First, the place is in a great location and originally the hosts were great at communicating. This is also my first time leaving a negative review. When I saw that the check-in time was 5pm (the latest I have ever seen for an Airbnb), I requested to pay the early check-in fee so that we could check in at 2pm. We had to use the space immediately to get dressed/get ready for an early dinner reservation and musical so we paid $50 to check in at 2pm. The hosts shared that the $50 was to pay extra cleaning crew to make sure the place was cleaned between guests and ready for our early check-in.
When we arrived to check in (at 1:57pm, which is 3 minutes early but would not have changed anything that happens next) the place had not been cleaned at all. The beds were unmade, trash bags in the kitchen, and wet towels on the bathroom floor. Upon seeing this, we contacted the hosts immediately at 2pm via the only form of communication they allow, which is the messaging app. When we did not get a quick response, we called Airbnb as we were under a big time crunch. While on the phone with Airbnb we received the first message back from the hosts. It is my understanding that there is a management group managing this rental. Whoever I spoke to regarding our poor check in/cleaning experience was very rude. When we heard back from the hosts about the cleaning issue, all that was said was that a cleaning crew was coming and that we could go somewhere else while we waited. Which did not work considering we paid to use the space early to get ready. No mention of refunding the $50 early check-in fee was made until we repeatedly asked the hosts. Meanwhile, Airbnb noted that they would contact the hosts about the issue and get back to me at a later point. We sat around the Airbnb while the cleaning crew came in and cleaned, and continued discussions with the host. After pushing the issue about the $50 early check-in fee, and inquiring about a partial refund (whether on the cleaning fee or the nightly rate) as we could not use the unit for over an hour when we needed to be getting ready, whoever I was chatting with became extremely rude and acted as if we could "take it or leave it" with the $50 refund and said that they would never approve any other refund even if Airbnb requested it. The best part was them saying it was our fault for checking in 3 minutes early (which they only knew because I told them about) as if the cleaning crew would have arrived and cleaned the entire space in that 3 minutes when in reality the cleaning crew did not arrive until well after our 2pm check-in time and only at our request. The only reason we pushed the issue with Airbnb was because of the communication we received around getting the space cleaned and getting a partial refund. We ended up getting the early check-in and cleaning fees back, as well as a partial refund no the nightly rate under Airbnb's Air Cover policy. Due to the messages from the host, I won't be surprised if their review attacks me personally and dodges the real issues.
Generally, the Airbnb was as described and was in a great location. I would have left a 5 star review if we had not encountered these issues with communication and the hosts attacking me rather than acknowledging/addressing the real issues.