MANCHESTER
The northern powerhouse’s popularity for business and leisure travellers alike has led to a slew of new hotel openings, finds Tracey Davies
The media hub of the North is seeing hotel expansion to match its fast-paced lifestyle
The birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, the first programmable computer and Premier League football, Manchester is a lively, diverse and forward-thinking powerhouse. It has grown to become one of Europe’s leading cities for business and industry, and is a major player on the international conference circuit.
“Manchester is a city of firsts,” says Sheona Southern, managing director at Marketing Manchester, which manages the Manchester Convention Bureau and the tourist board.
“It was where the atom was split, where
Rolls met Royce and where graphene was discovered.” Global corporations such as Google, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Kellogg’s all have big offices here and in recent years the city has attracted a number of major conferences, largely in the life sciences, bio and pharmaceutical industries. It hosted the inaugural World Healthcare Congress Europe in March and the Conservative party congregated in the Manchester Central Convention Complex in September for its annual party conference.
As the home of ITV Granada and the BBC, Media City UK in Salford is one of the largest digital and creative hubs in Europe. The city has a well-developed transport infrastructure with a tram network, a free bus service and four national train stations. Manchester airport is 15 minutes by train from the city centre and has direct flights to more than 200 destinations, including nonstop routes from Asia, the Middle East and North America.
“With the largest cluster of events and conferencing spaces outside of London,
Manchester offers myriad major events and meeting facilities in the heart of the city,” says Southern. “Add to this the diversity of venues within a compact area, as well as numerous places to stay, eat and relax, and Manchester makes it easy for great minds to meet.”
There have been some high-profile hotel openings in recent years. Hotel Football arrived in 2015 at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s stadium, while the five-star Hotel Gotham opened in the same year in the Art Deco former Midland Bank building. More recently, major chains including 142-room AC by Marriott and the 187-room Hotel Indigo Manchester opened in November last year, while the Dakota Manchester, a 137-room hotel on Ducie Street near Piccadilly station launched in May, and September saw the opening of the sleek 166-unit Native aparthotel in the redbrick Ducie Street Warehouse.
And the city is not shy of attractions for post-conference activities. It offers many topclass museums including the Lowry, the Imperial War Museum North and the National Football Museum, and is home to the Royal Exchange, the UK’s largest theatre. It has also seen a host of new restaurants, has an eclectic bar scene and plenty of live music venues. “Manchester is a welcoming and inclusive city where collaboration runs deep and wide,” says Southern. “The city excels in hosting. It’s a place where networks can be built and alliances forged.” Fast-paced, progressive and with more than a dash of northern sass, Manchester could be just the city for your next conference or meeting.
‘THE CITY EXCELS IN HOSTING. IT’S A PLACE WHERE NETWORKS CAN BE BUILT AND ALLIANCES FORGED’
HOTEL FOOTBALL
Part owned by Premier League heroes Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, the 133-room Hotel Football (part of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio) overlooks Old Trafford stadium. The modern soccer-themed property caters for meetings, events and conferences for up to 600 delegates. It has five event spaces, including the Stadium Suite for up to 300 guests and the smaller Players Lounge, which also has a kitchen. Heaven, a rooftop terrace with stadium views for up to 200, even has a retractable roof for the unpredictable Manchester weather. hotelfootball.com
THE LOWRY
Set in the heart of Media City UK in Salford Quays, Manchester’s eyecatching modern arts centre opened in 2000 and has become one of the UK’s premier conference venues. Named after the 20th-century artist LS Lowry, it offers nine different event spaces and can cater for everything from an intimate board meeting to an annual conference in the three-tiered Lyric Theatre for 1,730 guests. thelowry.com
RADISSON BLU EDWARDIAN
Built in 1853, the five-star, 263room Radisson Blu Edwardian is housed in one of Manchester’s most impressive buildings, the Free Trade Hall. With grand stone porticos, colonnades and a ballroom, it makes a beautiful setting for events – the largest of its 21 meeting spaces has a maximum capacity of 550. The entire lower and ground floors have recently had a multimillion pound revamp, including meeting spaces, the contemporary Japanese and Mexican restaurant Peter Street Kitchen, the spa and the gym, with bedrooms to follow. radissonblu-edwardian.com