Worst accomodation experience I've had.
I'll start with the good: The apartment is well situated, and considering London prices and availability it's OK. You will most likely feel disappointed with the bed, couch, etc.. but this isn't listed as a luxury flat, so I think the description in the listing is fair.
Everything else is bad. Terrible communication and lack of care for customers.
First of all, they force you to book in an external website which is buggy. I had repeated issues with this, and there was a lack of communication about it.
I requested, and paid extra, to be met at the property to be let in in person, since I was arriving late and was concerned I wouldn't be able to get in.
They rejected my request and refunded my payment for that service (£50, again, outside of Airbnb), and assured me I'd be able to access the property via self check-in. This wouldn't be the case and left me stranded for the night - support stopped picking up the phone (24 hour support is, of course, not true).
I arrived at the airport in the UK after a 23 hour trip, only to find I hadn't received the access codes to the property yet. I called the number provided, and got given access codes.
Unfortunately, once I arrived at the building the access code was incorrect. I tried calling support again, but this time there was no answer. There would be no answer until the next day.
This meant I was running around the London CBD at 11:30PM trying to find a place to sleep since the 24/7 support wasn't true, and they gave me the wrong codes. I put together a video of me entering the code correctly, but the door not opening. I had to spend the evening in a shared accom. hostel at my own expense.
The following morning, about 14 hours after I arrived in the UK, they finally picked up the phone again. This time they gave me the correct codes and I could enter the property.
Unfortunately, the place was very dirty. The bed hadn't even been made from the previous guest. There were food crumbs all over the floor. The toilet had stains.
After the whole disappointment with not being able to access the property, the first impression once I got in was: Disgusting.
I called, and they sent a cleaner 4 hours later. Which is the end of anything positive.
For the following 4 weeks I have been requesting a refund for the first night. They agreed to the refund. However, the communication is so poor that even now, a month later, I still haven't received a refund for the first night.
To be honest, the refund alone doesn't even cover the terrible experience, and the inconvenience of running around looking for a bed in a foreign city at midnight, all because support have given the wrong code and clocked off.
I understand these things happen. However, the customer service and lack of care is clear.
This host has 4000+ positive reviews, so I guess they must be doing something right.
However, with me, it has been a terrible experience. I will purposely avoid any City Relay properties in the future.
I can't recommend this host at all.
The place is 'ok', at least the description is accurate and there are TWO construction sites next to it. The workers there work hard, even on the weekends, as evidenced by the loud noises.
Anyway. Bad. Terrible. I will avoid.