This place is absolute bottom of the barrel. We booked for two nights, but bailed out after just one.
This apartment really shouldn’t list itself as sleeping 4: there is just one bed. The “sofa bed” is only 5 feet long and 3.5 feet wide. It fits just one person, and anyone sleeping there has to be 4 feet or less, or their legs stick out. More than that, there were no blankets, and just three pillows. We were all meant to sleep in the one bed? Share pillows? We wrote to David immediately and he told us to go buy a blanket and pillow in Target. He’d pay us back. Not exactly how I planned to spend my first hour in Chicago, but OK if I have to. When I sent him the receipt he complained about the price of the pillow ($14)! Seriously?? I get that hosts can make mistakes, but it wasn’t a mistake: the apartment was simply not set up for the number of people it said it would take. We’d booked for four people: Guests shoudn’t to have to help their host buy the basic furnishings!
David: “it’s kind expensive pillow .. just I’m kinda losing from this transaction. As you know, usually host is not responsible for additional guests.” Really? How is it an additional guest if its listed as taking four people, we booked for four, and we turn up as… four? David: “Usually airbnb and I allow up to 4 guests as hospitality. But it’s not mandatory and obligated for additional guests. Usually guests used to cover additional costs or their stuff.” Really? And it’s not just the bedding — there weren’t enough knives and forks or water glasses to go around either. How much was he expecting guests to carry with them?
Bottom line, the listing should be honest and say “Sleeps 2” Or up to 4 if you bring your own mattress and bedding.” I’m sure some people are OK to camp out in a bare apartment, but you should at least know that that’s what you’re going to have to do!
Other features you should know about before you book: the heating is two window box A/C units. They were very noisy, and would first blow in cold air, and then blow in hot air after. There was no blanket to speak of apart from the one we bought, so the temperature changes — and the noise — kept waking us up all night. And yes, the $14 pillow we bought - the cheapest one in Target - was whole a lot better than the ones that were there.
After one night it was sleep somewhere else or call it quits and go home. We did not ask for or expect a reimbursement: There was no way we could face another sleepless night. We ended up getting a clean, quiet downtown hotel that cost us just $30 more than we’d paid for the apartment.
Lesson learned: There are so many beautiful places to stay in Chicago, there’s simply no reason to pay this much to go this low.