Being a student halls made entirely of studios, Merchant Studios provides a quieter student experience than some other accommodation. For me, as a postgraduate who just wanted a good night's sleep at night, this was perfect. The staff were always helpful, and quick to sort out any problems. The location is great; right near the centre of Glasgow, its stations, and supermarkets and such. The quality of the fittings in the room was so-so. Kind of cheap and liable to break. Could have done with better heating, especially in the bathroom which was a daredevil exercise to shower in during the winter. Overall, a really great experience.
Merchant Studios is my first experience in halls. Pros: The rooms are great sized for sharing with someone. Plenty floor and storage space. Nice temperature rooms, big wide window which opens when warm. Very convenient, as it's right next to Strathclyde uni and COGC. Also close to the town centre and supermarkets. Cons: Very thin walls, can hear neighbors talking in corridors and through walls. No oven, difficult to cook food in combination microwave. Many drunk people shouting outside some nights. Not many social activities, and I've not made any friends in the building since moving in.
Great place to live if your in your in your last year of Uni or a postgraduate who just wants peace & quiet to study. However not for your first year moving to Glasgow as it's a bit quiet for me personally! Fantastic staff & security team though & very stylish, modern studios flats, overall Iv enjoyed my time here!
I appreciate everything that I get in the accommodation, however I would recommend for the management to provide ovena in the room, and maybe a gym room. With those thing, think this will be perfect. THANKS
I have to say that it is very close to the university of Strathclyde and to the city centre as well as closer to supermarkets. But as per my personal experience, even though I am shelling out so much money, I cannot wait to get out from here. Pros - - Spacious room for 2 persons. - Centrally located, closer to City centre and University of Strathclyde. - Good Security system. Cons- -Heater does not work that great. - Very poor lighting, especially during winters when there is limited daylight, it is so difficult to study. - Walls are so extremely thin, that you can hear everything !!!! ALMOST EVERYTHING. I had a tough time with my neighbours ( a couple) being so loud and complaining to staff was useless, as they didn't even warn them. - Not suitable for people who want to have a goodnights sleep.
The only pro is the great location, in the city and right at the doorstep of Strathclyde University. The cons. 1. The lighting is extremely dim and yellow in the studio. The only well lighted room is the toilet. So if you want to study or work, either buy your lights or work in the toilet. 2. Poor ventilation. From time to time, the smell from other studio permeates into mine such other tenants cooking or smoking. It seems that the ventilation did not work at all. 3. Extremely dusty. After thorough cleaning, it takes only 2 days for dust layers to build up and looks like 2 weeks of dusts. After a year, the dust level has not reduced. 4. Bad and unhealthy heating. All the studio units uses hot air central heating instead of radiator. The temperature are control centrally. However even set to the maximum, the room temperature varies with some units dropping to 16 degrees during winter. The hot air dries up the room. 5. Lack of and poor communal space. The basement study space is dungeon-like with poor ventilation and loud vibration sounds from the heating. It was originally supposed to be the gym. Maybe it was changed because there is no ventilation? 6. Poor quality fittings. Windows not closing properly, blinds were glue on to the wall instead of drill in, convection oven heat warping the shelf etc etc. Oh yeah, all the 3 lifts needs to be replaced and the building is freaking new. 7. Horrible staff attitudes. The staff are extremely dismissive, unhelpful and downright condescending. Most of the students here are Post Grad. When problems were reported, instead of helping, the staff gave excuses after excuses and even blamed students for the issues. eg * Lights issue. 'This is a environment friendly building ... Buy your own lights' * Ventilation. 'You are the only one having this problem'. * Dusty. 'You should clean your room daily. It takes only five minutes' * Heating. 'You come from warmer weather and are not use to our weather' (Even student from Canada with winter of -40degrees are complaining) * Blind falling. Instruction on how to use the blind. Mass email were sent out on how to use the blind. * Lifts breakdown and students trapped in lift without being able to contact emergency hotline. Dismissive attitudes.
