As a frequent VRBO’er I can say I’ve been overall very pleased with all the properties we’ve stayed over the years. An aspect of staying in a VRBO that we’ve enjoyed is entering a property that is clean and prepared for guests to begin their stay with out having to scramble for basic amenities such as hand soap, paper towels, toliet tissue and typically coffee to start your stay at the very least.
Upon entering the property, we found the house to be nicely updated and decorated.
However, the house was not ready for guests. In the “41 Basic Amenities” listed in the property description, we found a roll of paper towels with only a few sheets left and no back-up, only a single roll of back up toilet paper for four guests. There was not a drop of hand soap in the house at either of the bathroom sinks or the kitchen sink. Hotel sized shampoo and conditioner were in each bathroom but were the leftovers from the previous guests and had been opened. There were several bars of previously used soap left in the window of the guest bathroom.
We were also surprised to find that coffee was not available for either the Keurig coffee brewer or the Ninja coffee pot. However, we did find heavy green mold growing in the filter basket of the Ninja pot and had to thoroughly clean the pot prior to using. (by the way the coffee pot takes 40 minutes to brew 10 cups so bring your own K cups prior to arriving)
Another concern that we were not aware of until later in our stay was that it appears that the dish soap never activated in the dishwasher from the prior wash cycle which means the dishes may not have been properly washed. We had to go back and rewash glasses, cups and plates prior to using.
We also found a duffel bag from a previous guest under the bed as well. This tends to show the lack of proper preparation and cleaning. There is a cleaning fee that is charged for the stay but does not appear to be effectively utilized in preparation of the house for incoming guests.
One additional note, the sliding “Barn Door” in the primary bedroom does not stay shut as it slides back open after closing.
To his credit the owner was very interested in receiving feedback upon our arrival. We did notify the owner of these things and he did offer to send someone to replenish but we had already taken care of most of the housekeeping issues and offered an apology for the mold in the coffee pot.
I sincerely hope that our feedback useful to him and to future guests at the home.