When we arrived we had to call a number to gain access a key safe code then the keys were in there once in the room was nice but small and the wife found a condom wrapper when returning after going out for a meal there were groups of lads on each corner and by the stairwell, having booked and paid for three night but didn't feel we could have stayed any longer so decided to go to another hotel.
This is an awful, awful property and the 'service' non-existent. I arrived at 7pm and was let in by another guest. I called the owner who told me that someone would be in touch within the next 15 minutes to arrange the delivery of my room key. I had to go to a party so left expecting a phone call. 50 unanswered calls from me later (it was by now 11.30pm) and I finally got a text from the owner telling me that they couldn't get the key to me but "thanks for my booking". Inside of the property was disgusting. Dirty, completely unhygienic, gloomy colours on the walls. There was only one poky little toilet in the most disgusting state. The property itself is located in a very shady area. I felt totally unsafe and while incredibly frustrated by their appalling service, my health & welfare feel relieved that I didn't have to actually sleep in such a HELL HOLE.
Pros:
The location was fine and convenient - probably not the safest part of town, but it's "artsy" and up and coming. I booked a single, but since there was a vacancy I was given a double, which was nice of the staff. The rooms, bathroom, kitchen were spotless - it's the 20 pound cleaning fee at work.
Cons:
At 3am, guests (most likely drunk) couldn't figure out how to get the keys out of the lockbox. They proceeded to scream and yell through the door for over 1.5 hours until one of them managed to card through the front door. They then proceeded to knock and wake up everyone - then proceeded to break into the empty room using a large kitchen knife. Because I didn't know if it was an expected house guest or criminal - the experience was terrifying and I locked myself in the room. Contacted the host and received no response.
Very poor place.
We've been kept waiting in the street for over an hour. The receptionist was unfriendly. A maid came to show us to our room. She was on the phone all the time them made us wait some more until the room was cleaned. We checked in at 4 pm.
The room is small but tidy. No curtains nor tv. Thin walls. We got woken up one night for people who live there might loose their key the shout for someone!?
The bathroom is a shame. Just like the neighbourhood. Stupid meaningless quotes on the walls don't help keeping your cool.
I could go all day....
The price is a lie - 20 GBP cleaning fee makes short stay a lot more expensive and we could have found much better place to stay if we noticed it earlier. Although the room itself was quite clean, the outside (the shared space of the block of flats) was extremely dirty and smelled of feces. The neighbourhood feels very unsafe, especially in the evening. The staff was extremely unpleasant - we never met them, just talked on the phone. The "check-in" meant calling them so that they could give us a code for an outside box where the keys were stored. Approximately half of the payment was required upfront and half when we came. I don't generally use cell & internet on vacation, so on the 2nd day I found 2 e-mails with the PayPal payment link, 1 missed call and 1 sms saying we would have to leave the room if we don't pay immediately. I have never met with such horrible attitude from an accommodation provider.
On top of everything, there is no privacy and a lot of loud noises (most of the equipment squeaks and is broken - lock on the toilet door, the floor...). The room is full of light whenever someone comes in during the night (there are windows without curtains above the door to the hallway) and street lights cannot be dimmed due to see-through curtains. The cheesy quotes on the walls everywhere just add to the bad atmosphere. Very very bad experience.