Starting off with the pros: it was a clean unit. The bed was very comfortable! We appreciated the ease of being able to plug into wifi and the streaming service for the tv. The air unit felt great, kept things nice and cool. It was within adequate walking distance to some of the attractions in the area. Check in and check out was simple and straight forward. The hot plate was a nice bonus feature. Towels and bedding were clean. We appreciated the soap/shampoo/conditioner provided. Coffee machine with the coffee packets - nice touch! Loved the textured wall paper behind the bed.
I’m not one to leave bad ratings, but this rental property was not a pleasant experience for us. We felt catfished. The unit we stayed in was clearly a different unit than what was advertised. The advertised photos indicated a renovated bathroom and was decorated in an elegant fashion with a bright cheery color palette. Instead what we walked into was a darkly painted and cheaply decorated unit with an outdated bathroom. The shower, tile, curtain (in place of the glass shower door), tiny stand alone sink (as opposed to the updated sink vanity portrayed in the photos) were not the same as what was posted online as the unit we were paying for. The flooring under the tiles in front of the shower are loose and caving. It does not feel safe to even hold a person’s weight.
When entering the unit, the stairwell to access the unit is very noticeably uneven with a handrail height that is excessively low. This is not built to code and felt dangerous even for me, someone who has always been sure footed. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen, FYI.
The portable air unit was excessively loud, which while this made it hard to hear the television, it actually buffered out some of the loud noises on the street. We used to live downtown so I’m no stranger to loud city life (and I was prepared for the external sounds because I read the reviews), but that air unit was a whole other level of continual noise within close proximity in an already confined space. It sounded like we were living on an airport runway.
The few pieces of paper towels and one roll of toilet paper that’s provided for paying customers was another strike against at our poor experience here. These basic items should be included with enough to last for a customer’s stay. It’s a cheap and inexpensive fix but goes a long way with your customers. Even some paper plates /disposable cups /plastic utensils would be an inexpensive (not to mention, sanitary) option as opposed to providing an already used sponge for the 6 pieces of utensils/plate ware offered. A drying mat or towel should be provided if you’re expecting guests to wash and reuse the same plates. There was already limited counter space and it got soaking wet (along with items on the counter) because there were no kitchen towels/drying mat/drying rack.
The space between the corner of the bed and the wall is literally 6 inches apart so not only does the unit feel cramped but you also get to stub your toe each time you try to go to the bathroom. Moving the bed over closer to the window or doing a different bed frame could easily help with this issue. The desk leg is clearly broken and unstable. The tv wires hooked up to a visible electric chord is tacky and needs to be neatly tucked away or use adhesive measures to tuck into the corner of the wall instead of dangling loose away from the wall. It would be worth an investment to put up some shelves above the kitchen sink for storage to free up what little space you have in the kitchen area. The kitchen sink faucet is so narrow that the running water barely clears the edge of the sink much less when you’re trying to rinse off an apple or wash your dish…water goes everywhere because of this. The kitchen cabinet doors were not sized properly and as a result - literally one cabinet door is cut in half to try to fit with the other full-size door. Even still it doesn’t close right. Consider painting this unit a brighter color. It’s dark charcoal color is practically a black hole which makes the space feel heavy, more compact and confined. Whereas lighter colors (whites, creams, neutrals) make a small space feel larger. HGTV decorating tip 101.
But the ultimate reason we had to discontinue our stay at this Airbnb mid stay was for safety reasons. I understand that all cities have good and bad pockets. This particular area is what I’d consider a bad pocket. There were a number of homeless individuals and people under the influence of drugs posted up on the street, a mere few paces away from the front door. We were awoken at 7:00 am the last morning we were at the unit by a screaming match between a resident/person in the building with the police officers and EMT on the front stoop. Another homeless individual in a wheelchair was also involved in the incident. This went on for quite some time to the point where I was even afraid to leave our own unit. We were trapped inside until the debacle subsided as there was one way in and out of the complex. Yet even after things deescalated you could still hear cursing and slamming of various doors within the complex.
Ultimately, this was not what I paid for. We’ve stayed in Boston many times before at other Airbnb’s and also hotels. None of them had these types of issues. There is one line sentence in the description that photos may differ from the unit you’re staying in. But if you have multiple units you’re renting out on Airbnb you need to show photos of all the different units like hotels do for the