To start with the positives, there is a great Irish pub across the street, easy and free street parking, and the location was perfect for our weekend. There were also enough bedrooms and ample space for my family’s needs which was great.
The following critiques are meant to first make the Airbnb community aware of what to expect, and second provide constructive criticism for the host to hopefully fix some aspects of their property in order to give their guests a more positive stay. Based on reading reviews from their prior guests on the owners multiple Airbnb listings, it seems as though any negative feedback is met with a harsh personal attack by the owners and lack of accountability for the things that could be improved on at their properties. So I won’t be surprised if the same thing happens here. We were just your average respectful family in town for a wedding. We have rented a lot of airbnbs for our large family. Unfortunately this experience is making us rethink whether we should transition back to hotels.
-First of all, there is no flexibility at all with early check in. We were traveling with two babies and asked to check in 1-2 hours early to get them settled before a wedding event. This request was declined multiple times- fine, that is their policy because of cleaning but just noting it for others to be aware of if you are hoping for an early check in.
-Second, the listing says owners live close by. You find out after check in that they live next door. Strangely, the only windows missing blinds/curtains are those that look directly into the owners house. The second floor window missing a blind was one of the bedrooms which was very creepy and inconvenient. This was noticed by my entire family and Obviously seemed on purpose so they can monitor activity inside the home which felt like a complete invasion of privacy.
-The owners are extremely strict on guest count. Also fine that is their policy but just making others aware. We had to provide names of every single guest. And they make you aware that they have a ring doorbell system as a surveillance camera to monitor guest count. Which also feels like an invasion of privacy. After check in, they provide numerous additional rules that are not outlined in the listing like no additional guests of any kind at any time not even friends stopping by. They will say it’s for insurance purposes so they don’t lose their license but I’ve stayed at a lot of airbnbs and never once was told there was a surveillance system to watch people come and go.
-There were Ants crawling around throughout the first floor seen by every member of my family which was kind of gross when you’re trying to cook/eat.
-Heating system wildly inconsistent - hallway cold while bedrooms are scorching hot and unsafe for napping/sleeping babies. We had to turn the heat off and open the windows that didn’t have screens just to get the bedrooms to a comfortable temperature.
-Max hot water temp was too hot and scolding to the touch.
Foozball table is wildly out of level and unusable.
-65” TV picks up a handful of crap satellite channels and is too old to accommodate screen mirroring or new streaming apps to watch any entertainment of any value rendering it useless.
I hope the owners take these critiques seriously and improve upon the things that they are advertising in their listing rather than slandering me in a defensive response. This thorough review is for the Airbnb community as a whole. I don’t think it’s right when an owner behaves in a way like they are the ones doing you such a favor when you are the one renting and providing them business. I have rented a lot of airbnbs and this was probably the most subpar one my family has experienced. However I do think with improvements this could be a 5 star Airbnb.