Hi Damiya,
Thank you for taking the time to review my property. This property only started to rent in July, and the 3-4 months prior to that were used to update it with new beds, mattresses, carpeting, furniture, linens, towels and glassware, and granite countertops in the kitchen. I feel I have to respond to you since I believe that several of your statements may be misleading to other potential guests.
First, I am sorry that the apartment had an odor when you arrived. However, given that the unit was professionally cleaned 8 times in July, including in the hours right before your arrival, I expect that what you were smelling was actually the remnants of the cleaning agents we use. We use a hospital grade disinfecting solution which does not have the best smell, but is quite effective against viruses and microbes. The odor dissipates quickly, but maybe not quickly enough on your arrival day, sorry. I stayed at the property 7-17 to 7-20, the week before you, and everything smelled fine.
Regarding the towels, there are multiple sets in the apartment's storage area, and we rotate through them. All of these were purchased new in batches on June 30 and July 18, shortly before your arrival. Therefore, it is quite possible that you were the first one to ever use your set. We did not think to launder them before starting to use them, so what you experienced was likely the smell of the "finishing" which is applied after the fabric is dyed. I apologize for not remembering to launder the towels before starting to use them. The apartment is and has always been smoke-free, btw.
You are correct that the grout on the tiled kitchen floor is black. I'm sorry you disagree with the builder's color choice. The building was erected at a time when black appliances were also popular. The floor was cleaned and mopped right before your arrival.
The carpet is new, installed in March, and is not dirty. However I noticed when I was there that it has already been targeted with a red wine stain, which everyone knows takes several treatments to eliminate.
I worked on it once during my stay.
Finally, you mention the "vents" looking dirty and you are correct. You were looking at the "returns" which move air from the interior back to the air handler, and they accumulate fine particulates from the air including silicates from our breezy beaches, cooking oils wafting from the kitchen and smoke from the occasional burnt toast. I had already made the decision to refurbish or replace them and that work was either done on 8/11 or will be done on 8/14, tomorrow, whichever was best for the contractor's schedule.
Thanks for staying and I'm glad you did give positive remarks for the things you liked and enjoyed. I should mention that the reason you did not receive check-out instructions is because I don't have any. A lot of owners basically ask renters to clean their place before they leave, and issue a checklist of instructions for that. My philosophy is that you're on vacation, and should not have to worry about such things. Owing to your comment, I've updated my check-in instructions just to let people know that there aren't any check-out instructions.
Kindly,
Rich