The Place Apartment Hotel, Manchester > Reviews > Should Be Called "The Palace" aparthotel

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Good
Quality of Rooms	Good
Standard of Service	Good
Quality of Facilities	Average

Advantages:	Gorgeous hotel, not too close to the centre so you dont get the noise
Disadvantages:	the very slow lift

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The Decision
My partner and myself decided to make this trip to Manchester a special one. To be honest (like most couples) we have very little quality time together. So the search for a great hotel started. Every hotel was starting to look very similar to the next, until we stumbled upon "The Place Aparthotel". It offered a different concept in hotel stays, as what you actually stayed in were apartments instead of tiny hotel rooms. The fact that it was a converted warehouse made it even more appealing. So with more of our own space to enjoy we went for it.

The Arrival
It took us about two hours to get to our chosen hotel. Due to the wonders of satellite navigation it directed us nicely in the vicinity of The Place Aparthotel. Then the problems of the sat nav came in, for those of you who aren't aware of how these systems operate the majority of them do not take into account one-way systems.. and to make matters worse for the last part of the journey there were roadwork's around the hotel. Arrgh! So with great skill from my boyfriend he devised a cunning route to the hotel by ignoring the sat nav and using his inner bloke direction experience, and soon enough we began to see signs directing us with the hotel name on. As soon as we reached the outside of the building we saw a NCP car park to the
right of it… at the brilliant price of £6 per 24 hours

Public Areas
The reception area was ok nothing special. Just what you would expect from a 4* hotel, a few sofas scattered about a bar area in the corner, although a bit on the small side I might add, which upon checkout was a problem as the area became very crammed and was a struggle to get past people. I have not had this problem before in other hotels. Check in was quick and easy, and most unusually we were given a key… a proper key, not one of these plastic cards or fobs that you swipe at the door.
The strange thing was that we had to go down 3 steps to get to the lift… it looked like it hadn't been planned properly as there was a cut in the wall so you could press the button. Now you better be used to waiting if you come to this hotel because it takes forever (and I mean forever) for the lift to actually start moving. When you do get to the floor of your choice it takes a few extra minutes to decide whether to open the doors or not, (they always open eventually just in case you were wondering). Once you step out of the lift waiting area you walk into this amazing atrium 7 stories high (to co-inside with the number of floors) with steel columns glass balconies palm trees and fountains the centrepiece that helps create the uniqueness of the hotel.

The Apartment
The only other downside is that the lounge area faces onto the atrium so that means you get people walking past it who can look in… no different to living in a terrace house that goes strait onto the street with no net curtains. Because I like my privacy so much we had the blinds down in there all the time. The size of the apartment is quiet large and you could easily live there full time. You have a lounge diner, attached kitchen bedroom and bathroom. The main beauty of them is that they have vaulted brick ceilings that add real character to the place. In the bedroom you have a steal joist running through, again adding character, it is painted in a pale blue to compliment the cream walls. The kitchen is a proper kitchen has an oven a hob and a grill, a microwave and a fridge freezer. What more could you ask for? It's easy to control the temperature of the room with the heaters, as they can be set to either hot or cold depending on the season. The apartments are very modern in style and are finished to a high quality.

The Recommendation
I really would recommend this hotel to everyone, as its ideal for business travellers as you can have your own facilities and much more space. The place apart hotel would also be great for families as you can also stay in two bedroomed apartments, so parents can keep their privacy of a separate bedroom, and couples wanting to stay in something uniquely different to a standard hotel, well worth the 4* status.