Dual Branded Crowne Plaza & Staybridge Suites now open in Manchester

Wow! What a fantastic property, or should I say…couple of properties! IHG have launched their amazing Crowne Plaza Manchester - Oxford Road and Staybridge Suites Manchester - Oxford Road, properties to us and they are truly glorious! The only dual-branded hotel in Manchester, Staybridge Suites sits on top of the Crowne Plaza and there’s literally something for everyone here. We got the chance to take a sneak preview a couple of days ahead of launch – you’re in for a treat!

As you drive into the area, you can’t help but be impressed by this glorious building which dominates the skyline. Spread over 19 floors and two distinctly different hotels, this property demands attention and will definitely put the wow factor into your event.

Distance & time from nearest airport: Situated 8 miles from Manchester Airport – 18 minutes by road

Distance & time from nearest railway station: Situated 1.5 miles from Manchester Piccadilly Station – 10 minutes by road, situated 0.6 miles from Manchester Oxford Road Station

Official star rating: 4 star

Fitness gym: Yes, open 24 hours a day, brand new equipment – mixture of resistance machines and free weights – large flat screen TC and tons of natural light. This is a really, really nice gym

Spa & Swimming Pool: No

Parking: The nearest car park is Car Park D, University of Manchester, which only costs £10.00 for 24 hours which is a great price for Manchester. For more info click here

Coach / Bus Pick-up Location at hotel: Yes, coaches can drop off / pick up directly outside the main Crowne Plaza entrance – no problem at all. They can’t wait here but loading / unloading is fine.

Business centre: No but any photocopying / printing etc can be done by the reception staff. There are also a couple of Macs in the conference breakout area of the Crowne Plaza.
Wi-fi: Yes, completely free and excellent, hi-speed connections everywhere in both hotels

Crowne Plaza
The Crowne Plaza has its main entrance on Booth Street West and is a lovely place to be. Very light and spacious, the reception desk is uncluttered and has a very nice contemporary style to it, whilst also being very welcoming. There is a feature staircase here which leads directly to the conference floor but more of that later.

Once past reception you are hit by the fabulously named ‘The Graduate’ restaurant - bar and lounge area, which is style personified. Lots of varies seating, including booths (complete with power sockets! Yes!) this is a really nice place to take a bite to eat, catch up on some work, meet a colleague etc. Perfect.

Further on down the lobby area is the lovely Laureate restaurant which has 120 covers and is filled with natural light. In a word, it’s fabulous! We loved that it had an open kitchen too! There is also a Club Lounge for guests staying in club rooms, which has complimentary continental breakfast, all day tea, coffee and soft drinks as well as two hours of complimentary alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) drinks and canapes 7 days a week.

On the Meeting & Events floor is all the meeting spaces and what superb spaces they are! We will cover them off in detail below, but they were amazing rooms, with tons of natural light, great facilities and off the scale AV equipment.

The largest room is the Rothwell Suite (can also split into two), then there’s the Bernstein Suite (can also split into three), the lovely Executive Boardroom, and last but not least the gorgeous Turing Room.

Number of floors: 12

Number of bedrooms: 212 bedrooms including 46 club rooms and 1 suite

Bedrooms: The bedrooms in the Crowne Plaza are lovely and contemporary. Simple. Clean lines but yet very elegant. I really liked them. Very nice bathrooms too

Meeting Space Highlight: The Rothwell Suite
This fabulous meeting room will be a really nice draw for the hotel. As well as the ability to split into two rooms, once fully opened it can hold over 200 people in theatre style – perfect for medium sized conferences and dinners etc. There is also the really nice conference breakout area for pre-dinner drinks / coffee breaks / lunches etc. Loved this room.

Natural light: Yes
Size: 186 Sq.M
Reception: 230
Theatre: 220
Cabaret: 105
Classroom: 124
Dinner: 160
Location: Meeting & Events floor
AV Equipment included: Built in screen, projector and PA system with speakers etc

Meeting Space Highlight: The Turing Room
I loved this room. Although not massive, it is perfect for a chilled out brainstorming room. There are couches and a funky board table in here, but it could be transformed fully into a ‘free-thinking’ type of room or also a small private dinner with a pre-function area for drinks etc. Fabulous room – trust me!

Natural light: Yes
Size: 48 Sq.M
Boardroom: 8
Informal: 8
Dinner: 8
Location: Meeting & Events floor
AV Equipment included: Large flat screen TV

For meeting room capacities, layouts and further information please click here for a fantastic PDF which gives images, sizes, layouts etc: http://ihg.scene7.com/is/content/ihg/MANOR/crowne-plaza-manchester-5457236072-original.pdf

Staybridge Suites
With its own entrance, although you can access both properties by either entrance, you are advised to take the lift to the 18^th floor for check-in and once you walk out of those doors, you are really in for a treat. To say it simply, the view is spectacular – full 360 degrees views of Manchester. Wow!

Guests staying here with also have access to the 24 hour gym, the laundry, free hot & cold buffet breakfast in ‘The Hub’. Three evening per week there will also be ‘The Social’ – which is an informal opportunity for guests to mingle and get to know their on-site team over complimentary drinks and nibbles. Love this idea!

The Staybridge check in experience is fantastic (if you can pull yourself away from those views!) - the top floor is amazing. Tons of sofas, tables, dining opportunities, and even some nooks and crannies for you to hold semi-private meetings etc. Loved it up there – didn’t want to leave!

Number of floors: 7

Number of bedrooms: 116 bedrooms made up of one bed suites and modern studio rooms

Bedrooms: The Staybridge Suite bedrooms are a totally different offer from the Crowne Plaza rooms. Comprising of Suites or one bed apartments, they really are a completely separate offer and I absolutely loved them! Can’t wait to stay in one of them!

SUMMARY
I was really looking forward to this visit and I have to say I was blown away. This property, or should I say – these properties are gorgeous. As well as being brand new and lovely, they have been designed fantastically well. Teaming with natural daylight everywhere, they have stylish bedrooms, gorgeous common areas and massively functional meeting spaces – what’s not to love? I really can’t wait to bring a group here as I know they will absolutely love the place. I wholeheartedly recommend that you get yourself booked in for a show round with Melanie, Samantha or Andrea and keep one step ahead of your clients before the secret gets out!!