Bijou Merchant City Apartment with Parking (Albion 1)

I'd love to tell you all about this Albion Gate apartment but it seems my reservation was changed to a *different* apartment that the same company owns. I'm fine with that as the one I was directed to (at 110 Bell) was fairly luxurious for a rental. I'm happy about this as I had thought the price for this many nights was already high, but it worked out well. Another "like": The property manager (Komal) was communicative and very polite and also flexible about some items. (See below.)

1) On the before arrival and *well* after the refund period was over, I was advised via Booking.com message as follows: . 'As per the policy we need you to provide us with the photo IDs of all guests who will be staying with us during the stay and £300 security deposit which is fully refundable within 24 hours of your check out. You can pay this deposit via PayPal using our ID [a Gmail address]. Please ensure you send the deposit as "family and friends" so that we can avoid getting charged the transaction fees by the platform including when we transfer the deposit back to you.' . Any policy that requires 300 *more* quid on top of the 600 already provided with almost no notice is crazy. I mean, I'm and old nomadic guy who doesn't party. Fortunately, when I explained the lunacy of that policy and after a brief WhatsApp call with the manager, the deposit requirement was waived, but such a deposit requirement with almost no notice remains the policy and makes me want to avoid this company. . 2) When negotiating that deposit, an alternate method of payment was offered, but *that* was via IBAN transfer to an account that was in the property manager's name (not a business name that I can determine.) That set off even more red flags and seemed "sketchy." Fortunately and as mentioned, eventually the deposit requirement went away, but again makes this company avoidable. . 3) Picking up the keys at a local convenience store a few blocks away isn't that bad, but the property manager's auto-notification first gave me the wrong address for the store which needed correction after I went that address while carrying all my luggage. . 4) Because of two notifications - the first with the original address of the property I'm rating - I went to the Albion Gate address *first,* again carrying all my luggage with me, and *then* when I couldn't get in, reached out (again) via WhatsApp to the property manager to clarify the correct...

Location was great and parking

Upgraded on apartment paid for. First time booking here; very good, friendly communication and clear instructions to follow. Everything I required for my stay was provided: toiletries, towels, etc. Really nice apartment with loads of space. Kitchen well laid out with all appliances you need. Nice touch: electric monitor in the kitchen showing how much electricity you are using. Free WiFi available but not used. Location is convenient, not far from amenities, shops, pubs, and close to Central Station.

An instruction card left at the property clearly indicating what should be turned off or left on, and where these controls are located, would be very helpful for when you leave the property.

location and some of the facilities

no TV, or internet TV. No heated towel rail. Initial booking clearly stated that a representative would be present at the property when I arrived. This was not the case, keys collected from a local 24 hour store.