For owners of Manchester apartments, those details deserve attention. Our research found that fewer than half of the rentals shown in Airbnb’s Manchester apartment-category figures indicated a dedicated workspace was available at the property.
That does not mean the remaining apartments had nowhere to work. Some may have a perfectly good desk that never made it into the amenities list. But if a prospective guest cannot see what is available, they may continue looking elsewhere.
How Manchester short-stay apartments compare with other cities
As of 13 October 2026, the platform showed 1,160 of 2,620 Manchester rentals (44.3%) offered a dedicated workspace. Wi-Fi was much more widely listed, at 94.3%.
We checked the same public figures for 12 selected UK cities. Manchester’s workspace share was below Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds. Nottingham led this comparison at 66.7%, while Glasgow had the lowest share at 30.8%.
| City | Rentals shown | With a dedicated workspace | Workspace share | Wi-Fi share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | 1,950 | 600 | 30.8% | 93.3% |
| London | 62,090 | 20,730 | 33.4% | 96.2% |
| Cardiff | 1,340 | 500 | 37.3% | 94.0% |
| Bristol | 1,510 | 640 | 42.4% | 94.7% |
| Manchester | 2,620 | 1,160 | 44.3% | 94.3% |
| Sheffield | 720 | 330 | 45.8% | 97.2% |
| Liverpool | 1,910 | 920 | 48.2% | 96.9% |
| Newcastle | 640 | 330 | 51.6% | 95.3% |
| Birmingham | 2,420 | 1,280 | 52.9% | 96.7% |
| York | 830 | 440 | 53.0% | 98.8% |
| Leeds | 1,230 | 660 | 53.7% | 97.6% |
| Nottingham | 690 | 460 | 66.7% | 97.1% |
Seven of the 12 cities had workspace shares below 50%. Wi-Fi appeared against more than 90% of rentals in every city. These are Airbnb’s amenity markers, rather than inspected facilities. They tell us what the platform displays, but cannot tell us whether a chair is comfortable or a connection will hold up during a video call.
The importance of business travel to Manchester landlords
Manchester is a thriving commercial hub with a full schedule of events through the year. November’s calendar includes RS Connect on 10 and 11 November, Digital Construction North on 18 November, and Jisc’s Security Conference on 24 and 25 November, all at Manchester Central. For an apartment operator, those dates are a useful prompt to review the midweek calendar and how the property is presented to people travelling for work.
A conference delegate might arrive the night before an early start. Someone working on a longer assignment may care more about laundry facilities than proximity to the bars. The person booking on their behalf may simply need to know whether they can get an invoice.
The event calendar does not prove that delegates will choose apartments or pay higher rates. It does give owners something concrete to plan around, alongside their own booking history and enquiries.
This is the same demand pattern we describe in our guide to corporate letting in Manchester, where stays run to weeks rather than nights and the booker is a company rather than an individual.
Try working in your own apartment
Before ordering furniture, sit down with a laptop and use the space. Is the chair comfortable beyond the first ten minutes? Can you plug in without moving the table? Is there enough light once it gets dark?
If the setup works, photograph it. Show the chair, work surface and surrounding space so guests can judge whether it suits them. Be clear if it is in the living room, particularly in an apartment that might be shared by colleagues.
Test the Wi-Fi from that spot as well. A router by the front door tells you very little about the connection at a desk in the back bedroom. Keep any published speed information accurate and avoid promises you cannot support.
The listing should make the practicalities easy to find:
- How arrival works, including any restrictions on check-in times.
- How guests can request an invoice.
- Which kitchen and laundry facilities are available.
- Whether weekly or longer-stay terms are offered.
Across a block or portfolio, check each apartment separately. The layouts may match, but the furniture and Wi-Fi coverage may not. A description copied from another unit can quickly become a promise the apartment cannot keep. That consistency problem across units in one building is the subject of our piece on why Manchester apartment blocks underperform under fragmented operators.
Methodology
On 13 October 2026, we recorded the following figures from the “Quick stats about flat rentals” panel on Airbnb’s public apartment-category pages for 12 selected UK cities:
- Total holiday rentals.
- Rentals with dedicated workspaces.
- Wi-Fi availability.
We divided each amenity count by the total shown for that city and rounded the result to one decimal place. Manchester’s workspace calculation was 1,160 divided by 2,620, giving 44.3%. The table runs from the lowest to the highest workspace share. The cities were selected for comparison and are not a representative UK sample.
The results describe Airbnb’s apartment-category figures on the research date. Counts are rounded, geographical boundaries are defined by Airbnb, and the figures can change.
We did not inspect individual apartments or test their facilities. The category pages can also show a mix of accommodation types, so the totals are not a verified count of serviced apartments.
No stay dates or availability filters were applied. This audit does not measure prices, bookings, occupancy, guest preferences or conference-related demand. It cannot establish whether adding a workspace would increase bookings or income.
Sources
- Airbnb Manchester apartment-category figures
- Airbnb guidance on listing amenities
- RS Connect 2026
- Digital Construction North 2026
- Jisc Security Conference 2026
Note to editors
Please credit Beyond Stays Group when using the findings and link to this page so readers can access the full comparison and research methodology.
If you own apartments in Manchester and want the midweek offer reviewed properly, that is part of what we do under Management Only.