By the Unity Stays directors, Marcus Chong & Gadir Al-Khatib · Last updated 12 August 2026
In short: Match the property to the trip — location for leisure breaks, a desk and fast broadband for work, storage and laundry for long stays — and read the last ten reviews, not the rating. Ask for measured broadband speed, midnight check-in, parking, cleaning frequency and the Sunday contact; for stays beyond a week, book direct for a lower rate and an invoice.
What photographs reliably hide
Photographs are taken with a wide lens in the best light of the year, and that is not dishonest — it is what every listing does. What they cannot show is what a stay feels like.
Room size is the first thing distorted. A wide-angle shot makes a small room look generous, so read the description and the bed sizes rather than judging from the image.
They also cannot show noise, stairs, the walk from the parking space, whether the street is busy at night, or how long the hot water lasts. Those come from the reviews and from asking.
Read the recent reviews, not the rating
A rating is an average across a property's whole history and hides both trends and specifics. The recent reviews are where the useful information is.
Read the last ten rather than the best ten. Look for repetition — one person mentioning noise is a preference, four is a fact about the property.
Read the host's replies too. A calm, specific reply to a complaint tells you how a problem would be handled if it happened to you, which is the thing you actually want to know.
The questions worth asking before you book
A good operator answers these quickly and specifically. A slow or vague answer is itself the answer.
- What is the actual broadband speed? — ask for a number if you will be working
- How does check-in work if I arrive at midnight?
- What is the parking situation, specifically? — including permits and whether it is on site
- Is there a lift? — if it is not on the ground floor
- How often is it cleaned on a stay of my length?
- Who do I contact if something breaks on a Sunday?
Match the property to the trip
The best property for a two-night city break is rarely the best one for a six-week contract, and the mismatch is usually why a stay disappoints rather than the property being bad.
Short leisure trips reward location and character. Work trips reward a desk, fast broadband, quiet and proximity to the site rather than the centre. Long stays reward storage, laundry, natural light and a neighbourhood with a shop in it.
Say what the trip is when you enquire. An operator who knows it is a six-week site job will put you somewhere with parking and a drying space rather than somewhere with a view.
Book direct for longer stays
For anything beyond about a week, ask the operator directly. Long stays are almost always priced below the nightly rate and platform listings rarely show it.
Direct also gets you an invoice rather than a card receipt, which matters if someone else is paying, and a conversation about extending rather than a rebooking at whatever the rate has moved to.
You can see availability and book directly with us through our booking pages, or tell us the town and dates and we will tell you what fits — including when nothing does.