I’ll start by saying that this property has so much potential, but as mentioned in this review’s title, management is holding all the potential back by not being proactive, helpful, communicative, etc. The building presents really well, the amenities are mostly great, grounds are clean, the staff are as helpful as they can be all considering the hand they’ve been dealt (a pretty bad one, and thank management for that). This is a 5 star resort currently operating as 3 stars because many things are breaking, and management is being passive.
New buildings always have issues, it’s expected as part of the break-in process but this experience has proven unique in that management’s handling of said issues has been embarrassingly bad. Whether it’s an overflowing trash room (note building is maybe at 40-50% capacity) or broken lifts (1 of 3 lifts down for over 2 months, a second that intermittently stops working for multiple days at a time randomly, and the third which has been running into issues closing its doors as of late; there are regularly literal 10 min queues to take the lift), to non-functioning amenities like the saunas or things as simple as a water fountain. It’s a fairly comprehensive list, and management is allegedly working to resolve these issues but considering the time frames tenants and owners have been dealing with, it’s becoming hard to believe. These things simply don’t take this long to fix, it’s incomparable to previous experiences. Management should be making it their borderline life mission to fix these issues considering how fundamental some of them are (like lifts). I will update this review when it becomes clear priority issues are being managed, or not.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The area is still very much a construction site (i.e. loud, visually unappealing, etc.), but it’s coming together. You’ll find a range of restaurants, coffee shops, bars and other spots relatively close-by and as long as you’re willing to walk a bit further your options will broaden. Close to Vauxhall station which takes you anywhere into the West End, and now we have the new Northern line stations close-by as well. I cannot speak for parking as I don’t have a vehicle but others in the building complain non-stop about valet, parking, EV charging, etc. Keep that in mind.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Building amenities are a lot less “free” and “available” than you may be told. Whether it’s one of the lounges, or the theater, the Sky Pool, etc., you will almost surely find it more costly and/or difficult to book than you are being sold on. Sky Pool has limited entries per month, and guests come with a cost (and don’t forget towels, you must use theirs, and yes you must buy them, or rent them). Lounges are unavailable to be booked for weeks ahead. The roof top restaurant / bar will be closed when you get home from work. So on and so on, and so on (the list goes much longer).
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Aftercare has been generally helpful with scheduling the multitude of minor fixes. Some items were simply not fix-able without doing major work and that’s due to poor original design and bad work by constructors during construction/building phase (ex. tear down part of a wall in order to access a sensor or wiring, or shave down a door frame to fix alignment – neither reasonable or realistic, esp. as a tenant). I have heard from residents of the first blocks that after the initial warranty period, Aftercare will be nowhere to be found for assistance.
