My expectations weren't met when I stayed at John's place. Unlike most of the reviews here, I wouldn't call my experience great, which is a shame become I was looking forward to staying at John's especially given the number of good reviews his place has.
Some points I'd like to make:
- I think it's incongruous that John is listed as a 'superhost' when his messaging to me was generic and he didn't once acknowledge me by name, the reason for my travel, nor meet me in person (the former two are commonplace even for many non-Superhost).
- The decor is ugly and even a little spooky (cartoon chickens and a knight's armor?!...), the photos didn't prepare me for this.
- I was charged $75 for the (listed) cleaning fee, however then instructed to do my own dishes. While I'm well-trained in dishwashing, I found this a little cheeky. Surely John (or his cleaner) could switch on the dishwasher themselves given that for $75 I'd expect a few hours of cleaning to be taking place.
- Overall, I felt more like a customer of John's than a valued guest. While the central location with onsite parking is close to unmatchable in terms of being able to reach the centre of town by foot, if there are other experiences like mine then I wouldn't recommend John's place to others visiting Asheville nor will I visit again. That said, I genuinely hope that my exercise is isolated and I wish no ill to John.
To end on a positive note: Asheville is a fantastic town so please do visit Asheville and its surrounds.