Overall, the Airbnb itself had lots of nice touches, complimentary snacks, an easy check in/out process, great value, and nice hosts, but my group’s personal experience in the location this past weekend was the main factor that decreased my group’s satisfaction with our experience.
Positives first, this Airbnb has all of the listed essentials and more complimentary items than expected that my group very much enjoyed! There were lots of complimentary snacks (crackers, fruits snacks, chips), drinks (sodas, water, coffee, etc), and a nice movie selection in the living room. The restroom was also stocked with shampoo, conditioner, a hair dryer, shower cap, and more. Lulu, the host helping us out during our stay, was responsive and very nice. The hosts did a great job providing everything needed in the home and also checked in through Airbnb messenger with our group for any questions, issues, or concerns.
Pertaining to the location, there is a reason that the hosts mention safety in the listing and urged potential guests to research the area prior to booking. Though my group did research the area and was informed of the South Side location, I don’t think we were prepared for all of the activities that occurred at our Airbnb during our stay. As soon as we got to the apartment, activities occurred that put us a little on edge and made us extremely cautious during our stay. On the first night when we arrived at approximately 10PM, pulling up to the Airbnb, we saw a group of people a few buildings down from our Airbnb, gathered in a circle, and burning something in the streets. Twenty minutes or so into settling down in the apartment, we heard shouting from outside of the apartment and realized that a group of people were right in front of our Airbnb fighting. This fight was extremely disruptive, loud, and scary. Sunday night, there was a group of people standing in the street near our Airbnb, staring at my friends and I as soon as we got out of our Uber. My group was triggered having seen what happened the first night and asked the Uber to drop us off closer to our Airbnb gate. Before checking out on the third day, we also heard something that sounded like a gunshot in the morning. None of these activities are common where my friends and I live and we’ve never had an experience quite like this one anywhere else. The only day that nothing strange happened and the neighborhood was quiet was on the second night. Many of the Uber/Lyft drivers that picked us up/dropped us off also made concerning comments to us and warned us to be careful during our stay in the neighborhood. I now understand why this Airbnb has high ratings in every category except for location and had mixed commentary about the location in the reviews (some people mentioned the neighborhood is peaceful vs. others saying it’s crime infested). It’s unpredictable what type of experience you are going to have because it really depends on what days you stay and what’s happening in the neighborhood on those days, but the host did apologize and mention to us that the activities we experienced were rare, and happen infrequently. With all that said, be mindful when you book and know what you might be getting yourself into if you happen to come on one of the days the occasional events occur.