This place was so bad, I ended up losing hundreds of dollars just to not stay here for my trip.
The short version - the two tiny space heaters left the place unbearably cold (curled in front of both together I was still shivering) - and your bathing options consist of a showerless tub, not in the bathroom, but in the middle of the big cement living room (where two windows lack curtains). So if you like taking baths in a freezing cold room where everyone can see you getting hypothermia - this is the place for you!
The long version - I had asked if it was OK to check in early since I had 4 giant 50lb suitcases that I couldn't easily uber around the city till 3 with. The owner was nice and said he just needed time to clean and then yes he'd message when I could come over. Around 1:30 he did and I arrived - very grateful and ready to love the place since he had already been accommodating. When I arrive I find a giant flight of stairs to the loft that there was no mention of anywhere (not even mentioned when I told him I had 4 very heavy suitcases). There is no elevator, nothing, so it is clear my only option now is to drag each suitcase up the stairs step by step when I'm not even strong enough to l lift one off the ground. (I was traveling for work and the suitcases were full of art display stuff that was the whole point of the trip - so there was no way for me to travel light.) I spent the next hour painfully dragging them up for flights of stairs, stopping occasionally to try and catch my breath and not cry in frustration. Finally though I got all my bags into the loft.
Looking around the space I quickly realized that the pivoted of the tub is so zoomed in - it leaves out a very important detail - it is not in a bathroom but rather in the living room. You know the one big room you are eating and sleeping in? So if you are staying with anybody - I hope you are comfortable bathing together. Also there is no shower at all - which is in the listing but I failed to notice when I booked this place. I was frustrated now by the bathing situation I found - after all that work dragging the bags up four flights of stairs - but I just accepted my predicament and looked around the rest of the place.
I was quickly noticing how cold I still was. like shivering cold, nose red cold. I thought I'll curl up in bed for a bit till I warm up. That's when I realize the bed only has one thin blanket on it that barely stretches across the bed. For that matter, there's only one towel draped over the tub. Talk about slim amenities. I knew that the blanket was not going to do anything to help with how cold I was. Mind you I'm wearing three shirts and a sweater over top since I dressed for warmth. It was 12 degrees the night before when I landed in Chicago - so I'm very bundled and still shivering. I look around for a way to turn the heat up and that's when I realize the place only has two very tiny space heaters in opposite corners that give of nowhere near enough heat for the large cement room.
I messaged the owner explaining that I am shivering cold and is there any way to turn the heat up. At this point I had pulled the two space heaters into the same corner and was sitting on one of the two folding chairs (provided for dining) in front of them - still shivering. The owner answers that is plenty warm in there and that it is up to people who live below if they want to turn the heat up or not. He mentioned that it was 70 degrees in the space when he was in there - but there is no thermometer to actually see the temperature - so it's just a he said she said with what the temperature is. But at 70 degrees - my nose isn't red and runny, I'm not physically shivering in several layers of sweaters and a coat. Maybe it was close to 70 in one of the apartments below but that was not what it was a floor above in a giant cement room with the windows not even adequately covered. (several of them had no curtains at all)
At this point I'm still shivering curled in front of the heaters, not willing to even walk across the room away from them to get something out of my bag because I'm so cold. So I called the actual airb&b company - which I have never done before - to see if they could help me. They say they will look into it and need to call the owner and so they will call me back. After that I receive a text from the owner saying the people below turned the heat up and in a few hours it should get warmer. That text is followed shortly by a second that asks if I'm getting out so he can change the locks.
The company calls me back and says due to his cancelation policy he's only willing to refund half my money. I ask what part of his cancelation policy covers not having basic amenities like heat and why I am the one to be out the money when he is the one who didn't provide a livable space. But it seems no matter how bad the place is when you arrive - the company still lets the owner off the hook and keep the money.
It's clear I can not spend the week like