CLEANLINESS: Ha!
Noted Areas: Entire Place, Bathroom, Common Areas
When I arrived at the property I heard water dripping in the bathroom. When I walked into the bathroom I noticed the bath tub was nearly half way filled with water, as a result of the bad leak in the faucet and the faulty drain. That's only the beginning though...
There was SIGNIFICANT mold and mildew buildup all over the shower/bath tub tile walls. I (the guest) managed to find a bottle of cleaning product and a sponge, so I attempted to clean the mold off the walls (because, eww). Some of the mold was easily cleaned, which tells me the maid for the property failed to do her/his job. Furthermore, there was still a very significant amount of mold and mold stains all over the bathroom.
The vent filter had clearly not been replaced in quite some time, because there was a substantial amount of dust built up all over and around the vent cover above the bathroom door. There was also black mold growing on the other small vent cover in the bathroom.
ACCURACY:
Noted Areas: Description, Photos, Amenities
The listing notes “Shampoo” and a “Hair Dryer” as available amenities in the property. That’s not entirely true. There were half used bottles of Suave shampoo and conditioner sitting on the bathroom shelf (definitely not what I would consider COVID-19 safe), and the hair dryer was no where to be found in the suite.
The toilet seat cover was not attached to the toilet at all.
PARKING: PLEASE BE ADVISED!!!
The listing specifically says, “There is free guest parking on a first come first serve basis. Please note this parking is a far walk from the apartment.” OK, not great, but I can walk a little for free parking in a covered parking garage. Well… what Frontdesk fails to advertise anywhere in their listing is the additional step you will need to take to register your vehicle (if you manage to even find an available parking space; there are very few “guest” parking spaces available). If you fail to register your vehicle you will be towed. The cost for you to get your vehicle out of the impound: $25 Uber / 20 minute drive to the impound lot + $323.00 in tow fees. Robbery.
CHECK-IN:
Noted Areas: Difficult to find, Incorrect Information, Unclear Instructions
The code we were given to enter the building did not work. Thankfully a tenant was walking out of the building a couple minutes later, so we entered through the door he exited out of. Once you're inside the building you take an elevator up several floors, and then your journey really gets "fun"; You literally end up walking through a maze of winding hallways for a solid 15 minutes before you finally arrive at your suite.
LOCATION:
Upon arriving in my suite, I noticed a pair of packaged ear plugs on the night stand in the bedroom. Noisy neighbors maybe? Nope. The property failed to advertise it was located directly next to train tracks, which had trains running and blowing their horns constantly.
VALUE:
When something seems too good to be true, it probably is. That is definitely the case with this listing.
After reading reviews for this property, as well as several of the other properties that Frontdesk manages and lists via Air BnB and Vrbo, other guests have had strikingly similar experiences. It's amazing to me Air BnB and Vrbo still allow Frontdesk to host properties via their websites. I honestly believe I would have had a far more pleasant stay at a Motel 6.
I, like many others, learned my lesson the hard way. My experience with Frontdesk has taught me to do more extensive research and read all the reviews (not just on the direct booking website, but on third-party review websites as well) before booking another property moving forward.