TLDR: Aralyn is incredibly friendly, professional, and keeps a wonderful home. The room is even bigger than the pictures suggest, comfortable, spotless, and the bathtub is a great bonus. There is thermostat control in the room as well. You also have access to a beautiful kitchen, a washer & dryer, and the front yard was perfect for my morning workout routine. The location is great for exploring downtown, I walked to and from the convention center multiple times. Several great eateries and shops along the way. If you prefer not to walk, it's less than a 10 minute Uber ride to the happening spots downtown. Definitely booking here again the next time I'm in town.
Long version:
I came to Austin for a conference at the last minute and was forced to create an AirBnB account because all the hotels were fully booked. Thank goodness for Aralyn, or I wouldn't have had a place to stay.
After a few failed starts with other hosts (one host cancelled on me the day before my flight, AFTER we had agreed), I was starting to lose hope. Thankfully, Aralyn's place opened up. She was friendly and easy to talk to from the start and very accommodating, even though I was a new user with nothing on my profile who was booking last minute. She was flexible and worked around my late arrival time.
When I arrived, the room was even bigger than I expected. The bathtub was incredible, especially after the Austin heat, and it had a wide open space with two big desks perfect for working. It was better than most of the hotel accommodations for the same price.
Aralyn even went out of her way to connect me with a few people in my industry since she knew I was in town for work. I made 3 connections through her. At one point, she even helped me practice my speech for the conference and gave me some speaking tips, which really came in handy. I can honestly say my business trip would not have been as successful if I had stayed anywhere else. I can't imagine the same can be said for many other hosts. If you're looking for a welcoming and positive experience with someone who will treat you like a real person, stay at Aralyn's.