The Number 11 by the Warren Collection

The bed was comfy enough, but the water pressure was terrible. We arrived to find the shower not working at all, and nobody came to check it. I ended up looking in the fuse box myself and found something had tripped before we got there. After 11am, it was impossible to find staff in person, and the phone number they gave us connected to people who weren't at the hotel and were quite useless. The room came with a fan but was still very hot, and felt even hotter because it was cramped. Even the “deluxe” room was quite small, and the two of us kept stepping over each other. Some staff were welcoming, though not all. Breakfast was prepackaged and very sparse. Both days there was only 1 yoghurt in the container, and staff replaced it with just 1 more once it was empty. That was odd. There are only 2 tables, so if other guests are eating, you have to wait. It's a very basic hotel with quite a few shortcomings, though it would do for a couple nights. I booked based on the positive reviews, but I couldn't find anything here worthy of 5 stars.

Good value for the price, and everything was clean and neat. The room is on the small side, though, and there’s no lift up to the third floor. If stairs are hard on your knees, ask for a lower floor.

The room was spacious, clean and comfortable, and the location was genuinely good. I liked the room itself, but the way the stay was handled left me feeling watched and unwelcome. I paid £237.78 for one night after using a coupon, so I expected a smoother experience. I probably won’t return, which is a shame given the room and location. Getting in was a problem from the start. The front door was locked and nobody was visible, so I rang the buzzer three or four times before someone answered. It seemed to ring through to someone outside the property, perhaps on a mobile. I was later told a door code should have been sent by WhatsApp before arrival, but I never got one. That missing message set the tone. At check-in, a staff member challenged me for arriving with my partner and a friend, saying she could physically see three people and that I’d need to pay £50 for the third. I’d phoned the hotel days earlier to confirm that only my partner and I would be staying. Our friend was only there to accompany us during check-in, had no luggage, and left with us right after. I explained that several times, but the staff member kept returning to the same accusation. It felt more like an interrogation than checking into a hotel, and the exchange was tense and humiliating. The process eventually finished, though it dragged on with unnecessary things like updating my email address even though I’d already provided it. The whole situation could have been avoided if the entry code had been sent in advance. I already felt uneasy after the confrontation, and then the same staff member came to our room almost as soon as we’d gone in to warn us not to make noise or smoke. Those rules are obvious, and there were signs and terms about them throughout the building. We hadn’t broken any rules or done anything to suggest we would. It felt intrusive and targeted. As a younger guest travelling with people my own age, I couldn’t help thinking I was being judged from the moment I arrived. I doubt I’d have been treated that way if I were older. We caused no trouble, yet I was made to feel unwelcome despite paying a lot to stay there. I’ve stayed at The Warren Belfast at a different location, Vagabonds and The Harrison nearby, and each time I was met with trust, professionalism and real hospitality. I never felt interrogated or monitored at those places. The shower also needs redesigning. There’s no raised edge on the floor, no door and no proper screen, so water goes everywhere. The accommodation itself wasn’t what ruined the stay, though. It was the disorganization and the staff encounter. After we got into the room, the staff member returned almost immediately to tell us not to smoke or make noise, even though we hadn’t done anything wrong. Number 11 may look the part, but I got suspicion and questioning instead of a welcome. For what I paid, that was unacceptable.

It’s a cute, clean place, but I couldn’t get comfortable. The mattress is completely worn, and the spare folded one they gave us for the floor was stained, which was disgusting. We also had no way to adjust the room temperature, so getting proper rest was difficult. There’s potential here, but the lack of basic comfort spoiled the stay.