2 stars because the house itself is actually very nice. It accommodates large parties adequately. The house was clean and organized and had all the supplies we needed.
HOWEVER, there was a huge breach in privacy when I got a message from the host stating that he thinks there are more than 8 people staying at the house. Why would he ask that? He watches the ring camera at the front door and the one located above the garage. We was counting every person he saw.
My family and I were in town for a wedding and there were a number of people trickling in and out of the house at all hours of the day/night. We never broke any noise ordinances.
A few other issues I’d like to acknowledge:
The lock to get into the house is digital, controlled on his phone. The codes he provided weren’t working. We ended up having to manually unlock the house with the key in the lockbox. He didn’t tell us how to use the key but after some time we were able to figure it out.
Everything is controlled from his phone, even the thermostat. I had to reach out to him to ask for the thermostat to be lowered. We weren’t allowed to do that ourselves.
Q messaged me multiple times a day all weekend to “check-in” and see how things were going. I appreciate an attentive host when necessary but it became very apparent that he was keeping tabs on us when he inquired how many people were actually staying in the house.
Bottom line: we all became very uncomfortable when he asked how many people were in the house because we knew he was watching us. So book this Airbnb if you’re cool with Big Brother needing to know everything about your stay. It was clear that he needed to have control over the home and left no trust to the guests. My family and I have used Airbnb for 6 years now and have never had any/this type of issue. Most hosts leave us alone and I’m more than okay with that.
I would never stay at any of his houses again nor would I ever recommend this host.