing else in the area that could fit the bill the way this place did. The large kitchen counter/dining area was really wonderful for cooking, conversing, and eating together. The large living room was a terrific gathering space. The location was excellent for going out and exploring the city. The place facilitated our being together.
So, why the stingy two-star rating? It’s to get the owner’s attention, because we didn’t have it when we were here. And I’m not sure we even had it before we got here. It doesn’t seem that he has actually thought of the guest experience. If he had, there would be simple things like bedside tables, perhaps a reading lamp, waste baskets, hooks, closet rods, etc. In short, this place needs attention, and if it got it, this place could easily go from a two to a five star rating. (It might also help if he were living in the area.)
The first night, for example, I was having trouble getting internet in my room—the only one without a bathroom—and the owner suggested an alternative network. The problem was, he didn’t know the passwords. About two hours later, I got connected, but the internet was always coming and going in that room, no matter which network I used. Later, I texted him to say "The closet in my room seems to have all the hardware except a rod for hanging clothes. Is it around somewhere?” His response was “There WAS a pole. The last tenants broke a few things i think. I’m adding up their security deposit deductions as we speak from my cleaners and parents lists :(“ [sic] Later, he added “Weird. Check lockers in first living room. No idea why it was moved. Maybe they broke it and threw it out.” I then told him that I checked those lockers, didn’t find a closet rod, and that one of the locker doors fell off. His one word response? “Ok” Nothing ever happened, and I ended up hanging my towel and my jacket on the closet hardware; I hung other things on the handle of my suitcase.
The House Rules begin with “Please respect the neighbors!” We did. The House manual opens with: “Please take good care of my property!” All of the written material seems to emphasize the owner’s needs, not the guests.
From the safety angle, things were sloppy. The method for getting into and out of the building involves a complicated lockbox which must be used every time to open the large metal gate that gives you access to the side door. If it’s raining, well, there you are, in the rain, going through this pesky routine and getting wet. As irritating as that is, the more serious issue is that If there were an emergency and you needed to evacuate quickly, well, you couldn’t. There were disconnected fire alarms, and a couple of dead ones lying around. We could never get the fireplace to work—a manual with instructions could have been helpful. Most importantly, the grill on the stove is actually ON when you have it in the off position. Ironic, I know, for a firehouse.
These are the more serious issues. The enormous pan of old macaroni and cheese that was sitting in the oven, whatever that was that was in the garbage disposal, and the loose screws on furniture and handles—which some people in my family decided to fix for fun—are not as serious.
I can well-imagine that this is a difficult facility to own—the people who want to use it probably range from our group, which appreciates a safe, functioning, interesting place that can accommodate all of us; to groups that want to have wild, huge, destructive parties.
Also worth mentioning that we paid very high rates for this place.