Name: The Cambridge Karma House
Address: 17 Banks Street St, Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridge, 02138, United States of America
Rating: 6

Smoke-free property

Garden

Terrace

Express check-in

No elevators

General

Laundry

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Picnic area

Recreation

Pets allowed

Pets

Location

At the apartment

Lechmere

Alewife

Oberon

Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre

W.E.B. Du Bois Residence

John Harvard Statue

Massachusetts Hall

Wheeler Park

The Alchemist

John F. Kennedy Park

Brattle Theatre

Harvard Science Center

Fenway Park

Museum of Science

Boston Public Library

Boston Symphony Hall

Boston Museum of Fine Arts

Copley Square

Trinity Church Boston

Boston Common

Massachusetts State House

Bunker Hill Monument

Orpheum Theater

Boston National Historical Park

Old State House

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

New England Aquarium

Boston Tea Party Ship

Boston Children's Museum

Boston Convention and Exhibition Center

Logan International Airport

Hanscom Field Airport

Norwood Memorial Airport

The Cambridge Karma House

Cambridge

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

I am sorry I did not take the reviews into account when booking this property. The house is falling apart, very run down. Even though the cleaner made a huge effort to clean, it is actually not clean-able.Not sure how come this is listed on hotels.com

Not a good experience

excellent location close to harvard square. the building is not in the best of shape but is more than sufficient for comfort. all the amenities are in excellent condition and i found the apartment very functional and well suited to my needs. arrival and checking in was very smooth and well managed.

This place is run by, at best, flakes, at worst, criminals.  I reserved a room months in advance for my vacation.  I called 5 days in advance to confirm - they never called me, and they were difficult to get a hold of.  After some work, I got in touch with the "manager," who sounded like an irresponsible kid.  He said that I was indeed confirmed, he took my cell phone number and confirmed my e-mail address.  He said that I'd receive an e-mail closer to the date with check in information, including a code I'd need, as there is no front desk.  I still hadn't received an e-mail by the day before my arrival date. I called and was told that my reservation had been cancelled. No reason, it had just been cancelled.  My pleas to them, explaining that I was not notified, there was no reason given for the cancellation, and I there were no hotel rooms left in Cambridge, were essentially ignored.

Please, for your own sake, do NOT risk working with these people.  It isn't worth the potential catastrophe.  It isn't worth the few dollars you MIGHT save to have your entire trip ruined.  What they did was nothing short of criminal.

Ruined vacation

It's convenient to Harvard Square and the T.  There is no AC, which shouldn't be a problem in most, but not all months.  But--Two days before my scheduled check-in, they sent me a message saying the space I had reserved months earlier was not available and my reservation was cancelled.  I had plane fare and a commitment to be in Cambridge.  WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A RESERVATION?   Phone conversations with Expedia, totaling some 3 hours over two days, resulted in something being worked out with the property.  The owner told Expedia those in the apt. I had reserved had extended their stay.  CAN YOU LET SOMEONE EXTEND STAY IN A SPACE THAT'S BEEN RESERVED?   The owner communicated to me that my reservation had been cancelled because the credit card I gave Expedia didn't work.  It had worked for the airline, however.   This was after he was renting us a space.   The number he had was off by one digit from that which I gave Expedia.  So maybe there was a typo, but THIS WAS A DIFFERENT story from the original communication.  Also,  if a card doesn't work, DO YOU SUMMARILY CANCEL SOMEONE'S RESERVATION AT THE LAST MINUTE WITHOUT EXPLANATION  OR DO YOU ASK FOR ANOTHER CARD?   It's always been the latter in my experience.

Location was good. Cambridge is an expensive place to stay. This is more of a VRBO type of set up than a hotel.

Know what it is before you arrive

The property manager is easy to get in touch with and responds very quickly. I had some questions and they were answered politely and professionally.The apartment is clean and conveniently located and is a good price for the value.  This is not a new place so if you are someone who needs a modern place or a slick-looking hotel room  --this is not for you.  However, if you want affordable accommodations in an older building with a living room, bedroom, and kitchen all to your own -- this is the place !   I stayed here while participating in the Boston marathon for the second time and it was again a great experience.  I loved being able to relax and watch TV and then have my own cup of coffee in a cute little kitchen.  It was perfect.If you are driving - Cambridge has resident parking everywhere and your own options are meters or a lot 1/4 mile away.  No need for a car here, it's completely walkable with public transportation around the corner.

Convenient location near Harvard

We had a comfortable stay over the weekend but it needed a little sprucing up. Under the bed it was filthy - hadn't been swept there for weeks which is a little off putting.... but generally a pleasant experience.Thank you

Great place and location...but a little dirty

Convenient location yet it does not look like a place for tourists to stay but just a house.  It's also hard to find at night because it does not have a sign or anything like that.

The room is spacious -- three rooms plus bath. Location can't be beat. The  flat is very much "grad student" in quality, but for the price and the location it can't be beat.

Excellent price and location

It was the weekend of the Head of the Charles and the hotels in Harvard Sq I usually stay at when visiting my son were asking a king's ransom for a room.  Then I discovered Karma House!  Very moderate price for a 3-room apartment!  I wish I had known about it three years ago when my son was a freshman.  It's a little rough around the edges, but clean and the staff is friendly.  Great location for all I was doing in Cambridge that visit.  As there is no check-in desk, I had to wait till the day of check-in to get an email with check-in instructions.  This was difficult for someone like me who likes to plan ahead. I had tried to call, and sent a message via Expedia.  Unfortunately, my phone wasn't set up for voicemail when the property manager called back, but Karma House did try to reach me.  I just wasn't prepared to answer a call from a strange number located in NJ.

The Cambridge Karma House

Main amenities of the apartment

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the apartment

What other amenities are there?

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Paid on the spot

Payment