Based on the house rules, instructions, punitive fees for violating late checkout and other concerns ($100 each hour beyond checkout, charging for another night’s stay, $250-$750 noise complaint charges, and next guest rehoming and hotel fees, etc. disclosed within the details of the listing) around care of the property, we were surprised by the lack of cleanliness of the apartment as well as the state it was in.
Billed as a designer home but is actually a tired spartan budget one bedroom apartment set up with cheap albeit cute furniture, cheap appliances, cheap but nice looking cabinetry, cheap fixtures, cheap amenities, with atypically punitive rules and in need of a thorough deep cleaning. This rental is perfectly adequate but if you select this place, you should know what you are getting.
I paid a premium for Thanksgiving night (similar to a 5-star hotel in NY, Chicago and Paris) to be near my children for the holiday. If it had cost 1/2 to 1/3, the inadequacies would not have disappeared but would be definitely less overwhelming. I did share all of these items with the managing corporation along with pictures and they responded with a “thank you, we’ll share this with the team.”
Here is the list:
CLEANLINESS
Not filthy but hard to believe it gets cleaned after each guest’s stay—dust and grime accumulation
BATH
Bathroom sink drain plug nonfunctional. This should be a simple fix.
Handles on sink and toilet all loose.
Tub doesn’t drain.
Toothpaste and other products on front of cabinets from many previous users.
BEDROOM
Bedroom rug curled up between the bed and closet—we tripped on it repeatedly. We suggested to the managing service taping it down, removing or replacing it.
Slatted night stands—items placed on surface fell through to the ground. I had to crawl around the table and bed to retrieve a family ring among the dust bunnies. Can be fixed with a mat.
It is noisy making for a less restful sleep but this can’t be helped much due to the location. They do provide ear plugs by the bed and the window drapes are heavy.
KITCHEN
No microwave.
Missing knives.
Ice machine in freezer does not work. Providing ice trays would fix this.
Cabinetry was unfinished and oven drawer falls down whenever you open it.
A wooden spoon in the kitchen would have been great.
DINING ROOM
Recommend place mats to protect glass tables.
Napkins would have been nice.
No wine glasses or juice glasses which has pointed out in previous reviews but management hasn’t done anything about this.
No bowls.
Dining chairs surprisingly very tippy to point of being hazardous—injury waiting to happen. This was also mentioned in another review.
DECK
Exposed nails on wall of roof deck. Discarded cigarette butts, marijuana joints in warped table and in corners of roof deck. No big deal but given all the rules against smoking, surprising.
BBQ is moldy and rusted—very gross and unusable.
Cheap plastic furniture is in poor condition but can be remedied if you use a towel before sitting on/using them.
PARKING
On a busy and popular street, it would be nice to have the area in front be dedicated to the apartment for parking. Had to haul all of our things for a block at night on poorly lit streets.
INSTRUCTIONS
No printed instructions or helpful guides in the rental. Had to access all information (property address, entry code, WiFi, instructions) through their corporate online portal provided only 24 hours in advance using a reservation number. And you get kicked off/timed out so have to go through the process each time to get on again. This was challenging to access, requiring swapping between multiple screens and trying to copy codes on a string of text all on the phone and while traveling.
POSITIVES
Comfortable bed
Clean bed linens
Fluffy towels
Hangers in closet
Wooden slats and heavy curtains on bedroom window
Stylish aesthetic
Bamboo flooring
Popular area of town with restaurants, bars and coffee shops nearby.