I should probably split this review into two pieces: the place itself, and the logistics challenges.
The apartment was in a good location, and seemingly a good price for the area. Garage parking and access to a pool were great. Lots of nice restaurants and coffee shops right by the apartment, yet it was relatively quiet at night for being central. The apartment was a bit barebones compared to other Airbnbs I've stayed at. The place itself was in okay shape, with some clear wear and tear on some of the furniture. There's a washer/dryer, but no detergent was provided. The sink didn't have a sponge for washing dishes. The sofa bed mattress had some stains, as did one of the pillows provided. So -- the apartment didn't blow us away but did meet our needs. Given I could have booked at the Sheraton blocks away for less, it felt like a big premium to get a washer/dryer.
Now -- the real issue was the ongoing challenges with communication. This property is managed by Vacasa, a [possibly competing?] rental platform like Airbnb. They sent me a link in their portal, and asked me to sign an HOA for the coop building, plus provide my information for a background check. That seemed unusual but not a huge deal. I emailed back a signed HOA and provided the requested information, a few weeks before the rental date. I didn't hear back so assumed everything was fine. While I was on my cross-country roadtrip, I got several emails, texts and voicemails about providing this info. Sometimes it came as a message through Airbnb, but often it was an email through the Vacasa platform. My replies went unanswered for a day usually, and there was no continuity in the conversation. Someone would ask a question, I'd reply, and then a day later a different person would ask the same question. Mind you I didn't have much access to internet or cell service during this time, so it was pretty stressful to not confidently know everything was resolved. I finally got someone to confirm that I had provided all the necessary info (for the fourth time). It was with some hesitation that I ignored the subsequent messages asking for the same info again...
Lastly, this property is managed by Vacasa, but it seems they contract out the management to yet another party. The day before our stay, I got a text message from someone claiming he needed my estimated arrival time and the unit I had booked so that he could meet me and let me in. I told him I preferred to communicate using Airbnb's messaging, to ensure he was actually with Vacasa. He told me that wasn't possible because he's actually a contractor, and Vacasa gave him my phone number(!). I messaged Vacasa via Airbnb, and they told me the key is in a lockbox and I'd get check-in instructions the morning of. That turned out to be false. The person reached out again and sent a very helpful voicemail describing the situation, and explaining that Vacasa didn't actually know what they were talking about, and that I'd need to work with him to actually get into the apartment/garage. I decided to give him my information. I don't blame him for that situation -- he was just trying to do his job. I do blame Vacasa and feel they violated the terms of agreement for listing on Airbnb.
I'm writing this knowing I'm likely going to get follow up messages from Vacasa telling my they're sorry or I'm wrong. I have a paper trail of all the emails, messages, texts and voicemails so hopefully Vacasa admins will actually reflect on their protocols and either not use Airbnb or embrace the platform and its users.