The Bottom Line
Pros
- Central location near Piccadilly Station
- Ultra modern bathrooms with generous sized, take away toiletries
- Oversized, comfortable beds
- In room technology includes free broadband Internet, flat screen, satellite TV, DVD, CD player
- Discount for nearby parking
Cons
- Smallish rooms
- Some rooms face a multi-story LCD billboard
- Public rooms looking a bit dated
Description
- Piccadilly, Manchester M1 3AQ, England
- Price Band: $$$
- Small spa and equipped gym
- Modern British and Continental food in the restaurant, 24-hour room service. Solid wine list.
- The bar, open 10a.m.- 1a.m., is popular with local celebs. I ran into Gok Wan,of Channel 4's How to Look Good Naked.
- Good breakfasts, though expensive
- Dog-friendly features include fleece bed, large water bowl, tolerant attitude.
- Five minute walk or less to Manchester Piccadilly Station. Also convenient for Sportcity, home of Manchester City FC.
- Book online for the lowest published rates.
- Tel: 0161 278 1000 Fax: 0161 278 1002 Email: manchester@malmaison.com
Guide Review - Hotel Review: Malmaison Manchester - City-Centre Luxury Hotel Near Piccadilly
I'm a great fan of the Malmaison group of hotels. By and large they are stylish, well furnished, have well-trained staff, pleasant restaurants and fun bars. I also think their policy of giving new life and use to center city buildings is commendable.The Manchester Malmaison, built behind the facade of an Edwardian textile warehouse, in 1998, has most of the qualities that I've admired, but it is showing its age.
The dramatic lobby, with its chessboard floor of black and white tiles and its decor of deep colors, black and red velours and leathers, was once a show stopper. (Hotel publicity makes liberal reference to inspiration from the Moulin Rouge.) It has been widely copied and today needs a freshening up.
If you visit, avoid rooms on the front of the hotel. Mine was small, dark and a bit airless, but when I threw open the heavy draperies, I found I was directly across from a huge, multi-story animated billboard. The giant LCD screen danced with annoying images, day and night, for my entire stay.
A welcome for your pooch
Like the other Malmaison's, the Manchester Mal is dog-friendly. They provide a fleece dog bed and a large bowl, plus a high degree of tolerance for pets. Wallace, my Westie, was even welcome in the bar.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodation for the purpose of reviewing. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
