Macdonald Manchester Hotel - Manchester, United Kingdom 

Disappointed with it for a 4-Star
Posted: Mon, Jul 21 2008
Stayed overnight for one night as we had to be in the area and especially to dine out in a town restaurant we had had recommended. First impressions very bad, busy receptionist left on her own dealing with a large queue of people making enquiries, checking in, requesting taxis etc. We were unable to get parked in the Hotel car park as it was full. So we parked out the front temporarily and were barked at by local Taxi drivers to move immediately. Trying to check in and shuttle a car around with bags etc not great news on arrival. No doorman or concierge around then or for most of our stay. The advertised valet parking was not available. Eventually the receptionist directed us to a nearby railway station car park, we were not impressed with the security available for our vehicle, there was evidence of broken glass from previous vehicle break-ins. Room and room facilities excellent, as per previous reviews. Tried the bar on our return about 11 p.m., nice enough but not much ambience, transit/waiting lounge type feel rather than somewhere to relax and unwind. Restaurant great for our only meal in the hotel, breakfast. We went down around 930 a.m. on a Sunday and there were no queues as mentioned in other reviews. Hearty breakfast with a good range of choices and good friendly staff. Didn't like the smoky atmosphere around the entrance (where smokers go outside for their cigarettes) but this seems to be the way at a lot of places now. Would we stay again? Probably not, there are a lot of 4* hotels in Manchester to choose from, and everyone I have ever stayed in so far have been able to deal with parking and check in without fuss, and have had someone available to greet arrivals.

Best hotel in Manchester
Posted: Mon, Jul 07 2008
This hotel is amazing. I took my boyfriend here for a surprise birthday trip to see Man United V West Ham. We got a normal double room with bed and breakfast. I booked directly with the hotel on their website and requested a room on a high floor as I wanted it to be special with a nice view etc. A lady from the hotel saw my special request and called me to see if I wanted anything else, I told her it was a birthday present for my boyfriend and she arranged a complimentary plate with ‘Happy Birthday’ written on in chocolate with fruit and chocolates on, she also arranged for a bucket with ice and champagne glasses to be in my room for when we arrived (as I was bringing my own champagne) the lady arranged for me to have rose petals on the bed which cost ?16 they were beautiful! We got a room on the top floor (8th floor) and we had beautiful views. Our room had a huge window that we could admire the views out of, a massive bed which was v comfy!! We also had a safe (big enough to put a laptop in) and a mini bar with lots of yummy stuff in! In the wall there was an LCD Tele in so we could watch it in bed with loads of sky channels on. The hotel itself is in the perfect location of Piccadilly so you can get around no problems. When we went to Old Trafford we went into Piccadilly and got the Tram it was ?2 return each. When we stayed there the West Ham football team also stayed there so we got to see all the players! This hotel really is lovely and very luxury. The breakfast was AMAZING the best cooked breakfast I have ever tasted, it is a massive buffet with everything you could possibly wish for including croissants, cakes, cereals, yoghurts, cooked breakfast, fruit juices there was such a wide choice of what to eat and well worth the money!! I cannot praise this hotel enough it certainly made a birthday my boyfriend won’t easily forget!! :) Amazing.

A very welcome addition to Manchester
Posted: Sun, Jul 06 2008
The majority of Manchester's 4 star hotels have seen better days, so the Macdonald is a very welcome addition to the scene (who knows, perhaps it will encourage the others to pull their socks up). The bedrooms are well appointed, as are the bathrooms (where the courtesy toiletries are of a particularly good quality - no squeezy bottles bolted to the wall here). Breakfast is a strong point: hot buffet items are prepared in small quantities in an open kitchen directly behind the servery, so no congealed eggs or stone cold bacon. But why is the black pudding resourced from Scotland when the black pudding capital of the universe - Bury - is only sone 15 miles away? For those going to Manchester by rail, the location could not be better, barely 100 yards from Piccadilly Station (leave by the Fairfield Street exit to the left end of the main concourse). For those arriving at Victoria Station, the journey is only marginally more complex - take the tram from one station to the other. Manchester airport has a direct rail link which arrives at Piccadilly Station.