We chose not to stay after seeing the neighborhood and what was going on next door. We felt incredibly unsafe and there is no designated parking. If you have to park down the street, it is not safe walking to and from your car.
There was a German Shepherd tied to a gas pipe in front of a building under construction one house down from the airbnb. We watched it attack someone that was walking by. If you chose to walk on the other side of the street, there were 6-8 guys hanging outside a house. Your options were to walk by the dog ( which was theirs) or walk by them. It felt like we were being forced into a bad situation. There is graffiti right across the street, cars with broken windows just sitting there, feral cats everywhere, constant noise, and people loitering and staring as you park or walk to your car.
We did not stay a single night we checked into a hotel instead. Did not get refunded in any way. Claire’s policy benefits her greatly knowing the area is not good. Offering no refund if you cancel but have no idea how bad it is until you arrive. She got almost $500 from us and had no guests to concern her.
Her text stated we should see some “interesting sights” in a “transitioning” neighborhood, but she did not tell us until the day of check in. I felt misled and treated poorly by both the host and airbnb when we were explaining our safety concerns.
When you arrive somewhere on vacation, you want to explore and come and go as you please. We knew New Orleans was not the safest area however we felt the most unsafe at the airbnb.
I hope Claire explains to future guests and is more up front. While airbnb itself is beautiful and well put together, it does not match the neighborhood at all.