I rarely write anything but 5-star reviews--I support the airbnb model and want hosts to be successful. In this case, the host put me in a bad position through their lack of planning and poor practices. I notified the host on booking that I would be arriving after hours (the only flight available landed after their official check-in time of 11 pm). They assured me it was no problem, and asked me to remind them the day before check in, and I did so via text.
On arrival, I did have a room number and a 4 digit code to get in the building, but when I hit the floor number in the elevator it wouldn't go up. Worse, it wouldn't open back up. The elevator and stairs require a fob that was waiting for me in an apartment I couldn't get to. I had to wait, stuck in an elevator in the middle of the night, for another tenant to eventually open the elevator from the outside. She graciously used her fob to get me to my floor (a security breach), and I got in.
When I messaged the management the next morning, they offered an apology but no explanation of what their plan was. I even asked them again to explain how this could have been avoided and they offered no plan.
The host also offered an option to pre-purchase some groceries to stock my stay, and I did use the app to place an order for a few breakfast items. On arrival, the refrigerator was empty. Again, I asked the management for an explanation and didn't receive one until two days later, when they said "unfortunately, our ground support team was unable to accommodate it, so you will receive a refund in 5-10 days." Reminder--they made the offer to me, it was not a special request, and they did not alert me to their failure until I asked them about it.
I get that this is likely an out-of-town company relying on a local team to fulfill their promises. This is what they signed up for, however, and leaving guests hanging out to dry is not okay. While they said there was a night concierge and provided a number, it was not answered when another guest in the lobby dialed it.
Positives: The apartment and location are great. It was clean, comfortable, brand new and VERY convenient to the convention center and other downtown locations.
My hope is that the management company can address these issues. In the meantime, be sure to arrive early enough to avoid getting stranded.