The Midland, Manchester | Hotel Review
I absolutely adore old fashioned hotels and The Midland in Manchester is one hotel I’ve admired for a long time. I spent five years of my life living in Manchester and while I was living in this vibrant, multicultural and very historic city, I couldn’t bring myself to stay there as it was right on my door step. Now that I live in Liverpool, a night over in Manchester is a bit of a luxury and when the opportunity cane up for my husband and I to spend an evening watching a band we have loved for years, my first thought turned to making a night of it and booking into The Midland, Manchester.
Manchester’s industrial history is world famous and The Midland is nestled between St. Peter’s Square and Deansgate. The area is famous for the Peterloo massacre of 1819 which saw thousands killed and injured while peacefully protesting about parliamentary reform. The Midland was built in the early 20th century by famed architect Charles Trubshaw who built many of Midland Railway’s hotels.
Famously, this hotel was coveted by Adolf Hitler and it’s easy to see why. The Edwardian Baroque style building features red brick and brown terracotta and the impressive structure used to house a 1000 seat theatre. It is believed the area around Manchester Town Hall was spared from Luftwaffe bombing so as to protect The Midland Hotel. The hotel is also famous as the meeting place of Charles Rolls and Frederick Royce leading to the formation of Rolls-Royce back in 1904.
Parking at The Midland, Manchester
We arrived in Manchester at around 3pm and parked locally in a NCP car park located in the Great Northern Warehouse. City centre driving is pretty bad with lots of congestion and the parking charge for 24 hours was more than £20. For this reason I would recommend getting a train to nearby Oxford Road or Deansgate stations, if you are looking to stay at this hotel.
Checking-in
The hotel has revolving doors to access the lobby and reception areas which are grand and very impressive. We were seen to straight away at reception by a lovely receptionist who took a keen interest in us and offered us a wake up call, newspapers and sorted out breakfast arrangements. It was a great first impression to a beautiful hotel and we were excited to check out the room.
Our room at The Midland, Manchester
We stayed on the fifth floor in room 533 and were stunned by the cleanliness, space and comfort the room offered. We had a lovely big Superking bed, a wardrobe containing enough hangers for both of our clothes, an ironing board and iron, a hairdryer, a desk which could be used for working or for dressing and a spotlessly clean bathroom with toilet, sink and bath. At the end of the bed were two comfortable chairs and there was also a television with Freeview channels available.
We had a great night’s sleep in the bed thanks to the number of pillows and warm duvet. I would love to know the secret of a good night’s sleep that these hotels offer. No matter how many times I try to replicate it at home, I simply cannot. We woke the next morning to the sound of the trams tooting their horns at St. Peter’s Square and the sunlight calmly shining through the windows. We got up to make ourselves a coffee from the complimentary sachets in the room and gently sauntered down for breakfast in Mr. Cooper’s House and Gardens.
Breakfast at The Midland, Manchester
Breakfast costs £15 a head which can seem a little steep considering it’s a help your self style buffet, but when we factored in the price of the room, we were happy to pay it. We were greeted upon arrival in the restaurant and shown to our seats where another waitress offered us tea and coffee. The surroundings of the restaurant are gorgeous and a tree dominates the room giving the restaurant a very Spring feel. The choice of food was excellent and we sampled both hot and cold dishes from the vast selection.
Checking-out
I was pleased to note that check out can be as late as midday which is a lovely treat when you are spending only one night, unfortunately we had a child to get home to so were fully checked out by 11am. Check out was smooth and once again we were greeted by friendly receptionists who couldn’t do enough to help.
Our overall thoughts
Based on our experience and the cost of the room (£88) I would definitely stay at The Midland, Manchester again, given the chance in the future. I loved how seriously they took customer service and cleanliness and I adored the old fashioned feel to the hotel and how they had added their own modern touch.
