It was a good place to stay but just do not expect “luxury” as listed because It is not. If you go with that expectation, you will definitely be disappointed. This was my first time booking airbnb by myself so I didn’t have too many expectations but also I did have a few basic expectations like that of a hotel room. Looks like we have to review since the hostess reviewed me so I am reviewing but again this is only based on my experience. I paid $420 something for 2 nights.
The worst-
Ok this is that one reason why I didn’t like the place. We were there for 2 nights and literally, there was only one toilet paper roll and that also, the smallest kind or maybe it was that small because it was used. Obviously for 2 people and 2 nights, that wasn’t going to work. So I texted the hostess about it and also the broken shower. She said that she would send someone to fix the shower and someone with more toilet paper. I didn’t want all the hassle so I said not to worry about the shower and just send the toilet paper. Guess what? Noone came by and the hostess didn’t even text us. If she didn’t want to send anyone, she could have at least sent a text apologizing or saying they are not going to send anyone or anything. We would have gone out and bought right.? But we waited and waited and nothing. I had told about this to my friend who was coming over and thank god she brought it.
So here’s the thing, this might sound petty since toilet paper is not the most expensive thing in the world but as a guest, I was definitely not expecting a basic need not even to be available when they CHARGE almost $50 as “Service Fee”.
But the worst is when I texted the hostess after the stay saying “hey we never got the toilet paper and its all good. But we left the remaining at the apartment” to which she replied “I also didn’t charge you for extra guest so you saved money” . So ya, I will leave it up-to you decide what you think about this but to me her reply was very unprofessional to me.
The house listing clearly says that it sleeps 3 and I didn’t see anywhere that said they charged for the 3rd person unless they changed it in the description now. My only error was that I didn’t book for 3 people. If I had done this beforehand she would not have said this. But I did thank her for accommodating. But for her, to not apologize even once for never having enough toilet paper in the apt and also never sending anyone after saying they would was the final drill. If I only think about this, I want to give 1 star but there are good things too so no.
The Bad
1. Misleading info/ miscommunication : Before I booked, I had asked if there is parking and according to the listing it says street parking or $30 paid parking. Since NY is a hassle for parking, I was up for paid parking so I booked. But after booking I found out that she needed to ask the building if there is any parking available which. Guess what? They didn’t. So I found out the day before that I didn’t have a parking spot for me. I would’ve appreciated if she had told us earlier about this. When I reached the place, I found out it’s a very busy place plus there is a precinct right next to the apartment so it is a very very busy spot for street parking. But eventually we got it. So just keep this in mind that if you are driving and you want that paid parking, ask her to ask the building before you book. This isn’t a big deal to New Yorkers but to people who drive hours, I think such misinformation can be a little annoying.
2. Cleanliness - When I read the reviews, I saw everyone talking about the place being clean and that was one main reason I chose it. And the place was definitely clean BUT only at surface level. So like the tables and chairs and floors and kitchens are definitely clean but the towels, the curtains, the containers where they put stuffs in the washroom etc are Not! I really didn’t care about curtains but omg the towels really made me realize that I was not in for the luxury treatment haha. It was kinda smelly too but thank god there were a few more.
3. The detachable shower head was broken. I didn’t make a big deal out of it since the other shower head worked but texted her right away so she wouldn’t think we broke it. It was not fixed during our stay.
4. Service fee - They charge you $50 on top of cleanliness fee of $99. Still don’t know what that fee is about.
5. Broken Trash Can (again not a big deal but since it said luxury, I am calling it out)
The Good
Obviously I am not only going to talk about the bad experiences.
1. It’s just about 10-15 mins away from subway if you are using train.
2. Heated floor (maybe thats why they said its luxury)
3. You get a good view of the bridge and city
4. The hostess was accommodating. I had asked her if we could check out at 11am and she agreed. When I booked, the listing never mentioned extra charge for 3rd guest and I was in a rush to book so I only booked for 2. When I asked her to have 3rd person, she agreed. But she made sure I knew that she did me a favor when I told her about the toilet paper scarcity haha.
So ya 3