I dont think I have ever written a bad review but lack of property owner response and our experience made me feel I really needed to let others know before they stay here.
This property is an almost windowless basement. They call it a garden apartment but it doesnt look like the other garden apartments in Jersey City. Being abasment it smells like one. It had a strong smell of mildew/mold that intensified during our stay, to the point we canceled a night and stayed elseware. The smell was so intense it was hard to sleep and both me and my partner became sick from it. We addressedit the first day and the response was that there was a dehumidifier and we should have that running all the time. So we did but then woke with nose bleeds each morning. The bathroom was dirty when we arrived and throughout the property there were odd brown stains from who knows what. The dishwasher is rusted inside on the racks and we did not feel comfortable with running it so we hand washed everything.
There is a small 2 person table in the kitchen but other than that the bed is the only place to sit. The lighting in the main room where the bed is located is lit by one ceiling light (no freestanding lamps or table lamps) which would be ok but whoever picked it out chose a sterile blue white light that reminds you of florescent lighting. It was disturbing having it on in the dark windowless basment but thats the other choice. The whole place is tiled, no rugs anywhere and its not nice tile, I felt like we were staying in a prison cell. The bed is placed up against a closed off fireplace so the headboard has no support and appears it was broken because of it so even sitting up in bed to watch tv was not possible. There is only 1 plug near the bed so if you are staying with two people, phone charging can only happen on one side. The is more but I just cant believe the conflict resolution from the property manager. We are avid travlers and have never ever stayed somewhere so disappointing. I have copied one of my messages to the property owner below:
From property manager:
As for reviews, it’s VERY important for TwinCity to get 5 star reviews in all categories so that we remain relevant when people search for places to stay. I was hoping you can give us 5 ⭐️ reviews in all categories and a nice review. If you encountered any issues during your stay, I sincerely apologize for these problems. Any issues or complaints, please write them in this chat or in the PRIVATE feedback section so that I am aware and I can fix to make the experience better for the next guest. It is welcomed and appreciated. As for you, you can be sure to receive 5 stars and a great review from me.
My message:
Hi Bobby. We are out. I will be honest since it seems like you respect our opinions, we were disappointed with our stay. We travel alot and normally use a seperate app but my partner uses airbnb. In 10 years of using these apps for travel, I dont think I have ever stayed somewhere so bleh. Its a dark almost windowless basement. It was not unclean but I wouldnt say it was clean either. It smelled like a damp wet sponge the entire stay and the dehumidifier did not help, it just dried the space out. We woke with nose bleeds and the smell of the mildew or mold was so intense we felt sick just staying there. I think there must be an old leak or maybe the wet floor is holding water from showering and its sitting somewhere. We couldnt use the dishwasher because the rack had rusted bits inside. I ended up handwashing everything. The towels were small but at least there were extra. The lighting was sterile and should be warmer, maybe install a dimmer? With no natual light its really disturbing sitting in white light.
Not to be all doom and gloom, eveb though it really has been the most disappointing place we have ever stayed, the bed was ok and the comfortor was nice. The heaters (once we figured them out) worked well and the kitchen though small was nice to have so many accessories.
However, I cant say if we could do it again we wouldnt just stay in the double tree nearby. We have stayed there before and had no real issues. We are avid travelers the whole experience here was off putting. Staying at a hilton tonight.
We only stayed as for the 3 days because there were no other properties available nearby. To my message above, I received 0 response. Good luck if you use TwinCity rentals.