I have mixed feelings on this booking. The apartment was very clean and in a great location very near to public transportation in central Harlem. The host sent me a lot of information and E-Mails with house rules we had to acknowledge beforehand. We were not able to see her directly. We picked up the keys through a lock outside of the apartment. We were told that other people would also be there in the apartment but haven’t heard or seen anyone. However, we used the flat in a normal way and received a message about problems on our cleanliness. I only left a small, closed trashbag and I hung some wet clothes in the bathroom since there was no possibility to hang wet clothes somewhere else.
As that was in the middle of our trip, I was irritated by that. Normally, the cleanliness is checked after people check out.
Furthermore, there was a surveillance camera in the shared living room. I noticed that the host often sent messages to check on us. We did not feel good and felt spied out. Especially, because of one of her rules that says we are not allowed to open the door or answer anyone on the question of who we are. As mentioned in another review, there is an irritating sign outside of the apartment saying “No AirBnb, persons entering for this purpose will be charged with trespassing”.
I guess the hosts messages you several times a day to check if their landlord sees the airbnb activity. This must also be the reason for the camera.
Although the contact with the host was good and I liked the cleanliness of the apartment and its location, the stay felt unpleasant. You constantly had to worry about persons appearing in front of your door and about being involved in potential problems.
The mattress and the pillows are very thin and uncomfortable. The cooler does not cool. The equipment seems to be the cheapest available. It also has only one chair at the breakfast table.
To sum up
Advantages:
price, location, cleanliness, organisation of check in and check out
Disadvantages:
Strict surveillance, possible legal problems, extremely thin uncomfortable mattress