The Spires Serviced Apartments Birmingham

The location is good and the price was low compared with other apartments, but I’d only consider staying here briefly. It felt more like a 2-star place than a 4-star one. The reception looked so chaotic we wondered if we’d entered the wrong building. The rooms looked clean, but didn’t smell as if they’d had a deep clean in a long time. The stained hob needed scrubbing, the furniture was worn and outdated, the sockets looked ancient, and the walls and carpets were marked. The bed and sofa were uncomfortable, a door handle casing was coming loose, and my room door wouldn’t close properly. The lounge patio door had been left open, so the apartment was freezing when we arrived. Construction in the inner courtyard meant the view was basically a worksite, and the early morning work was disruptive. It could be a little gem with some care and attention to detail. I only stayed one night and didn’t take photos, but pictures in other reviews accurately show what it’s like.

The location is great, but our apartment, number 123, looked nothing like the online pictures and was nowhere near a 4-star standard, more like two or maybe three. We paid over £100 for one night and won’t stay with this company again. There was hair on the beds and in the bathroom, blood on the sheets, stained carpets, brown marks on the walls by the toilet, and scratches on the walls and plug. Some bathroom photos showed hair and what looked like human bogeys. The heaters were marked, the kitchen hob was cracked and filthy looking, and there were chips in both the kitchen and bathroom surfaces. The switches looked very old and overdue for renovation. The freezer was so iced up we couldn’t shut its door, and the milk sachets were out of date. We had a 20 month old baby, and one plug was coming out of the wall, which felt unsafe. The head office gave us a key to another apartment because nobody was staffing reception over the weekend. We had to fetch a bedsheet from another apartment to cover the bloodstained one, since they had no other two bedroom places for us to move into. The smaller apartment didn’t seem much better. The manager apologised when I saw him the next morning, but acted as though he knew nothing about the issues, despite other guests reporting similar problems. That suggests there’s no regular audit and poor management, or that the problems are being ignored. A 20% discount didn’t make up for a stay that was unsafe for our baby and completely unlike the listing. We’ll report this to whoever gave them their 4-star rating so the apartments can be reviewed. I don’t want anyone else to go through this. I noticed reviews from a year ago described similar issues, and the manager had apparently said they’d been fixed. The place even says on Google that it offers clean apartments. Please read this before booking.

We got a great price for the bank holiday weekend, right in central Birmingham and under a 10 minute walk from grand central station. The place was so clean that we took our shoes off and walked around in white socks, which stayed white underneath. There was loads of space for clothes, plus a toilet and a bathroom with hand wash and shower gel provided. Reception was closed when we arrived, but the instructions for getting our key and finding the room were very clear. The only thing that concerned us was the shower and tap water. It stayed very cold for a while, then got scalding hot quite quickly. We had to use the cold setting to get a comfortable shower, so it’s best to keep an eye on kids and husbands while they’re using it.

The city centre views from the balconies were lovely, and the en-suite bathroom was a welcome extra when travelling as a family. Having that second bathroom saved us time in the morning. The apartment was tidy and very clean, and everything promised met our expectations. Staff were friendly and helpful. It’s so much nicer than a hotel room and fantastic value for the price. I couldn’t find anything cheaper, and I’ve already arranged to stay again on our next trip. Go direct to The Spires Ltd for an even lower price.