A Manchester-based content creator says a trip to what she believed was a hotel in Salford, England, turned into a disturbing experience after she claims she found several young women in distress and learned the property may have been operating as a brothel.
The creator, known online as Lily Grace, shared the account in a storytime video on TikTok under the username @legallaughswithlily.
Grace said the incident happened around two years before she posted the video. She said she and a friend booked the stay expecting a hot tub and a rooftop bar, but arrived to find a property she described as being on a council estate in Salford. Commenters on her video identified the property as the Weaste Hotel, although this is not confirmed.
She said the experience left a lasting impact on her. Grace said the property has reportedly been shut down since the incident, though she said she does not know the details of what happened afterward.
Creator describes signs of trouble from check-in onward
“So this is the storytime of when I went to a hotel, apartment, whatever you want to call it, and halfway through the night we found out that it was actually a brothel and there was children involved,” Grace said.
According to Grace, the first signs something was wrong appeared at the reception desk. She said a young staff member, who she said looked underage herself, insisted on taking a photo of her face despite already having her ID and booking reference. Grace said the woman appeared to want guests out of the reception area as quickly as possible.
Grace said she and her friend later tried to have food delivered through Uber Eats, but were told by the receptionist not to wait in the reception area. She said that after around two hours, the delivery app showed the order as delivered, even though they had not received it. Guests facing unexplained problems with hotel staff are not unheard of; other travelers have described returning to find their belongings missing entirely.
When Grace asked about the delivery, she said the receptionist denied that any delivery had arrived and again told her she could not remain in the reception area. Grace said she returned to reception with her friend after growing suspicious and found several young women crying and on the phone in the lobby.
She said one of the women told her the property was “a brasserie, it’s a brothel” and that they were being trafficked. Grace said the woman confirmed she was on the phone with the police at the time.
Grace said she confronted the receptionist about deleting records before police arrived, and said the receptionist told her, “Yeah, I am,” confirming she was doing so. Grace said the receptionist told her she had deleted everything and that there was no evidence.
Grace said around ten men then came out from a back area of the property after she got into an argument with the receptionist. She said the women in the lobby appeared frightened of the men. One of the men reportedly told her to leave the receptionist alone.
When Grace tried to retrieve her belongings from her room, she said one of the men would not let her enter without him standing next to her. She said she used her room key to test another door and found that it opened as well, meaning the same key worked on multiple rooms in the building rather than being specific to one room. In other cases, guests have raised concerns after hotel staff seemingly denied any responsibility for missing valuables.
Grace said she gathered her things and left the property as police arrived, and didn’t stay to see what happened next. She said she has since heard the property was shut down but has no further information beyond that.
As of writing, the Weaste Hotel holds a 1.5 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor based on 216 reviews, ranking 24th out of 24 hotels listed in Salford. Several reviewers described experiences that echoed elements of Grace’s account.
One reviewer, Josephine S, wrote in May 2026 that the property “had punch marks in the windows at the front.” She said two people came out of the building with cans of alcohol and that she smelled drug paraphernalia.
She said her group, three women, had to call reception to be let in but chose not to enter because they did not feel safe, adding that the building was “mainly men” and was “not a family friendly accommodation.” Her tip for other travelers read, “Avoid this place if you like you safety.”
A separate travel tip on the listing, from a user named Darryn B, simply advised, “Find somewhere else to stay.” In the property’s Q&A section, a user named Melanie159 asked in November 2018 whether the hotel was “a 1/2 way house for criminals.”
The top-voted response, posted by a user named lizajgerman in October 2019, stated, “And also used be the hour for prostitutes, and the owner stole money out of my account, its should be shut down and owner in prison.” This claim has not been independently verified.
In the comments section of her video, one user asked, “Do you know if the police did anything??? What happened?” Grace replied, “Tbh I left when the police came but I’ve heard it’s been shut down, no clue tho.”
Another commenter referenced the property directly, writing, “Orr no not the weaste hotel,” using crying-laughing emojis. Grace replied, “MOVEEEEEE” followed by laughing emojis, adding, “i knew this would be a known issue.”
A third commenter pushed back on the reactions in the comments section, writing, “So many in comments they stayed here why stay if you not about the hotel being dirty etc surly ppl read reviews.” Neither Grace’s account nor the TripAdvisor reviews have been independently verified, and no official confirmation of an investigation, arrests, or closure tied to the property has been reported.
Published: Aug 3, 2026 04:50 am