There was much anticipation and excitement leading up to my stay at Catherine and Brian’s place. I had followed @beginninginthemiddle for years and am a huge fan. I always wished for an excuse to stay in one of their places in my own town.
So planning my wedding and thinking of where to get hair and makeup done with my bridesmaids as well as where to stay the night of my wedding— I knew this was a perfect opportunity.
Due to Covid, I rescheduled my wedding twice, and I kept this Airbnb as part of my plans for nearly two years, despite a steep price increase when I rescheduled for the date of my stay. (Prob has to do with pricing in June as opposed to feb.) I told myself that it would be totally worth it. Unfortunately, I feel like this place and my experience was not worth what I paid due to some stressful issues that occurred.
Upon arriving, the keypad to the front door did not work. I believe one of the automatic messages sent to guests before arrival needs updating, because in the Airbnb message I was referencing communicated the wrong code, and later I discovered an email that listed a different (correct) code.
Once we finally got inside through the back door, I was instantly a bit disappointed by the wear and tear I noticed in the townhouse. Right when I walked in, I saw a tattered, ripped decorative pillow on the chair. Wallpaper was torn / curled up on some of the seams. A tile was broken and crumbled on the hearth. One of the spokes going up to the attic was broken. The cream tile in small guest bathroom has not kept up well— appearing smeared and dirty, even though it wasn’t when I wiped it with a washcloth. I know it’s a popular Airbnb and gets a lot of use, but I was expecting it to be more polished— especially given the price.
We also quickly discovered the air conditioning was not working when we arrived, including the unit in the lofted area. This was a major problem given it was 90 degrees outside. It caused one of my bridesmaids to stay elsewhere our first evening; she was going to stay in the loft but it was way too hot.
Thankfully, Brian and Catherine were highly responsive and did what good hosts do— spring right into action and do everything they can to help fix things. Brian came right over and installed a new A/C unit on the first floor. He also brought a bottle champagne, which was an extremely kind gesture. You could tell they felt awful for the A/C issues. They also called in HVAC specialists to help fix the central air. The loft A/C issue was never resolved. I also felt bad, but had to call late my second night because the back door key code hadn’t worked due to someone locking the deadbolt. That’s when I learned of the correct front door code.
Wedding weekends are whirlwinds and unfortunately this Airbnb that I was so excited for ended up being a major stressor for me and an investment I don’t feel was worth it. The Airbnb is decorated well, the bed is comfy, the shower is wonderful and it is in a perfect location— but it saddens me to say that I hesitate to recommend it.