X1 Humble Abode

After telephoning the host 20 minutes before we were due at the property (as requested), we were met at the property (apartment in a block) by a very polite and helpful gentleman who took us into the building and up to the apartment via the lift. He then showed us how to operate the hot water system and access the wifi (hub is in the first cupboard on the left). I telephoned him 30 minutes before we were due to leave and he came to the apartment to collect the keys. After reading some of the previous reviews, we were very pleasantly surprised by the accommodation. The apartment was very clean and spacious. There was a smart TV and the broadband speed was excellent. The two double beds were extremely comfortable and there was ample storage space. The kitchen was well-equipped, and part of an open plan kitchen/lounge. One bedroom had an en-suite with shower, and the main bathroom had a shower/bath. The view from the 8th floor was very good, looking out towards and beyond North Manchester. There is a Sainsburys Local store on the ground floor of the apartment block, and the Lowry Retail Outlet is a 3-minute walk. There is a tram stop immediately outside the main entrance, and a multi-storey car park 2 minutes away.

The only slight criticism was that after telephoning the host 20 minutes before our arrival time, we had to wait a further 20 minutes for the host to arrive with the key.

spacious

The worst bed ive ever slept in. Flashing smoke alarm, small duvet and cold

Location was good

Did not get access to the apartment had to contact booking.com which seriously affected our plans and to be honest ruined the trip

Decor needed updating. For that price I would expect the bedding to ironed and not crumpled out of the drier. Previous occupant toiletries not cleared, bed broken.

Nothing to like.

No instructions for how to access the property. I arrived and the residents of the block told me that sub-lets through air B&B and booking.com was forbidden in the block and I sensed some hostility around this. No one was there to meet me or had told me what to do on arrival, the owners phone was switched off, leaving me alone in a strange city on the street at 11pm at night. No one ever thought to contact me to say their phone had broken and give me an alternative contact method. I called booking.com and they couldn't reach the owners either, by phone or email. Eventually I thought to try the portal chat and that is when the person finally responded. I had been given no instructions in advance that the booking.com portal chat was the communication method to use on arrival, all I had been given was a mobile number. Eventually after an hour since I arrived a man came, saying nothing and took me to the apartment. By then it all felt a bit cavalier and I didn't feel safe so I declined to stay or enter and left immediately. Owner refused a refund and was quite rude in her written correspondence to me. She seemed more concerned that she had turned down a more lucrative booking because of my one night, than about the fact that her poor management had left a lone female on the street in the dark in a strange city (in quite a deserted area).

The location was good in Media City, Tram link excellent.

The owners phone was off every time I called. There was damage to both toilets, a hole in the wall, and an unhealthy stained sofa that I refused to sit on.

- Location

- Even though it was clean, was closer to a squat or a student dig: No hot water, no toilet paper, stained sofa with torn up upholstery, foot size hole through a wall, destroyed TV remote, busted toilet cover, etc..etc