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Connecting Right

We stayed in an Airbnb recently that stood out for the level of attention paid to the needs of a traveler. The place was in the middle of an ancient town. The exterior was still historical but inside was completely modern. This was a smart and connected apartment where everything could be controlled by an universal remote. At first blush it seemed excessive to have everything remote controlled but with a couple of hours of settling in, it started to make sense. If you had a question about how anything worked, there was only one answer - the remote had a button for it. The blinds, the appliances, the bathroom, the garage - everything managed the same way. F, the owner of the place is a young geek who inherited some prime real-estate from his grandparents and decided to turn that into a source of income. He did a job the grandparents would be proud of - the old world charm remained intact while making the living area very usable and comfortable. 

We extended our stay because the place had such a cozy vibe and was a perfect stop to rest and recharge on a road-trip. I am no fan of smart and connected anything and would never implement this in my home. But this was a situation where it made perfect sense. You rent your place to a revolving door of strangers and want them all to be comfortable, know how to make things work in your house. F had done this exactly right. Living in the quaint part of town is usually an experience once has to develop a taste for. Nothing works like it is supposed to, there are many tips and tricks you need to learn to do the simplest things - like open and closing a faucet in the bathroom without flooding the house. Describing all of that to a guest who will live there for a night can get quite arduous. We are generally up for such adventures but F really combined the best of both worlds in a way I have rarely seen.

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