Whitworth Locke, Civic Quarter

I went to Whitworth Locke for breakfast and the food was expertly cooked, tasty and high quality, with every item done just right. Rachael, Rose and Archie were fantastic. The front counter staff were polite, friendly and attentive, and together they made the place feel lovely through their service and friendly approach. Five stars for the excellent food and service. I’d highly recommend stopping in for a quality breakfast with wonderful people. I’ll definitely be back. Thank you to all the staff for making it such a great experience.

The reception man seemed genuinely sorry when I raised everything at checkout, and I appreciated the apology. Even so, the stay fell well below what I expected for the price, and I wouldn’t return. We were there for two nights in November at Whitworth Locke. The room was cold, dimly lit and noisy, with thin walls and constant street sounds. It wasn’t properly cleaned before we arrived, with dust throughout and visibly dirty kitchen utensils. The shower flooded every time, so I tried to soak up the water with towels that we had to use for the whole stay because housekeeping never came. We got no fresh towels, replacement toilet paper or anything else. The TV didn’t work on arrival. Maintenance spent about an hour trying to fix it while we were getting ready, which was inconvenient, and kept at it after we’d left the room. The WiFi didn’t work at all during our stay either, which was incredibly frustrating.

The building looks sleek and modern, but the stay felt closer to two stars than four. It seems set up to cut back on staff and charge extra for basic things. Rooms are cleaned just once a week, or you pay £40 for an earlier clean, and an extra hour at checkout costs £30. The bar’s “hair of the dog” sign promoting Bloody Marys after a heavy night also struck me as irresponsible. The shower was blocked when I arrived. Someone cleared it quickly after I reported it, but the water still drained so slowly that it pooled around me. There was no hot water early Saturday night, either. With the sink plug leaking, I used kettle-heated water for a cold shave, which isn’t what I’d expect from a hotel room. The TV kept losing its channel, too. Self check-in may sound easy, but here it made things feel more complicated and shifted more work onto the guest. If you want attentive service, this probably isn’t the place. The building looks good, but the service and extra charges let it down.

The lobby is beautiful, and the staff were wonderful. Along with the excellent location, those are the main reasons we’d consider returning. The building itself was great, too. We spent a full week there in November. The area outside got very noisy late at night, with rowdy partygoers. Inside the flat, the lighting was much too dim. The large, modern bath had no shower screen, so turning on the shower sent water across the rest of the bathroom.