&gt; <i>We later came to recognize the cold, commercial experience offered by this host and others of his ilk, with multiple listings of impersonally furnished places and a willingness to let non-reviewed guests stay, was something we wished to avoid.</i><p>I&#x27;m not sure what would constitute a warm and personal experience. They want to have the place all to themselves, but are put off by ... what exactly? A lack family photos? Or more &quot;morbid&quot; art that they also ended up hating?<p>&gt; <i>Our rear-facing prewar one-bedroom, where the couch sagged and the shower was in the kitchen, was as silent as a padded cell. Here, the heat blasted unbidden, from which we escaped by opening the windows to winter’s coldest month. That first night, on the way to the corner store to get some food, we dodged mice scurrying between bags of trash. Back in the kitchen, Elaine fired up the stove by the bath towels, but when the pasta from the corner store hit the boiling water, a few little worms floated to the top. I skipped dinner that night.</i><p>This adds color to their story, but doesn&#x27;t say much about AirBNB - opening the windows to deal with winter heat and seeing rodents in the street is pretty standard for New York. What <i>isn&#x27;t</i> standard is having an apartment that&#x27;s &quot;silent as a padded cell&quot; - as far as I&#x27;m concerned, that should be listed as an amenity.