What are you looking for?
May 21st, 2009
So i was thinking today about what makes a great hotel, and i realised that its not the star rating or how close to the city centre that really makes the difference its how the hotel fits your needs. The thing is a hotel in Manchester is needs to meet the specific requirements that you have, now you may think looking at the situation that everyone’s needs are more or less the same, however this really couldn’t be further from the truth. For example if it is a special occasion eg honeymoon you will probably be looking for a luxury or 5 star hotel maybe in the Salford Quays area of the city but if you are a group of lads on a stag do the quality of the in house restaurant probably isn’t going to matter to you. For most people the type of hotel they need is decided by price and how cheap they can get a room anywhere in the city. For example i am staying in the city this Friday so i can go out with a few work mates for a drink, so as you can imagine i am not going to want to fork out alot for a hotel i will at the most spend half the night in (check out is at 11 grrrr). So for me it was as simple job of ordering the hotel list on laterooms by price and going to the first. Obviously there were a few checks that had to be put in place, ie does the place have a roof?
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