I was really excited to stay here and had high hopes due to all the great reviews but unfortunately, after staying for 12 days, I don’t agree with those good reviews.
But, I’ll start with the good stuff:
PROS: The place had good kitchen amenities and I like the self check-in process with the key pad as it’s one less thing to worry about losing. I was visiting a friend nearby so location was good for me. Parking was always available as well. The TV had streaming services so it made staying in for movie night nice and easy.
CONS:
Communication:
On my first morning there, the water was out. I tried calling the number provided but no one answered. I messaged them through the app and someone called me back, though she did not maintain the property. The guy who did maintain it finally messaged me back and said he would look into it and get back to me. I went out for the day without showering and kept waiting for an update to let me know when I could come back to shower but I never received an update. This was a little upsetting because I was waiting all day for answers that I never got. The water did eventually return that night when I came back but that’s besides the point.
Sleep Quality:
It’s NOT for anyone who is a light sleeper. Though the space looks modern, it wasn’t put together well, so a lot of installations (faucets/knobs, toilet paper holder, etc.) was loose and jiggly. None of this would bother me except for the fact that the ceiling fan was also loose and would click incessantly in random patterns so it couldn’t even become white noise that I could learn to ignore. And due to the fact that it’s so hot in Austin in June, I had to leave the fan on to sleep. I stayed there for 2 weeks and didn’t get one good night of sleep. This is on top of the fact that the walls are paper thin so you can hear neighbors stomping upstairs and talking through the walls.
Also, on one occasion, I heard really loud water sounds at 3am which sounded like someone was peeing in my bathroom and I got really freaked out because I was by myself. I got up to investigate and found out it was the refrigerator making the sounds, which is weird because it doesn’t even have an ice maker.
If you are going to stay here, I’d advise that you bring ear plugs!
TV:
Besides the convenience of the streaming services, the TV was REALLY crappy. I have never encountered a TV that shuts itself down because you pressed the buttons “too fast” (read: normal speed). The screen would literally go black from scrolling through Netflix or Prime and I wouldn’t know if it turned off or not and it would just do nothing for a few minutes. Then the Home Screen would reappear by itself and I’d have to start my search all over again. So go realllll slow with the buttons.
Customer Service:
I’ve never been asked to clean my own dishes and take the trash out at any other Airbnb. This seemed ridiculous to me considering I paid a “cleaning fee” on my invoice. I did end up loading my dishes in the dishwasher out of courtesy but I didn’t take the trash out because that’s just absurd to me. One, I don’t know where the dumpster is and I’m not going to spend time troubling myself with looking for it. Two, this space is meant to serve guests and part of the service I paid for is to clean up after guests. Could you imagine if a hotel told its guests to take the trash with them on their way out? Not even the cheapest motel asks you to do that.
Bottom Line:
At $127/night + fees, it just wasn’t worth the issues I encountered. If it was cheaper than a hotel, I would be more willing to put up with some of these issues. But I was paying hotel prices without hotel services. I unfortunately won’t be staying here again.