The value proposition of AirBnB for the consumer (not to mention society and the housing crisis) has been dropping for some time as prices go up and there is no perceivable change in quality. This place unfortunately epitomizes the problem.
The hosts seem very nice, they are communicative, they seem very conscientious about cleanliness - all of that is fine.
You can lower your expectations based on the pictures, as you should for all AirBnB listings. You are 100% paying for the location. Old building, cute street but right by the highway so lots of road noise. MacGuyvered AC units (at least) that run at 70 decibels and don’t allow you to fully block out incoming sunlight as they exhaust through the window. The 1 bathroom was cute. There was a K-cup coffee maker with all the Costco coffee you’d like.
The hosts kindly arranged for parking in a detached garage and then we were charged $40 a night for it (HOA apparently). City parking is expensive and annoying, but this was also a ~$1,600 rental for 2 nights so it’s just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We left early cause it was so underwhelming and we had an early ferry to catch the next morning anyway.
I don’t feel cheated or hoodwinked - I just feel vaguely saddened by how much this place cost vs what you get in return. And further saddened that it will be booked solid until the end of time because there are not great options for people in cities that don’t like hotels.
I kind of wish this was my last AirBnB but I know it won’t be and that’s a shame.