The property is not accurately represented in the listing. TLDR: Avoid for families - better off in a hotel.
The whole house was smelling and there was a pervasive stink especially in the living area. We specifically asked Chris whether it was non-smoking but he had guests over late night and we could smell smoke of some sort throughout. The linen and towels provided were not very clean.
The listing described that it was suitable for 4 people. However, there was one double bed and 1 tiny bed. For the fourth person, a mattress was provided to be put on a sideboard / sofa of some sort. Definitely not suitable for 4 people. Also, the listing mentions private room and private bathroom. However, bathroom is not accessible from the room. and there is no lock on the room. The room itself is tiny and definitely not suitable for families. Moreover, Chris stays in the living room and therefore accessing the bathroom while Chris is in the living room is awkward. Moreover, having Chris watch TV till late night or have guests over till late night does not help getting sleep. The listing mentions breakfast, and Chris did make some toast, eggs, peanut butter and jelly. However, this was not specifically bought for guests - much better to get a hot breakfast at a hotel.
We had to wait for over 30 minutes to check in. The door is locked and there is no information on how to check in. We tried calling Chris but his phone was unreachable. He told us that his minutes had exhausted but saw him having long conversations on the phone just after that. However, Chris helped us carry our bags to the 5th floor via elevators once he came down and also when we were checking out.
For this price - you are much better off booking a hotel. We did not want to stay in the room a minute longer than absolutely necessary. Chris also charged us $20 for holding our bags till afternoon. Overall we felt that this was a big mistake and has pushed us to rethink using Airbnb in future.
The location is the factor that we had in mind when we booked. This place is 2 minutes from the subway. However, the neighbourhood is not very safe with many homeless people loitering around till late at night. Moreover the subway station close to the apartment is probably the most horrible smelling station in New York with an over-powering smell of urine. Also beware of random people who might approach you and be friendly and offer metrocards, etc. We did not feel safe coming back late at night.
We had booked this instead of hotel to stay in the city and make the most of 2 days sightseeing. However, we had a terrible experience and this ruined the New York section of our trip and we left with a very poor experience and impression of New York.