Review of stay at Baltimore Wharf by Skyline Worldwide

Skyline Worldwide offers a pseudo service apartment service within the residential estate of Baltimore Wharf, London, United Kingdom (i.e. flat owners lease their apartments to Skyline Worldwide on a long term basis, who in turn markets the flats as service apartments).

I stayed for 80 nights in a one bedroom apartment at the rate of £125 (excluding VAT) per night on a room only basis.

According to Skyline Worldwide, they offer the following at Baltimore Wharf:

Property Amenities:
• Gym
• Parking
• Wireless Internet
• Lift
• Reception
• Meet and Greet
• Key Collection

Apartment Amenities:
• Air Conditioning
• Balcony
• Crib / Cot / High Chair
• Dishwasher
• Entertainment System
• Fully Equipped Kitchen
• Furnished
• Hair Dryer
• Housekeeping
• Internet
• Iron & Ironing Board
• Rollaway Bed
• Safe Box
• Telephone
• TV
• Washer and Dryer
• Welcome Pack

Safety & Security:
• 24 Hrs Emergency Phone Line
• 24 Hrs Security
• Audible Smoke Alarms
• Electronic Key Card
• Emergency Lighting
• Exterior Video Surveillance
• Fire Doors
• Fire Safety Systems
• Monitored Alarms
• Security Cameras

On the day of check-in, I arranged for a meet and greet service at 1500 hrs. However, the agent did not make it to the concierge desk until 1520 hrs and to make matters worst, advised me the apartment is not ready due to a late check-out. They did offer me an alternative accommodation at a neighbouring residential complex but it was furnished to a lower specification, so I declined.

Location

The development is located adjacent to Crossharbour DLR station, which makes travel to the city very convenient. Despite the proximity to the rail tracks, the apartment is adequately sound insulated. Short term parking (> 2 hours) is however not available residents even for a fee.

As a service apartment

The one bedroom apartment is approximately 45-50 square meters, with an open plan kitchen, separate bathroom and bathroom.

The building is fibre-broadband enabled. However, Skyline has opted not to enable it. Rather, it offers ADSL speeds of around 1-1.5Mbps.

Living Room

Initially only terrestrial TV channels were available but it was upgraded to basic satellite TV channels towards the end of my stay. Sitting on the sofa for prolong periods can be uncomfortable as the cushions are worn out.

Dining Table

Kitchen

The kitchen is equipped with basic utensils for light cooking. Unfortunately the cooker hood is a big let down as it has not been cleaned for ages. A foul smell fills the entire room whenever the hood is turned on.

Bedroom

The bedroom is of a reasonable size, enough to fit a queen size bed and a small chest of drawers. As the neighbours have a direct view of the bedroom, the blinds have to be drawn most of the time to ensure privacy.

Bedroom Safe

Skyline provides an in-room safe. I did have a panic attack when the safe failed to open. Apparently, the check-in agent provided me with a erroneous access code. Thankfully I decided to empty the safe 1 day before check-out. If I had waited till check-out date, I would have missed my flight as there isn’t onsite front desk service.

Bathroom

Balcony

Utility Room

Housekeeping service is provided once a week. Perhaps due to lack of manpower, cleaning is sub standard, especially in the bathroom.

Bathroom after cleaning #1 – Strands of hair on the bathroom floor, which clearly does not belong to me.

Bathroom after cleaning #2 – Heavily stained floor.

Skyline advertises that the apartment is air-conditioned, have a gym and reception. And by air-conditioning, I suppose they mean this:

Aircon?

As for gym, there is indeed an onsite gym operated by Club Baltimore. However access is only available for long term guest (>90 days). Short term residents have to sign up to a monthly subscription, which is rather pointless if your stay is less than 1 month.

There is also an onsite reception desk (for collection of parcels, etc). However, this service is not available to Skyline guests and Skyline makes no effort to inform residents of this. I tired making an internet order and when the courier attempted delivery, the reception desk refused to accept the parcel and subsequently returned the order. When I enquired with Skyline, they said that the concierge service is only available for long term guest.

Given the location of the apartment, stays of less than a week would be bearable at the Baltimore Wharf. However, given the lack of amenities and shoddy housekeeping, it is hardly value for money.