Every year I try to come to Austin at another time than SXSW but it I never achieve my goal and I always end up in Austin only at SXSW.
This was a last minute booking and I really wanted a great location. The location of the place was perfect and the best I had booked since it was in the center of the main activities were within walking distance but I was not living on the main street of SXSW.
The price of the apartment was indiscriminately high due to this conference but the apartment and service was still operated at the normal rate. This is the problem with SXSW, amenities are priced at 3x the normal rate but the infrastructure can't sustain the extra demand. The apartment is operated as a stand alone efficiency studio for rent and dedicated single unit on a main street. The check in process was effective and the apartment is in an older building but maintained well for a rental.
As a tourist paying the normal price for the apartment, I would probably have no complaints. It was a standard place, nothing unique except the art on the walls were a nice touch. As a business traveler paying Ritz Carlton prices for a business conference, the amenities and services associated with an increased rental price were lacking. For example, I arrived early due to the nature of direct flights from out of town but had no where to leave my work computer. Thankfully, by complaining to Airbnb, I was able to wrangle an early check in, which worked out but I didn't really want to go through this hassle of working through issues even before arriving at the rental. In the future, I won't be using Airbnb for business or luxury travel.