Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, United Kingdom | (888) 604-6432
Contemporary hotel near Manchester Arena
Five-minute stroll to rail and tram stations
Walking distance to shopping, dining and nightlife
Spacious rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows
All units have AC and flat-screen satellite TVs
In-house restaurant/bar with adjacent terrace
Health Club with gym, sauna and steam room
Sizable indoor pool with loungers
Spa with body-care and beauty treatments
More than 4,100-square feet of meeting space
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Breakfast only free for guests in some categories
Breakfast service can be chaotic
Some issues with maintenance reported
Room decor can miss the mark on hipness
No minibars and minimal storage space
No on-site parking (but reduced rates are offered nearby)
Setting is the raison d'être of this Park Inn outpost, which is located directly across from a massive arena and within walking distance of city-center amenities. Being an upscale member of the Radisson family, it also boasts a solid lineup of on-site features, including a branded restaurant/bar, seven meeting rooms, and, most notably, a Pace Health Club with a gym, pool, and spa. Its 252 air-conditioned rooms -- all outfitted with modern conveniences like walk-in showers, flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi -- are a good size, too. However, their look doesn't feel upscale: They don’t quite achieve the hip look designers were aiming for, and the overall vibe remains more corporate than cool. If proximity to the arena is important to you, consider the Crowne Plaza as an alternative -- it’s also a property with a familiar brand name that offers on-foot access.
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Scene
A convenient, contemporary option for arena ticket-holders and other travelers
This Park Inn -- a boxy, seven-story property opened in 2009 -- sits right across the street from one of Europe’s busiest indoor areas, and the scale of its sleek but rather Spartan lobby hints at the large number of guests who stay here while attending major music or sporting events. The rest of the time you’ll find its curvaceous settees and funky high-backed couches occupied mostly by business travelers on weekdays and tourists on weekends. The lobby-level restaurant (a chain eatery that tries hard to cultivate a loft-like look) provides a more comfortable space for guests of all stripes to gather; ditto for the adjoining bar and outdoor terrace.
Location
Opposite Manchester Arena, just north of the city core
Situated across from Manchester Arena, this hotel works well for many types of travelers. The Medieval Quarter (anchored by a gorgeous Gothic cathedral), The Corn Exchange (with its assorted restaurants) and the Arndale shopping area (a retail mecca) can all be reached on foot in 12 minutes or less, as can the vibrant pubs and clubs of Oxford Road. The boho Northern Quarter is about 15 minutes away; however, proximity to Victoria Station means public transit is readily available for those who don’t wish to walk. The city’s efficient system will get you to the airport as well: The trip takes roughly 44 minutes, but you can shave some time off that by driving instead. If you have your own car, secure parking is available at the arena, and hotel guests are eligible for discounted rates.- Four-minute walk to Manchester Arena
Rooms
Expect a colorful, sometimes questionable, contemporary look
Thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, the spacious rooms here boast lots of natural light, and mod decor elements (like striped carpeting and matching bed runners) make them brighter still. But the color wheel may spin too far for some tastes -- especially when it comes to the eye-popping painted ceilings and trippy headboards with multi-hued mood lighting. The minimalist design can be problematic, too, since it translates into a lack of storage space. All in all, rooms seem to be a rung below public spaces when it comes to their looks. On the upside, all of the hotel’s air-conditioned options include laptop safes, LCD TVs with satellite channels, free Wi-Fi, and tea/coffeemakers, but no minibars; walk-in showers are also standard issue in the tiled bathrooms. Disabled-access rooms include the requisite equipment and modifications; while Superior ones offer welcome extras like bathrobes, bottled water and free buffet breakfasts. Suites add a sitting area, a separate bath and shower, plus a second 40-inch TV.
Features
Perks include a full health club, a restaurant/bar, and multiple meeting rooms.
The branded health club (a branch of Pace) helps earn this hotel its four-pearl rating. After all, the facility boasts a gym with fitness classes and personal trainers, a lounger-lined indoor pool, a sauna and steam room, plus a spa zone offering a menu of add-on massages, mani/pedis and beauty treatments. There’s an in-house restaurant, too -- RBG & Grill, part of a popular chain -- where you can order hearty, sometimes health-conscious food in the urban/industrial dining room or retreat, drink in hand, to an adjacent terrace. Guests combining business and pleasure can also take advantage of seven modern meeting rooms that have the latest audio-visual equipment and combined space for over 360 people. Other on-site features include a round-the-clock reception desk; dry-cleaning/laundry and basic business services; 24-hour room service; and free property-wide Wi-Fi.
