BACKGROUND Formerly the Mint Hotel Manchester, the property became the four–star Hilton by Doubletree Manchester in March. There are two other Hilton hotels in the city: Hilton Deansgate and Hilton Manchester Airport hotel.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The 285-room property strikes a balance between being sleek and homely. It feels very new and open, and the good light throughout the hotel gives it a fresh feel. A subtle sense of the hotel’s location is created by framed posters of albums of Manchester musicians that are hung upon its white walls. Despite the Doubletree brand being primarily targeted towards business guests, there were a fair number of leisure guests during my stay.
When I entered the smart lobby, there were four members of staff at check-in and I was seen to straight away. My room wasn’t ready yet (it was 10.30am) so I left my bags in the luggage room and collected my key later that day. I was presented with a warm, delicious chocolate chip cookie as a welcome gift, a Doubletree brand standard.
WHERE IS IT? The hotel is a few minutes’ walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station (which links directly to London). On exiting the station, there’s a white bridge that leads you pretty much to the hotel’s doorstep. Manchester International airport is a 20-minute drive away.
ROOM FACILITIES I stayed in a Queen room on the eighth floor. It had a homely, relaxing feel, with a high standard of warm, neutral décor. Floor-to-ceiling windows provided a view of a small pedestrian square and a tramline; the room was extremely quiet and there were thick blackout curtains. A decent-sized light wood desk was accompanied by a taupe leather swivel chair, and there was a fabric armchair bedside a small round coffee table.
The white queen-sized bed had a thin duvet and a firm mattress. Facing it was an iMac TV, which boasted a wide selection of channels as well as free internet access and Skype (wifi is also free). The room didn’t have a central lighting system – there were reading lights either side of the bed operated by switches on the wall, and a lamp on the desk.
The bright, white-tiled bathroom had a roomy walk-in shower (no bath) and Crabtree and Evelyn products. Room amenities included a laptop safe, iron and ironing board, waffle robe, luggage rack, tea- and coffee-making facilities and another Doubletree cookie. The minibar was kept empty – you could order specific minibar packages; the Executive Package (£19.95) provides two mini bottles of Bombay Sapphire or vodka or two beers, two tonic waters or Coca-Cola, olives, snacks and crisps.
All in all I found the room to be business traveller-friendly and its layout to be intuitive – I appreciated features such as the plug socket by the bed and the square mirror that folded out of the desk. The air conditioning and fan power were easy to locate and control.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS There are two bars and a restaurant. The Piccadilly Lounge to the left of the lobby is a comfortable, contemporary space, with scarlet walls and furniture giving it a vibrant feel. I ordered a peppermint tea (£3.15), which came with a mini version of yet another Doubletree cookie. At 11am there were clusters of people having meetings over coffee, as well as people working away on their laptops – there was a pleasant chilled out atmosphere. There was a menu of “Light Bights” such as caramel chicken wings with chimichurri (£5), chargrilled steak ciabatta (£12.95), homemade flatbread pizza (£11.95) and vegetarian club sandwich (£9.95). A variety of cocktails and spirits was also available.
I ate breakfast in the City Café. The buffet breakfast offered a good selection of hot and cold food, while there was table service for hot drinks, which was very friendly. The restaurant was casual yet sophisticated, with calm, modern décor and white tablecloths – it was appropriate for my breakfast meeting. It is open from 6am-10pm, and currently the evening menu includes such dishes as Hanger steak with oxtail bonbon, celeriac purée and broccoli, and cauliflower cheese polenta with crispy poached egg and pine nuts (two courses for £15.95, three courses for £19.95).
The other hotel bar, Blue Bar, is located at the opposite end of the lobby to the Piccadilly Lounge. It’s attractive and trendy-looking, with blue-tinted lighting, and it’s open until 11pm each evening.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES Surrounding a mezzanine-level foyer with an honesty bar are 14 of the hotel’s 15 meeting rooms. They all have natural daylight, Apple macs, BOSE sound systems and white-washed walls. The other meeting space is the top-floor Sky lounge, which has a penthouse feel and offers panoramic views of Manchester’s skyline – it can host 60 people for a reception and has an outdoor terrace. The hotel is suited for intimate meetings and events – the largest space is the Palaces suite, which holds 170 delegates theatre-style.
LEISURE FACILITIES The small, first-floor gym has Life Fitness equipment and an interesting mural of a crowd to stare at as you exercise. It’s open from 6am-10pm.
VERDICT A pleasant hotel that caters well for business travellers and prioritises the right amenities and luxuries.
FACT FILE
HOW MANY ROOMS? 285
ROOM HIGHLIGHTS The iMac TV and the thoughtful layout of the room’s amenities.
PRICE Internet rates for a flexible midweek stay in September started from £129 for a Queen room.
CONTACT doubletree3.hilton.com
Rose Dykins
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