One Uptown Residence

We booked through AirBnb, and check-in was quick. You can check in any time, day or night. One Uptown Residence connects directly to Uptown Mall, just a few steps away, so there's no need to go outside to get there. The area around the building is great, quiet enough to sleep or work, and the workers are friendly. There's security around the clock too. We had a great stay in one of the units.

Short-term rentals and Airbnb stays make the common areas feel noisier and less secure. Strangers often wander the halls looking for their rooms, and at 1-3 a.m. people come back with rolling suitcases and talk loudly in corridors and elevators. The elevator ride is another problem, especially from floors 25 and up. There are three lifts, but usually only two work, and they're very slow. The cabins have no air-conditioning, so with about 5-7 people inside they get hot and stuffy fast. I often feel short of breath before we reach the lobby, and the poor ventilation makes me worry about being stuck in there. Construction noise has gone on day after day, starting in the morning, with loud drilling and grinding that doesn't let up. These problems have been around for a long time and haven't been fixed, in my experience. I wish someone had told me before I moved in. Think carefully before signing a lease here.

Residents spend ages waiting for a lift, whether they're trying to get in or out. On the lower floors, just one of the three elevators works. On the upper floors, only two are working. This has been going on for years, and the admin isn't doing anything about it. I wonder how the building passes the local government's annual safety audit. It needs a surprise inspection.

I stayed here for a month for work, and it was the worst experience I've had in the Philippines. Two of the three elevators were broken, so the lines seemed endless. The staff acted like they didn't want guests around. Their rules felt completely ridiculous and only made the stay unpleasant. Nobody seemed willing to help or understand a problem, and there was no one I could talk to who might listen. The answer was always just 'no'. I wouldn't recommend this place.