District Living

The building made a great impression, with a new gym, tidy shared spaces, and spectacular views. My stay also ended smoothly: check-in and check-out were clear and simple, and I got my full deposit back without trouble. Andrea Giorgi, the leasing agent, was always available and very helpful whenever I needed anything. I’ve used several short-term apartments over the past few years, but this one stood out. I’d highly recommend it to students or expats coming to Vienna for work.

We arrived at night, when only a guard was working reception. He was kind, and when I asked about amenities he gave me soap and a dish sponge, saying I should ask again the next day when a receptionist was there. The next day, a receptionist, an Asian girl, said they didn’t have salt, pepper, coffee, or tea, and that I could get them tomorrow. When I asked another receptionist today, a guy with glasses, for those things, he said I should have asked at check-in. I explained what had happened, but he repeated the same thing. It’s a shame, because the facilities are good but the service isn’t. I also asked for the room to be cleaned tomorrow and hope they do a good job.

The room was filthy, with dust everywhere and hair on the bathroom floor. The sewage smell hit as soon as I opened the bathroom door, and the windows wouldn’t open to air it out. If they did open, it would have been freezing in winter anyway. There was no heating at all. When I asked about it, I was told to use more blankets, so I had to sleep in layers of clothes to stay warm. Honestly, this was one of the worst places I’ve stayed. It was gross, and I would have been better off sleeping in my car.

I’ve been here for a month, and I wouldn’t recommend it for a long stay. The location is expensive for what you get, and there are extra charges: €1,500 to activate the alarm, €100 for disposing of trash incorrectly, a fee if rent is late, and extra charges for pillows and blankets because rooms don’t include them. The room had leftover dirt in the shower and toilet on my first day. There’s a terrible smell in the toilet, and the water isn’t clean, so you basically need to buy bottled water. There’s no oven, and the windows don’t open, which means no fresh air, lingering cooking smells, and a suffocating feeling when you’re sick. The windows also get dirty and you can’t see outside clearly. WiFi is constantly having problems, often with no connection. Elevators take ages, and there’s no way to use the stairs. The receptionists aren’t friendly, and reaching out feels like you’re disturbing them. On my first day they couldn’t issue my key properly, so I had to go up and down four times. They gave me no guidance for registering my address. I only found out at the registration office that I needed a receptionist’s signature.