So I booked this room under a different AirBnB host, “Beans”. Jan is the owner of the building and has been restoring it for almost 40 years. She is an amazing spirit and you will undoubtedly see her making repairs and meticulously maintaining the building. Half the experience of staying here is getting the chance to talk with her and listening to the history of the place and even some of her own.
The room itself was very comfortable and true to its 1910’s aesthetic. The bed was warm and cozy. Also true to its age, the window glass is thin so if you’re a light sleeper bring ear plugs. There is only ONE OUTLET (that IS compatible with 21st century plugs) with two ports, both of which are occupied by light fixtures in the room so you’ll need to triage your appliance needs. There is only a hand sink in the room with a bar of soap.
The shared toilet/shower (on this floor near the room) was barebones. The shower water does not get hot is a light spray to the point that it loses the little bit of warmth it had coming out by the time it hits your skin. But this is the 1910’s experience, right?
One thing right off the bat that unnerved me was the whole doorman style entrance. You will not have a key to get into the building and 7/10 times that I needed to enter there was nobody there to let me in and I had to either call the hotel number (unanswered at times) to reach the guy on duty or bother Jan in the middle of her work to have her walk down two flights of stairs and open the door. I’m all for this classic door service, but they need to be there!
My other real issue was the lack of WiFi in the guest room. You can get a weak signal in the common room, but it’s not an ideal space to hold Zoom meetings.
All in all, please PLEASE support the restoration of this historic gem. You will get an authentic antiquated experience. Just be prepared for its quirks. We all have them. Kudos to Jan for her efforts all these years.