For all these reasons the hotel i want to review is Britannia Airport Hotel South Manchester which as you can guess from the name is close to the airport (about 3 miles). This hotel really is geared towards the airport in that they have a shuttle bus running regularly to the airport for only £3 per passenger. When you factor in that the price for a taxi to any of Manchester’s main hotels will be at least £15 that’s quite a saving. Also you want to factor in that if this is an unexpected stop in the city (ie ashcloud) then you don’t want to be paying over the odds for a city centre location that you never plan to take advantage of.

Even though it is a basic hotel you do have some great amenities like WIFI, a top restaurant and business conference rooms. Also given that this is a 3 star “visit Britain” certified hotel you can be sure of a good standard of service. I also like that this is part of a successful chain and I’ve reviewed one of Britannias hotels here before. The final detail i need to provide you with is of course price and they seem to be really competitive (at the moment). A standard single room is around £40 and a double comes in at around £47 per person. They do seem to have really good availability too which is very important for any airport hotel as you will often want to be booking on short notice.

So there you have my first “practical review” for anyone looking to book a hotel in Manchester on short notice. Whether it’s an Icelandic Volcano or a flight delay and you need somewhere to stay on a budget then you can do a lot worse than Britannias. Until next time…

So its about time for another post here and i thought i would do another hotel review this time as you can never have enough of them i don’t think! This time i am going to be reviewing Novotel and in my never ending quest to find cheap hotels in Manchester i think this hotel fits the bill quite nicely. First thing i have to say about this hotel is that its 3 star AA attested and also reasonably priced at around £70 - £80 during the week which is really good for any 3 star accommodation. I also have to mention that this isn’t exactly a city centre hotel as its around 5-6 miles from the heart of the city. However in saying that the hotel is still a short drive from old Trafford stadium and also the Salford Quays shopping centre.

For a cheap hotel this place really has a lot of facilities, for one it has a heated pool which is a first for any hotel i reviewed on here. It also has WIFI internet though-out the hotel which great for business guests. They also have a gym too which is great for anyone trying to unwind after a long day (do you unwind at the gym lol). With all these extras at this hotel i do have to wonder if these are all being factored into the final price. Still i think this is a great place that is going to suit alot of different people (they also have conference suites for business guests). I know ive often talked about city centre hotels and how great they can be but i think theres alot to be said for somewhere quiet and out of the way where you can relax in peace after a long day and i think Novotel is one of those places. So until next time here on cheaphotelsinmanchester happy bookings!

As i have mentioned before being in the centre of your destination city is always a plus and The Gardens is within walking distance of Piccadilly Station and the Arndale Centre which should save you quite a bit on taxi fees and other travel costs. As with most modern hotels weather they market themselves as a “business hotel” or not WIFI is provided throughout the hotel and should be accessible everywhere. One thing that i did notice in other peoples reviews of this hotel is that it is a little basic and could do with some modernisation. I think that this could be true however my main priority has always been to provide good advice on cheap and budget hotels around the Manchester area. So while you shouldn’t have to compromise on the basics i think there may need to be some give and take with the luxury elements of these hotels. I suppose the best way to put it is that this is the ideal type of hotel for someone on quick weekend break etc and probably not suited for a much longer stay. I suppose the main thing to consider is how much time you are actually going to be spending in the hotel? For many its a case of being out shopping /sightseeing all day then out in the bars at night, how much of the hotel are you really going to see?

So as you can see my main priorities for a hotel are:

• Cheap
• Clean
• Safe
• Location
• Wifi (sometimes)

Not a very big list is it! However when it comes to cheap you don’t want to limit yourself to an extensive list of factors, keep it simple so you can keep the price down. So there you go a new review and some general advice too, hopefully ill have some more news and reviews to come soon!

Its hard to know the motivation for the big price cuts but i think whatever the reason your average visitor would be crazy to not consider some of these deals when choosing their next hotel. When you put this kind of offer up against some of the competing hotels around the city it really starts to stand out even more. I suppose i should tell you a bit more about the hotel before i go on any further, after all what’s the point of a discount if you don’t like the hotel?

