This was the most and only horrific experience I have had with an Airbnb host. I suggest you carefully consider staying here and read all of the reviews before you do so. The only good things about this place was the location and it was quiet. This is going to be a long review because I feel it’s important that other potential guests are well-informed.
1. Host is often without cell or Wi-Fi service and therefore unable to make contact within the 24 hour period listed. She made a mistake and issued me a refund instead of her intended increase and insisted that we pay the increase of $171 two days before our arrival. Her reason was that her building cost had increased one month prior. At this point I became concerned that she would not give us access to the apartment, even after I repaid the refund, because that was only fair. I spoke with Airbnb who assured us that if she did not let us in she would be penalized and they would get us a hotel. Airbnb explained that once a reservation is paid in full the host is not allowed to increase it. When I explained this to her she went on about how we will not find as good a deal for such a nice apartment anywhere else in New York.
2. After I repaid the refund the host said she would send check-in information on the day we would be traveling. My experience is that hosts will send the information anywhere from 3 to 5 days prior. I explained to her that we would be in the air and without cell service and that I would appreciate the information on the day before. Fortunately we received the information just prior to our flight.
3. Getting the keys was not a simple process. We received a link to a key café service at a 7/11 store about a mile away from the apartment. The link instructed us to call for store hours but I did not have their phone number. I asked the host for it but she did not respond. Luckily we were able to figure it out and took another Uber to the apartment.
4. The place was filthy! The toilet seat lid was already detached and resting on the back of the wall then we were unable to find any toilet paper. The next night the seat broke off the hinges and it was very unstable to try to sit down. When I explained to the host she only offered excuses saying that she had no complaints before and the cleaning person was supposed to refill the toilet paper. No offer to bring a new toilet seat or toilet paper so we went out and paid $10 for a four pack. Again no offer to reimburse us. The building manager couldn’t come and replace the toilet seat until after we checked out.
5. The bathroom was disgusting. There was dried urine on the toilet seat hinges which smelled terrible. There were hairs in the sink and in the bathtub. The caulking around the tub was moldy and there was so many of her things in there we couldn’t find a spot to put any of our things. No bathmat which made the tub very slippery when I showered. There was one ratty looking towel which didn’t look clean. When I contacted the host she said her cleaning person was out due to an emergency and she paid a different service $200 to clean. There is no way the apartment had been cleaned recently. I explained they did nothing! She told us where to find two towels and they didn’t seem that clean either. The kitchen towels were no better.
6. The kitchen was also filthy. There was a thick layer of grease and dust on the stove hood with a little black specs. I don’t want to know what those were from. There was brown goo that had run down the front of the refrigerator door and the inside of the refrigerator was full of expired food. The rugs were dirty and there were lots of crumbs and other food on the floor. The host explained she had not been in the apartment all summer and it was obvious. The trim around the doorways was filthy with dirty fingerprints. When I opened the freezer door a huge coffee maker fell off the top and almost hit me in the head. It was hidden behind a blind type thing. Again, no offer for a coffee maker but she did apologize.
7. The single bed in the living room is hard as a rock and the sheets did not smell clean. The listing shows capability of four guests but there is no way that two people could fit on that single bed. The TV did not work. The area rug was folded in half with a yoga mat on top of it. The area was packed with her belongings but the room did appear clean.
8. The sheets and pillowcases on the bed had not been changed. When we contacted the host she said that she does not usually allow people to go into her personal belongings but there should be two sheets in the cupboard.
The host asked for pictures so I sent them to her. I will post them here if she writes a dishonest review of us. We left the apartment cleaner than when we arrived. I wish I would’ve trusted the negative reviews and never booked this place.