I would not recommend staying at the Embassy Apartments. We had a wedding party of 15 individuals that stayed at the apartments in early October, 2007, I had looked at the place beforehand and found it looked nice and recommended guests stay there. I am now very embarrassed I made the recommendation and would not suggest staying here.

The staff was extremely unfriendly.

One group had made a reservation on the internet, only to find the apartments did not have the booking.

I tried calling the rooms externally on a number of occasions and they desk would not pick up or would hang up the phone rather than making the transfer. (You cannot dial the rooms directly.)

One room was late in checkout (1:30 PM, instead of 11 AM). The guests had requested a pardon to checkout because they had been lost for 2 hours, but another 104 pounds (cost for a night's stay) was charged regardless. (I phoned the McQuade Group, who runs the apartments, to ask for the matter to be investigated, but they would not budge.)

The rooms were cold, and by the end of the stay, a portion of the guests had bunked up at other hotels rather than stay at the Embassy Apartments. You have to pay for all nights (less than seven) up front, so they were out the money.

I would expect additional charges, inflexible staff and poor room standards in a hostel or “budget” accommodation, but not in a four-star establishment. If you’re looking for four-star service, do stay at the Embassy Apartments.