The space itself is great, but unfortunately, our experience with the host, Nabil, was deeply unpleasant and unprofessional.
Before booking, he told us we’d need to pay not only the hourly rate but also compensate him for lost revenue from canceling his gym classes. This would have been understandable if it had been disclosed on the listing, but it wasn’t. After I thanked him and changed my mind due to the surprise fee, he backtracked and said he’d honor the listed rate, so I went ahead and booked the space.
No one from the property was present during our shoot. We were given a key and locked up promptly before the agreed 4:00 PM cutoff. Our assistant director did a final walkthrough and took timestamped photos of each room, per our usual protocol.
Shortly afterward, Nabil falsely claimed we stayed until 4:50 PM and owed another hour. He then accused us of breaking his music player (we didn't use music, as the shoot involved dialogue) and said we forced open a broken door, which we did not (side note: only one door of the double door entrance opens, which will lengthen your load/unloading time). He alleged that his cameras captured these things but refused to provide any proof when asked—despite multiple requests for specific descriptions or footage.
He had also told us earlier that another production “screwed him,” which in hindsight seems to be a common theme with him. We reported the situation to Giggster and encouraged them to review our message history. Nabil was unable to provide them with any evidence either.
While I rarely leave negative reviews, I felt it was important to warn future productions. If you do rent this space (again, it's a fantastic location) make sure to document absolutely everything.