First the hotel is 3 star visit Britain attested which is always reassuring. Also one great thing about this place (and quite unusual for a 3 star hotel) is that it has a swimming pool with Jacuzzi, sauna and also a gym. Now i know for alot of people a gym really isn’t a must on their average hotel stay (especially if its a holiday stay and not a business trip) as most people just want to relax. However I’m sure there are many of my readers who would appreciate the sauna and Jacuzzi services. I suppose its a real added extra that you just don’t get in your average budget hotel in this price range but hopefully its going to be more and more common. Why should 5 star guests have all the luxury?

You can also expect plenty of the standard offerings with this budget hotel such as TV, hairdryer and free wifi throughout the building. There’s also air con in all of the rooms which is welcome but quite unexpected of a “cheap hotel” these days. Long time readers of the blog will also be aware that im a big fan of hotels located right in the centre of the city no matter what city that may be. I always think you get a better feel for the city if you are right in the heart of things. And also and probably more importantly there are a lot of cost savings to be had if you are not paying for taxis every day. Also given the fact that there are so many cheap hotels in Manchester now compared to even a few years ago its hard to see why people still want to stay outside the main areas. Im also seeing alot more of these significant discounts recently to help entice people into the bigger hotels, and it is usually the bigger establishments and chains that are doing it. So hopefully i have covered everything, check out their site below if you want some more info: http://www.britanniahotels.com/hotels/manchester-sachas

Its not too often that we review a 4 star hotel here but i suppose there is a first time for everything! The City Inn hotel is about half a mile from the city centre and represents pretty good value for a hotel in this category. A double or twin room is going to be between £60 - £70 for the night, which is at the top range of the scale for what would be considered a cheap hotel in Manchester but i think its still great value for the standard of accommodation that you are getting. The City Inn is probably most famous for the views it provides right over the city centre and down onto Auburn Street but that doesn’t mean it lacks in many of the other essential departments. Each room comes with TV/DVD player and minibar and has full wifi throughout.

The hotel is quite popular with business travellers as it is very close to the Manchester convention centre. As mentioned before i still think location is one of the most important factors if you are looking for discounts in Manchester or the surrounding area. Given that this hotel isn’t actually that much more expensive than a similar hotel on the outskirts it makes sense to stay closer to the city centre. Also i have also thought that you never really get the feel of the city if you are staying on the outskirts, you are after all there to experience the city and its hard to do that if you have to travel 5 miles every day of your holiday to get to it from your accommodation.

Anyway i got a little sidetracked there, back to this hotel review! Ive noticed some higher than average price differences in the room rates depending on the day you book. For example a single double during the week can be as much as £30 cheaper than the same room at the weekend which is a bigger difference than you would normally expect. It also reaffirms my previous convictions that booking your stay on abnormal dates definitely has its advantages and not just on price but also in terms of space and comfort. So conclusion i think there are some great deals to be had here, check out their site below.

http://www.cityinn.com/manchester/manchester-hotels.htm

Drinking spots in Manchester

Some people can be quite snobby about picking hotels especially when their primary reason for deciding on accommodation is being able to tell their hairdresser they have been to a 5 star hotel. For me it has never been about that, its a place to stay and relax before or after go out to enjoy the Manchester nightlife. One thing you should always check though when you are booking is that the hotel is actually in Manchester! I know it sounds obvious but many of the hotel sites list hotels in Didsbury,Northenden and even Sale. Its tempting to just see the price and just assume that the hotel isn’t that far away but i would always say take a closer look as you could find a long trip to anywhere you want to be.

