Love the Mancunian culture? Attending a Premier League football match? Coming to the city to explore the historic canals and museums? Whatever your reason for visiting one of the UK’s coolest cities, you be can guaranteed of finding world-class accommodation in Manchester. Although well-known as one of the main hubs of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester started life as a Roman settlement. It has been through many highs and lows down the centuries, but the strong social backbone emerging from the sum of the city’s experiences has made Manchester beautiful through and through.
To get the most out of your Manchester trip, a perfect night’s stay is the ideal setup. Luckily there are plenty of luxury and boutique hotels dotted across the city from the trendy Northern Quarter to hotels that even share in the city’s fabled musical folklore. This list has been condensed by looking at various factors such as the cleanliness and comfort, amenities, location and value for money of the available Manchester hotels. Here are the top five.
From £116/ night
There are plenty of reasons why The Edwardian is one of Manchester’s coolest hotels. But undoubtedly one of them is the fact that part of the building was once the Free Trade Hall, a former music venue where the legendary Sex Pistols gig that kick-started Manchester’s blistering Factory Records music scene took place. It’s also where someone called Dylan “Judas” and it sits on the site of the Peterloo Massacre. A stay in this veritable slice of Mancunian history is excellent value for money. The hotel underwent renovation in 2019, adding a health spa and swimming pool to the common areas. There is also a great restaurant and bar on site, the former of which won the Luxury Restaurant Award in 2019. Rooms are cosy and come with Smart TVs and a coffee machine.
From £224/ night
Although you shouldn’t expect Batman to show up, this cool hotel’s name is undoubtedly inspired by the Art Deco former bank building in which it is housed. The recurrent black and white motifs woven throughout the interior design continue that theme, with a classic New-York-in-the-1930s vibe being hard to escape. For all the pizzazz, rooms are also exceptionally comfortable, with Egyptian sheets, snug bathrobes and monsoon showers all adding to the high levels of cleanliness as suggested in the consistently high feedback given by guests over the years. The hotel is in a great location between Manchester Town Hall and Piccadilly Gardens.
From £165/ night
Just across the River Irwell from Manchester City Centre in Salford, you’ll find a luxury hotel named after the area’s most revered artist, L.S. Lowry. While the namesake creative genius depicted a soot-drenched Manchester of the industrial era, the Lowry Hotel is thoroughly suave and impeccably clean. All rooms in this very modern building enjoy a generous amount of space. This allows for extra-long king-size beds and walk-in wardrobes. You can also expect free toiletries and a fridge, among other amenities. The hotel’s common areas also include plenty of added features, like a fitness centre, restaurant and a spa.
From £62/ night
Taking a classic old building and tastefully renovating it throughout has given Hotel Indigo a wonderful combination of elegant contemporary and traditional warmth. With plenty of extra features, such as the decent-sized gym, gourmet restaurant and charming bar, this is one of the best value boutique hotels around. Rooms contain bathrobes, kettles, air-conditioning and flatscreen TVs. There is also a desk with an old-style rotary phone for added charisma. Hotel Indigo Manchester is located on the north side of the city in the pleasant neighbourhood around Victoria train station, near the National Football Museum and Arndale Shopping Centre.
From £180/ night
Debonair design and a homey atmosphere are the first impressions of Dakota Manchester. The common areas feature modern interiors, with low lighting and an open ceiling design that reminds one somewhat of the city’s industrial past. Rooms are furnished in dark, earthy tones, with ample space for a seating area, laptop safe, desk, and tea and coffee making facilities. There is a brasserie-style restaurant on-site as well as The Champagne Room, a cocktail bar with views over the canals that border the trendy Northern Quarter nearby. Piccadilly train station is just a few minutes away from here on foot.
