I stayed at this property for nine days in early August 2022.
The Pros:
1. Very nice interior - paint, furnishings etc. seem good quality. Loved the sofa and large screen tv and the bed was very comfortable! True to the photos.
2. Decent location - close to Alberta Arts district. The street of the home itself is a bit lively and crowded but was quiet at night. Grocery store and fast food within walking distance.
3. A well-lit, free parking lot one house down, so no need to deal with crowded (and largely unavailable) street parking. That was very convenient!
4. Plenty of towels in the kitchen and bathroom. Extra pillows and linens if you need them.
5. Access to washer and dryer
The Cons:
1. Place was not clean when I checked in.
Not just a smudge on a mirror or a cobweb in the corner, but a wad of hair in the shower drain, exterior of toilet and interior of shower not clean (shower walls had hair on them and had not been cleaned), large food crumbs on counter and rug, cup stains on table and counters.
And worst of all (for me) the removable duvet cover smelled like another person and the sheets had debris on them.
I contacted the host with photos just giving him the above information to pass on to the cleaners and he did not reply at all.
I washed the sheets and duvet cover myself and on the third day I had a professional cleaning company come in t clean the unit.
2. I checked in during a heat wave (100+ degree temps) and was told there was no A/C (fair enough, wasn't mentioned in the listing but wanted to ask) but also not even a fan.
The host told me that "people in Portland don't really use A/C or fans, and especially no A/C in o old homes". This was a surprise to me, having moved to Portland in 1981 and always having one or the other, even central A/C in my 1904 Portland home. (Not everyone who rents an airbnb is a tourist.)
Rather than given such a nonsense answer, I would have rather just said that they have chosen not to provide a fan. He told me to sleep with the window open, but really didn't want a street level window open all night, so I brought my own fan.
3. Lacking some basic amenities (no hangers, bowls or spoons). No nightstand (I used a kitchen chair)
4. Needs a motion-detector light to the entry of the unit. It's pitch black to the back of the house and you go down several steps to the door. I tried keeping the porch light to the unit on, but it kept getting turned off and putting the key in the lock had to be done by touch. Host told me to use the light on my phone, but when I was coming home at midnight with my arms full of bags, juggling all that was not easy. Just have a light that will stay on for safety.
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The rest is just "good to know" information, which may not bother some but I realized was not good for me.
1. The apartment is very much a daylight basement - so if you choose to have the window shades up, people will be right out your window at street level. There are nice blinds that let light through if you keep them closed.
2. The host is not the owner of the house, it appears some type of corporation (Loftium, you can search for them to see their business model) owns the house or another third party.
Which may have explained why another person living in the home (it's a set of roommates) seemed disinterested when I arrived for check-in and needed help with the lock. (The keypad wasn't working so needed to use a different lock box). The host himself did come right away to help me get in.
3. There is no lock on the inside of the unit so (in theory) people can come down to the unit from the inside stairs to the home or the laundry room. There was no problem at all when I was there, but it was a strange feeling and I didn't like it.
I hate writing such a long, semi-negative review because I think the host means well, but I think this unit could really be a great place if some of these basic things were put in place. I "only" paid $140 per night but I see it listed for upwards of $280/night, so it's not cheap.