A cut above the usual serviced apartments. Loads of space and up market decor and area. Very comfortable.
After staying in the Sapphire Suite for 29 days, our account of the apartment is very accurate.
I will start with the pros, although unfortunately there are not very many. The interior decoration is very well done, with fresh sheets and towels provided. The location is wonderful, lovely cafes, bars and restaurants and an easy walk into the city centre. The allocated parking spot makes arrival and departure a lot easier.
The booking was made 10 months in advance, thus many of the shortfalls could have been rectified if proper notice was given, as explained below. The feasibility of our party moving to alternative accommodation within such short notice, given the term we needed, was financially unviable.
This is not a luxury three bedroom apartment as advertised. It is a luxury two bedroom with an additional tiny, windowless box room. The ventilation and air quality is poor, and any fire-escape is redundant. Businesses still profiting from such setups are under huge scrutiny, due to air quality and health and safety issues. Had we known the “third luxury bedroom” was of this standard, we would have stayed elsewhere. I advise the host to make this apparent for future bookings.
A major-works notice was never issued to our party prior to arrival. This is in regards to the building work they are currently conducting in one of their lower apartments. This caused an incredible amount of discomfort and stress. An agreement was made between our party and the management for work to start no earlier than 10:00, which on some days was not adhered too.
Due to the stress it caused, with the relentless use of power tools and equipment, we were unable to enjoy the apartment during the day, and would endeavour to leave the premises as soon as the work started. The management handled this very poorly initially, giving a rather emotional response instead of handling the situation as an intermediary for us. We were promised that the remaining work was “just painting”, which of course was completely fabricated.
On several occasions the water to the apartment would be switched off, due to the ongoing building work. This would result in periods of no water and when finally switched back on, would cause the faucets to output a high pressure of water, covering the user and the surrounding area, very frustrating.
Due to our lengthy stay, one of the major assets of the apartment was the washing machine, still pictured on the Jewellery Quarter Suites website. We were informed a week before arrival that it had been switched to a dishwasher. The compromise given, was for us to drive to their other apartment on a Sunday and use the facilities there. Very poor.
The windows in the front two bedrooms are ineffective at blocking any road noise, I have read this on previous reviews that this would be addressed but this has not materialised.
The WiFi didn’t work on arrival, and we was asked to use the other apartments instead, which proved very slow due to the high level of users on the bandwidth. The WiFi was changed mid-stay, and was a vast improvement.
We arrived to find a broken toilet seat completely pulled from the hinges, this was replaced and apologies given.
The Sky box as advertised is no longer in use, free-view was the alternate which suited our needs fine.
It is unfair, and categorically wrong to expect paying customers to put up with so many mis-givings. I would advise any potential clients to look elsewhere if you want a pleasant stay in Birmingham.
Lovely serviced flat in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, a pleasant and quiet quarter of town which has a great variety of bars and restaurants and is a short tram/taxi ride into the city centre. Impeccably clean, comfy beds, fluffy towels, and everything including toiletries was included. Would definitely stay here again!
Lovely apartment; short walking distance to centre. Everything you could want for in a city stay. Fresh clean bedding and towels. Bottle of wine on arrival along with chocolates and basics. Tea coffee and milk. Toiletries. Well equipped kitchen. Great parking. Lindsay always to hand to help. Great communication. Satellite TV and large tv in main bedroom.
Had a fab nights stay! Everything you need and much more. Great location on St Paul's Square which has lots of lovely bars and places to eat. Plus only a short walk into Birmingham City Centre. Really clean, well maintained and plenty of room inside. Will be staying again soon and telling others as loved my stay!!!
Having stayed in a number of hotels, b'n'bs and holiday homes I have to say that the sapphire suite is a cut above the rest. The perfect place to stay. Nicely decorated, well maintained, spacious and above all immaculately clean. The suite is also very well stocked with everything I needed; towels, cutlery etc... communication with the owners was also excellent and it is clear they are trying hard to offer the best accommodation for the price in the area. Easiest 5 stars I've given.