Manchester Airport Stanley Hotel by Belvilla

We needed somewhere for an emergency night after landing late at the airport, and it did the job. The room was clean, the bed comfortable enough, and the TV worked. It was a standard no-frills room, just as advertised. There wasn’t a spoon for making a drink, but that wasn’t a big deal. The lift was out of order, which was awkward since we were on the fourth floor. Staff were friendly and helpful, though, and when we had a car park issue in the morning, the receptionist said she’d sort it out. All in all, it worked for what we needed.

No complaints from me. The staff were really friendly, the room was clean, and the food was good. It’s close to the airport and the best-priced hotel around. They’re renovating at the moment, so some facilities aren’t available.

The hotel was in poor condition, and the stay was extremely disappointing. The corridors were dirty, with crumbs, discarded cups and stains on the floors. During our first 24 hours, we were shown six rooms, all in similarly bad shape. They had mould, no heating and lacked basic items like shower curtains. Some were dim because bulbs were missing or not working. Every room felt draughty, as if the windows weren’t sealed properly, and the walls had visible water stains from leaks. We also found the strong smell of weed in the corridors and stairwells very uncomfortable. It seemed guests were being allowed to smoke drugs on the property. Noise from the car park and people shouting in the corridors between 2:00 am and 3:30 am made it hard to rest. Customer service was another problem. Calls went to an overseas call centre, where communication was very poor and staff often avoided speaking English. The hotel didn’t meet even basic standards or provide a comfortable or acceptable stay. Booking reference number: 5952967873. The case was reported to booking.com. The owner replied that the message seemed incomplete and asked for a specific review or context to analyze using the ReAct framework. I replied that the review and comments already detailed the shortcomings.

The shower was barely usable: water ran for about five seconds, then stopped for ten, so I had to wait around for it to start again. There wasn’t even toilet paper in the bathroom. Since I was travelling alone and there was no phone in the room, I had to go down to reception for basic supplies. My top-floor room was freezing, and the radiators didn’t work. When I told the staff, they just asked if I’d tried turning the knob, without coming to check. I spent the night in a cold room. There were no elevators either, so I had to carry all my heavy luggage up several flights of stairs. The phone number provided connected to a generic customer care line with no actual link to the hotel. With no room phone, I had to walk all the way downstairs whenever I needed to speak with someone. I’ve stayed in countless hotels across several countries, and without hesitation this was the worst experience of my life. I’d recommend everyone stay away.