So anyway back to the point, the hotel must meet your needs first. As mentioned for many people (especially at this time) the greatest need in the price. This is understandable if price really is a priority but if it is further down the list and you do actually want a quality hotel then remember there is usually a reason the un-rated hotel at the bottom of the price list is so cheap. Its easy to deceive yourself coming up with easy answers why the hotel is in the budget range but its always worth a closer look. For one if the hotel is 2-3 miles outside the city center eg in Collyhurst then its easy to see why it is discounted, however if its closer to the city centre and still much cheaper than the rest you may need to look into why. I few points to look for are:

• Is it a chain hotel or a privately owned? You will take less of a risk with a cheap chain hotel
• Check out the photos online
• The reviews on google maps can be quite incisive, in my opinion its probably a broader survey that the one or two you will see on expedia

All looks pretty complicated doesn’t it? As mentioned it really depends on what your priorities are, for me after a few beers i won’t know where i am anyway 

• Copthorne Hotel, Manchester is a unique 4 star hotel overlooking the waterfront in the south west of the city. At around £66 per night for a double room i think this represents very good value for a hotel in this category. Another plus point is the hotel under two miles from the city centre. It is also quite close to the Trafford shopping centre which has over 250 individual shops and also the Manchester United museum is quite close by.

• Best Western Princess on Portland – Im not usually a fan of big hotel chains as they can be quite commercial and often very impersonal however the Best Western chain has a very good reputation and the Portland is no exception. The best thing about this hotel is its location and this is what you are mainly paying for as you are right in the heart of the city centre and only a short walk to the main attractions. A standard double is around £75 a night which i think is really good value for this area.

• Also on Portland street but around £10 cheaper is the Ramada Manchester Piccadilly hotel. This is a new and very stylish development right in the centre of town. You can expect all rooms to have climate control and a flat screen TV. Again the main feature of this hotel is the location and area but it is also very cheap for a 3 star of this standard.

As you can see one of the main factors in accommodation price is location but there are still great deals to be found right in the city centre like the Ramada. The key really is to compare the features of any hotel and not just the star rating. Remember that a lot of hotels choose their own star rating and not all are rated by an outside agency like the AA or visit England.

Another thing a lot of people have been remarking to me about recently is the quality of some in house restaurants which can be both good and bad. For example the Clippers Brasserie at the Copthorne has had some very good reports recently but it can be hard to tell unless you try it out for yourself. I think the quality of any hotel restaurant is really only relevant is certain situations, ie if you are in a more remote hotel you may not be able/willing to travel out every night to eat, so if the in house restaurant is poor you really are going to notice.

With this in mind choose wisely!

West Lynne Manchester

One of the main plus points of this hotel is the access it has to the Old Trafford ground which is not that far away. There is also space for onsite car parking and wireless internet access throughout. The hotel bar is open till late and im told the food is excellent. The hotel is also situated a short walk from the metro link which will give you access to all of the main sites around the city of Manchester. This hotel is offering apartments as opposed to some hotels were its really only a room. You may wonder what the difference is, will i suppose its really just the way the place feels. I have always preferred apartment style hotels because its one of the few occasions when staying in a foreign place that it can feel anything like home. They do have luxury apartments available too but expect them to take a significant amount out of your budget.

Room service is another very nice luxury that most of us don’t get to enjoy very often. However it may not be as expensive as you think, especially in the current climate. It really does feel like you are royalty when you can get your meals delivered straight to your room, although you could find it hard to leave the hotel in the first place! As mentioned previously it is always important to make sure that you are not paying for services that you never intend to use as this will quickly eat up your holiday budget. Try to get a full list of all a hotels services before you book to ensure you are not short changed!

The first step is to start checking out some of the common price comparison sites for hotels. Its not unusual to find as much as a 50% difference in price on different websites for the same hotel room on the same rates. When comparing prices its very important that you make sure you are comparing like for like in your requirements. Eg some price comparison sites do not include taxes and other extra expenses so it is important that you get full details of the booking.

Also when you are checking out comparison sites for cheap deals beware of hotels listed as “onrequest” as this means they do not actually have the hotel in their system and will have to contact the owner manually. As such this may mean any booking you make could fall though due to the hotel already being fully booked.