I normally do not write reviews for the AirBnBs I stay in, but I feel compelled to describe my experience with the hosts of this home. The home itself was fine and I will elaborate on the details afterward. My sister and I booked this place at the beginning of January 2021 for November 2021, quite a while in advance. We had a group of 7; the two of us, her husband, my daughter (age 7), and her 3 sons (ages 9, 19, and 22). We needed a large place and this location was advertised for 7. When we booked, we promptly received a message from the host that said “Please let us know the sleeping arrangements since you are our maximum group. We have a queen bed, in the blue room with room for a crib or a floor mattress, the yellow room can sleep four singles, one on a floor mattress and the convertible sofa in the living room can sleep two.” I responded that it was fine as the boys would be OK on the more uncomfortable floor mattress and convertible sofa. Then two months later I received an email out of the blue that said “Your reservation fee does not include the extra guest fee we charge after four guests which is 40$ per day per guest. So you will be asked to pay 120$ extra per night for your stay. If you need to cancel your reservation and make other plans, I understand and I will not uphold my strict cancellation policy. I hope you don’t cancel and we will be happy to host you.” This equated to an extra $960. The original charge, with cleaning fees and taxes, was $425/night and now we were being told that it was actually $545/night. I called AirBnB and was told that extra fees need to be disclosed at the point of sale/acceptance of the contract, which is consistent with what I am used to. The customer service rep sent this email “The host will not be charging you, I have reached out to her and educated her about the listing and the extra guest charges.” I never heard from the host until the standard message 1 week prior to our stay was sent out. No apology, no explanation. All year I was nervous that the stay would be cancelled but felt better when the check-in instructions were sent. I was ready to put it all behind me, then 5 days later the host sent this message “Could you pay the extra guest fee as we charge 40$ per day for each guest over 2 years old above four guests. That would be so helpful as seven guests is a lot.” Due to an emergency, my sister’s family could not come on the trip, so I cannot say what would have happened if I had refused.
The house is huge and the two bathrooms easily accommodate 5 adults. I’m not quite sure what toll each person after 4 takes on the house to merit the extra charge especially since we would have been sightseeing and dining out most of the time. It doesn’t really matter, because the bottom line is that we signed a contract at the point my request was accepted and were asked to pay more against company policy. Other than this, the hosts were responsive. The location of the house is close to central park, subway stations, a Trader Joe’s, and restaurants down Columbus St. which was convenient. As I stated, it was spacious, however the kitchen was tiny. This wasn’t a big deal since we hadn’t planned on cooking any meals.
The listing says that the hosts live there, but the place does not look lived in. The absence of personal items isn’t unusual, but it doesn’t look like there have been any regular updates except for maybe the bathroom toilets and sinks. Some things just look plain neglected. The building is old and has character, but it is inaccurate to describe the interior design as elegant. This description and pictures give the false impression that this is a restored apartment. The pictures should be updated as some of the furniture is different, as is the configuration of the furniture and rugs. The 2-person jacuzzi tub still does not work. This was not an attractive amenity to me, but I’m mentioning it just in case it is for others. Despite these issues, the place was priced well for what it really is at the original $425/night and is a deal for two families splitting the cost. It is not worth $545 and seems too big for 2-3 people. The kitchen had the essentials, but the hosts had to have taken their good coffee pot and knives to the lower level, LOL! I can’t imagine that they cook with the random ancient, worn-down knives or brew their daily coffee in a Mr. Coffee pot, for example. The shutters in one of the bedrooms are held together with tape, doors are dragging on the wood floors, most of the light fixtures are dim, and the closets smell like mothballs. There are numerous paintings on the walls that look like pieces you’d see in a museum, but the antique furniture was falling apart and/or uncomfortable. The couches seemed newer and just in an antique style so they were fine to use. As another reviewer said, there is only 1 actual bed in the blue room. The king in the yellow room is really two mattresses on metal cot-like frames. The couch pull out is a standard metal frame as well. Finally, the house is on a loud street. There is a school across the street and there seemed to be a traffic jam every morning which inevitably caused someone to blare their car horn incessantly. It was quiet in the evening, however.