Joseph was a great host. Our hotel booking in Boston was cancelled two hours before check-in, leaving us stranded on the streets with a 6-year-old and 8-year-old, and no attempt to "make things whole" (to book us somewhere else) with near-freezing temperatures approaching in the evening. Our first potential Airbnb host denied our boarding request stating they couldn't get the place ready time. I guess we were an inconvenience?
Joseph accepted our request within about 5 minutes. We could tell he was trying to assess our needs and help in any way he could. The unit wasn't fully stocked with supplies at first because the reservation was very-last minute, but he made sure we had what we needed. First and foremost, it was clean and warm.
In a fundamental way, the level of his communication helped us feel at-ease and for my blood pressure to return to normal. We could tell he realized we needed a place to stay and the urgency of not leaving a family with kids out on the street. You get the sense he takes the responsibility of family to heart.
We stayed on the 3rd floor his beautifully renovated generational Victorian with a shared kitchen on the 1st floor. There are stairs, but that's a given. There is also a combination-locking door, so we felt safe leaving our stuff there. And when the extra towels arrived, they were left outside the door.
The 3rd floor is split by a hallway with two (queen?) sized beds at the front of the house, and two queen (or full) beds on the other. There were windows with blinds that let in a lot of natural light. We could watch the sunrise from the bed over the top of all the Victorian houses.
The room we slept in also had a full-sized(?) cot in a closet. The rental cost was for the entire 3rd floor which could have comfortably slept a much larger family than ours, or two families traveling together. The linens were clean, the beds made well, and the entire place was clean. There were charging stations on the night stands with AC-plugs and USB connectors.
There is also off-street parking behind the house. You don't usually find that being offered. We didn't use it till the last day after picking up a rental car for the next part of our trip.
Every day we rode the train in to Boston to visit sites. The walk takes a little over ten minutes and is not bad. There is a small grocery store on the way to the house and a couple restaurants as well.
The shared kitchen is nice, and we were able to cook meals there. We were also able to meet guests staying on the other floor. For us, it's neat to hear about other places people live and why they're in Boston.
The thermostat in the unit was easy to use and responsive.
The shower had supplies in it if you left yours at home, and it was very clean. The hot water also worked well. There were plenty of places to hang towels.
There are cameras on the first floor in the kitchen and the entry way. That was a little puzzling at first, but after reading some of the reviews where past guests showed that didn't have proper home-training for a neighborhood, we can see why they are needed. It also made sense because we're a family of teachers and encounter students whose parents never taught them manners or the reality that paying for something doesn't relieve you of responsibility.
The kitchen was very useful, and there was everything there to make a meal and clean up. The trash and recycle bins are off to the side of the house.
The next time we return to Boston, we will try to book with Joseph. You should too.