A new £45 million four-star luxury hotel has opened its doors in the heart of Manchester city centre this week.
Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre – which is part of the Dalata Hotel Group, and is the company’s second site in Manchester – is located on Portland Street with a wide range of shopping destinations, art galleries, bars and restaurants, and more on the doorstep, as well as being just less than a 10-minute walk away from both the convenient Piccadilly Gardens and Manchester Piccadilly railway station.
With 18-storeys and 329 bedrooms that are perfect for relaxing in after a busy day in Manchester, Clayton Hotel features sleek modern interiors, with a mezzanine overlooking the bustling bar area on the ground floor, and a stunning feature staircase.
The site of the new hotel was previously home to a 12-storey office block, which was demolished as part of the £45 million project.
Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre is located on Portland Street / Credit: Clayton Hotels
In its place, the new luxury hotel has five state-of-the-art meeting rooms that are equipped with the industry-leading Clevertouch technology to host up to 153 delegates.
This makes it the perfect venue for events and to meet and do business in the city.
The hotel also provides air-conditioned rooms, a fitness centre and a bar, a 24-hour front desk and room service, along with free WiFi throughout.
And as well as both impressive business and accommodation facilities, Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre is also home to the No. 55 Restaurant & Bar, which is an ideal place to grab a bite to eat at any time of the day, and prides itself on working with local suppliers to offer a range of modern British cuisine.
There’s sleek modern interiors, a mezzanine overlooking the bustling bar area on the ground floor, and a stunning feature staircase / Credit: Clayton Hotels
Dermot Crowley – Chief Executive of the Dalata Hotel Group – said the hotel’s opening this week was further evidence of the company’s confidence in Manchester and the North West region, adding that this is “the first of six new hotels that we are opening in the first half of this year”.
He also said that the company is continuing to look for “further opportunities” in the large cities around the UK.
He continued: “Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre has been made possible through the hard work of our partners on the project – Russells WHBO who constructed the hotel, Property Alliance Group who put together the project as developers, and Aviva who funded the scheme.”
Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre has created 87 new jobs.
“We recognise the current challenges in recruiting and retaining people in the hospitality industry as a result of COVID,” Mr Crowley admitted, “but we look to overcome these challenges by offering people opportunities to grow their careers in Dalata within a culture of integrity, fairness and inclusion.”
“I look forward to seeing this new hotel become an established part of the Manchester community in the coming months and years,” he concluded.
Alex Russell – Managing Director of Property Alliance Group – said the opening of is the “culmination of several years of planning and hard work by the whole project team,” and that it’s “fantastic” to see the hotel begin to welcome its first Manchester visitors.
Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre also holds the ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry standard, which demonstrates a commitment to comply with all COVID-19 safety guidelines, and you can find more information here.
Featured Image – Clayton Hotels
News
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
“We are definitely going to see the very best of what Rochdale has to offer over the next 12 months and people will come from far and wide to see it.”
Featured Image – Rochdale Council
News
The Lowry Theatre undergoes revamp following Biffa Award grant
Danny Jones
The Lowry in Salford Quays has had a bit of TLC with one of its biggest theatre spaces undergoing a pretty significant refurb this past month.
Following a well-deserved grant distributed via the Biffa Award, a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through community and environmental projects across the UK, the legendary local theatre received nearly £75k last year.
As a result, all 440 seats and various other aspects of The Lowry‘s Quays Theatre have now been renovated and refurbished.
The short story is, she looks more gorgeous than ever – see for yourself:
Being initially handed over in March 2024, The Lowry was awarded a total of £74,816 to reupholster seating in the venue’s Quays Theatre with new padding and fabric.
After almost 25 years of constant use as one of the most popular theatres in the North, the seats in the Quays Theatre were much in need of a refurb, and with work completed in December, Lowry visitors can now enjoy watching the venue’s wide range of theatre, dance, comedy and drama in comfort.
The work was actually carried out between July and December, with seats being carefully removed in batches and reupholstered off-site.
This was made possible due to the Biffa Award’s most recent ‘Cultural Facilities’ theme, which aims to improve recreation, interest and education, drawing funds from the UK government’s wider Landfill Communities Fund.
The old fabric and padding were disposed of sustainably, with lots of it being repurposed where possible to minimise waste and all the new materials used meet current guidance for safety and quality.
The Lowry’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Development, Gwen Oakden, said of the long overdue update:“It is so important that our audiences are able to enjoy our world-class performing arts programme in a comfortable and welcoming space.
“For many visitors to the Quays Theatre, this is their first experience of live performance – often to see a family show or as part of a school trip. We really want it to be the best experience possible, and for them to begin a lifelong relationship with Lowry.
“As a registered charity, without the generous support of this Biffa Award, for which we’re hugely grateful, we couldn’t have carried out this important work for our audiences.
As we head into our 25th Anniversary year, we are delighted to be able to welcome audiences and visitors can enjoy the beautiful and revived Quays Theatre.”
As for the Biffa side of things, Grants Manager Rachel Maidment added: “We are delighted to have supported The Lowry in refurbishing the Quays Theatre seating, ensuring audiences can continue to enjoy performances in comfort.
“Through Biffa’s Cultural Facilities theme, we fund projects that provide engaging and inspiring spaces for communities. The Lowry is a key cultural venue, and we’re proud that our funding, made possible through the government Fund, has helped enhance the experience for visitors for years to come.”
Like most Mancs, we love The Lowry, so here’s to hosting countless more theatregoers in the most comfortable seats possible for generations to come.
We’ve been to some brilliant performances around here of late.
Emily Sergeant -
20th January 2022 
