HOTEL
By Tom Newcombe Innside Manchester
MELIA HOTELS CHOSE MANCHESTER OVER LONDON to debut its Innside brand, aiming to tap into the city’s burgeoning creative scene. Innside Manchester is located in the new First Street development. It’s within walking distance of one of Manchester’s main streets, Deansgate, and close to three railway stations with easy access to the airport. Melia plans to open two new Innside properties, in Glasgow and Birmingham, in 2018.
ROOMS: The hotel features 208 rooms, including eight studio suites. All have free wifi, flat-screen TV, safety deposit box, rain shower with Sampar products and free minibar. My room was a Premium King, which was a spacious 33.5sqm (standard 32sqm). The free minibar, with beers and soft drinks, makes a change from the normal hotel offering. On the large vanity table were books showing Manchester’s attractions as well as its industrial past, which was a nice touch. The grey decor matched the city’s usual dour weather and the view from my room. The suites are an impressive 51sqm and upgrades on the premium room include a very generous workspace area, walk- through bathroom with bath tub, espresso maker and flat-screen TV in both bedroom and lounge.
1 First Street, Manchester M15 4RP • Tel: +44 (0) 161 200 2500 •
Melia.com
RESTAURANTS & BARS: The hotel’s restaurant, Street on First, offers Mediterranean-style food incorporating Spanish, Italian and Asian fusion dishes – the menu includes pork wontons, Thai seafood curry, risotto and chicken liver parfait. The seafood paella is an excellent choice. The eating area is spacious with plenty of natural light. MEETINGS & EVENTS: The hotel offers a selection of flexible meeting spaces all located on the first floor, each benefiting from natural daylight. The largest room on offer is the Chadwick Suite with 300 sqm of event space. It can be divided into three rooms for smaller meetings or break-out sessions and comes with LCD projector and screen. The other two rooms (Foster 49 sqm and Walton 44 sqm) are the hotel’s smaller
AIRLINE Vietnam Airlines B787-9, premium economy, LHR-SGN
VIETNAM AIRLINES BEGAN OPERATING THE DREAMLINER on daily flights from London Heathrow to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2015, flying four-times weekly to Hanoi and three to Ho Chi Minh City. The Ho Chi Minh service flies on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. These are the only direct services between London and Vietnam.
CHECK-IN & BOARDING: I tried to check in online the night before, but couldn’t because of a technical glitch and customer support lines were closed for the day. But when I checked in at the dedicated premium economy desk in T4 there was no problem getting my seat preference. Onboard I was offered a hot towel and a choice of juice or water, and given an amenity kit containing socks, dental kit, eye mask and slippers. THE SEAT: The B787-9 has five rows of premium economy configured 2-3-2 (A-C, D-E-F, G-K). A galley and washrooms are located at the front of the cabin, while the back row is separated from the economy cabin by a curtain. My window seat was spacious and comfortable, upholstered in teal fabric, with a cushioned headrest providing extra support. There was plenty of legroom (42in, compared with 32in in economy), plus footrest and legrest. The 10.6in touchscreen IFE monitor was stowed in the left armrest with a handset recessed underneath, while the tray table unfolded from the right armrest. It was a little rickety, and just about large enough to hold a slim laptop. There was a USB port beside the screen, plus two universal sockets under the middle armrest.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
THE FLIGHT: Cabin crew came around with menus and headphones 15 minutes after take-off. The drinks trolley appeared shortly afterwards, offering a variety of wines, spirits and cocktails alongside juices, soft drinks, Vietnamese green tea and coffee. Lunch was a choice of beefburger with mash or Szechuan-style chicken and steamed rice. I chose the burger, which was tender and flavoursome. After dinner, I settled down to watch a film – there was a good selection of new releases, classics and TV shows. At 12.50, the cabin went dark, but I was able to keep working using my individual light. After a while I settled down for a few hours’ sleep. Later on, sandwiches and juices were brought around, and pot noodles were available from the galley. Two hours before landing we were served a choice of breakfasts, including poached egg with hollandaise sauce and bacon, and chicken with stir-fried noodles. The crew were friendly and responsive. VERDICT: An excellent product that made long stints seated quite comfortable. Most notable, however, was the service, which was exceptional thanks to a number of minor yet thoughtful touches, such as slippers, hot towels and regular offers of food and drink.
BBT July/August 2017 95
spaces, with a capacity for hosting up to 50 guests theatre-style. LEISURE: The hotel has a 24-hour fitness centre with a good selection of equipment. There is also a sauna and steam room as well as spa treatments. The hotel doesn’t have its own car park but has partnered with Q-Park which offers guests a 25 per cent discount. VERDICT: With half-a-dozen quality ‘business-friendly’ hotels within 15 minutes of the First Street development, it was a brave decision by Melia to open Innside in Manchester, but with its contemporary design, chic bedrooms and friendly staff, it looks like becoming a mainstay of the city’s hotel scene – despite rivals offering larger meeting and events spaces. Although it’s the new kid on the block, Innside has embraced the culture of Manchester.
By Marisa Cannon
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