Manchester’s appeal for those seeking both tourism and business opportunities has only continued to grow in recent years.
According to Visit Britain, the city saw the third-most overnight stays in the UK (behind London and Edinburgh) in 2018, with 1.4 million visitors.
Combine this with rising levels of foreign direct investment and property development, significant expansion at Manchester Airport and office openings by the likes of Amazon, it’s little surprise there has been much to report from the city’s hotel scene over the last year.
Here we round-up some of the best openings, and look at what’s coming in 2020.
Supercity Aparthotels
Serviced apartments have accounted for a lot of the recent openings in the city (one report predicts that Manchester will host 16 per cent of the 23,600 serviced apartments expected to open in the UK between 2019 and 2022).
Last December saw small brand Supercity Aparthotels open a 68-suite property on Church Street in the Northern Quarter. Each suite has a living room, kitchen, one or two bedrooms, a bathroom with complimentary Gilchrist and Soames toiletries, Sky TV and a bluetooth radio.
The building includes an onsite gym, roof terrace, all-day dining space and free wifi.
Hotel Indigo
Intercontinental Hotels Group opened a 187-room Hotel Indigo outside Manchester Victoria station late last year, following a £30 million renovation of the Grade II-listed City Buildings. Architects 3D Reid and developers BH Group also added a striking 14-story rotunda tower, which hosts the new Mamucium Restaurant and Bar.
The hotel is next to the new NOMA district, an £800m development of 20 acres of land in the north of the city which will see the new Co-operative Group and Amazon office.
Dakota Hotels
UK brand Dakota Hotels opened its fifth property on Ducie Street near Manchester Piccadilly station in May.
Dakota Manchester has 137 rooms, with first floor Garden King rooms offering a private garden terrace, as well as Junior, Signature and Deluxe Suite categories, and a Grand Deluxe penthouse suite which Dakota says is the largest in the city.
Facilities include The Dakota Grill, a cocktail bar and Champagne Room, a waterside terrace which can be hired for up to 80 guests, and a cigar garden.
Stock Exchange Hotel
The luxury Stock Exchange Hotel opened in November as part of the Relais and Chateaux portfolio. Co-owned by ex-Manchester United footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, along with hotelier Winston Zahra, the 40-room property is housed within the city’s former Stock Exchange building.
Staybridge Suites
Business Traveller stayed in a serviced apartment by IHG’s Staybridge Suites Manchester earlier this year. The new-build property on Oxford Road opened in September 2018 and also contains a 212-room Crowne Plaza.
We found smart, comfortable suites, friendly staff, a well-designed lounge space which offers a daily ‘social hour’ and gorgeous views over Manchester and the surrounding countryside.
However it’s since been announced that next year both the Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites will be rebranded as a Hyatt Regency and a Hyatt House, respectively.
Locke
Late last year, the Serviced Apartment Company (SACO) opened the first Manchester property under its upscale, design-led brand Locke.
Located within a 19th century cotton mill in the Civic Quarter, Whitworth Locke offers 160 rooms from studios to two-beds, plus perks such as free yoga classes.
Native
Another stylish serviced apartment, this time from Native. Occupying six floors of a Grade II-listed Victorian warehouse on Ducie Street, near Piccadilly Station, the property has 166 apartments and eight penthouses with private outdoor terraces. Rooms also include studios and one- and two-bed apartments, all with fully-equipped kitchens.
Interiors have cast-iron columns and exposed brickwork, alongside bright blue and red furniture.
The Edwardian Manchester
This property has been around as the Radisson Blu Edwardian Manchester for some time, but following a £12 million renovation it is now The Edwardian Manchester, A Radisson Collection Hotel.
The 263-key property is in the former Free Trade Hall on Peter Street and has an underground swimming pool area which also features a gym, sauna, steam room and spa treatment rooms.
Coming soon...
The 189-room hotel set to open on Portland Street in February says it will be a “champion for accessibility”.
The serviced apartment company plans to open a 224-key property in the Northern Quarter in March.
Marriott’s extended-stay brand will enter the Manchester market late next year with a rebrand of the Northern Quarters Serviced Apartments Manchester, following a refurbishment.
