a&o Manchester City Centre

The staff were kind and helpful, and the location is the hotel's strongest point. My room was okay, but it felt stripped back to just a bed, desk and chair. The breakfast had some hot and cold options, though the fruit was only apples and I would've liked more variety and better egg choices. You can also see the hotel is in the middle of combining two hotels under a new company. My stay wasn't bad, but I wouldn't return.

The location is handy, with public transport close by and lots within walking distance, but my stay in House 2 left me disappointed. The room on the 4th floor looked clean and tidy, and the small bathroom wasn't a big deal. Still, it was hard to sleep because the AC wouldn't cool. It didn't respond below 30C, and when I tried a lower setting it stopped blowing altogether. The TV was almost impossible to use. It took far too many clicks to respond, stayed on one radio channel, and couldn't be changed. The HDMI ports weren't accessible either, so I couldn't connect my laptop. WiFi worked for two days, then stopped when the captive portal wouldn't open for me to enter the membership code. House 2 felt neglected, too. Its entrance was empty apart from barriers, while reception and the bar were in House 1. The elevators were tiny, noisy and slow, and the place felt abandoned and uncomfortable before I even got to them. This was my first stay in the A&O network, and the most disappointing hotel experience I've had anywhere so far. House 1 might be better, but I can't recommend House 2. I hope management fixes these issues, because the location deserves better.

The city centre location is great, and the rooms were comfortable, if pretty standard. But the staff service was terrible. They seemed not to care about the guest experience. I've stayed at other Manchester hotels and hostels with much friendlier, more accommodating staff. There are plenty of city centre choices, so I wouldn't recommend this place even though the rooms are decent.

The location is the only good thing here. The receptionist was rude when I found out not everyone has ID. Not everybody drives or has travelled out of the country. The ID requirement should be made clearer on the website or booking.com. You could be refused check-in even after paying, and there's no guaranteed refund.