Buyer Beware
My daughter and I decided on a quick two night mother/daughter trip to Historic Salem. We landed on this listing after being unable to find an affordable stay in Salem and the immediate area. The listing for stay was approximately $100 per night. I quickly reserved. Unfortunately, I did not realize the cleaning fee was $300 - more than the actual stay itself. Within two hours, I reached out to Heather and Brian apologizing and asking if the cleaning fee was a mistake. I thought, perhaps, it included a form of security deposit. I was surprised at Brian’s curt and inflexible reply, stating “It’s the fixed charge when booking this unit regardless of the length of stay. The cleaning price is structured to attract longer stays.
The nightly rate has been deeply discounted to try and off-set some of the over all price, and we are confident the nights will book at the current all-in price.” I asked if he would allow me to cancel immediately (two hours after booking) without the penalty of keeping 50%. He simply directed me to the cancellation policy.
Upon arrival, the apartment was not locked. Definitely not the safest practice particularly for women traveling alone and no security guard or doorman to ensure safety. This was not a detail shared in the posting. Instead, it was shared the day of arrival. I reserved with the promise of a queen size bed and instead there were two full sized beds. I could not use the dishwasher because the bottom tray was filled with stagnate water. The internet was not stable whereby requiring use of of my data for a hotspot. There was a knock at the door but there was no peep hole. Finally, there was no view to speak of.
Considering his inflexibility, one would assume anything promised would be delivered as impeccably.
I reserve through AirBnb quite often and have had great experiences and responses. I will continue to use the site for my future trips. But, if traveling to Cambridge for a short trip be aware of the disproportionate rate of cleaning charge for this unit and the accountability is not reciprocal.