Brooklyn Hotel History and Reviews, is Manchester’s newest (opened 2020) and arguably coolest hotel, located in the middle of Portland Street, a seven-minute walk from Manchester Oxford Road rail station. There’s a shouty neon-orange sign out front and a drive-in style film projector through the sliding doors into the open-plan lobby, bar, and restaurant where guests can check themselves in via iPads handed out by the attractive staff. It’s a lovely urban spot, the 189 rooms decorated in smoky charcoal, with mustard-yellow curtains and mint-green winged armchairs. A nice touch sees some of the suites have wildflower terraces to attract bees, Manchester’s symbol. There are also attractive in-room Smeg fridges stocked with Brooklyn Lager and cans of G&T (at a price). Food and drink outside the rooms are solid, too. In the cozy bar, sip cocktails while listening to a record of your choice on the personal turntables; headphones are provided. In the restaurant, with its exposed chrome overhead pipes, enjoy pork chops and burgers in the evening, waffles and bagels in the morning. Hotel Brooklyn is about as buzzy and New York as Manchester gets, the perfect spot for a trendy city center stay.
Hotel Brooklyn opened its doors in Manchester on Valentines Day, shortly before lockdown. As you might expect from the name, the design of the 189-bedroom hotel is inspired by the hipster-saturated New York City borough, weaving in elements of The Great Gatsby and Guys and Dolls.
Location
The hotel is in the middle of Manchester’s city centre on Portland Street – a hop from New York Street – with Chinatown to the front, and the LGBTQ district of Canal Street situated 450 yards behind.
It is walking distance from the central shopping district, including the Arndale Centre, as well as the more interesting independent shops and craft beer bars of the Northern Quarter.
Ambience
Despite its Fifties inspiration, the Brooklyn borrows hints of midcentury Americana, rather than drenching itself in it – there are vivid splashes of colour and neon signage among staple leather seating and granite tables.
The hotel plays on the industrial glamour of the Brooklyn scene, with its own rooftop bar for guests to sink a cocktail in while taking in Manchester’s own architectural skyline. Rooms in the hotel are spacious, with splashes of pastel blue and pinks among more muted tones.
In the snug, a large screen TV plays football matches and news bulletins.
Accommodation
Spacious, and tastefully designed, with the a comfortable, spacious bed and cloud-like pillows. There’s a full-screen TV, desk space and a bundle of books from the era for guests to enjoy.
Food and drink
Runyon’s restaurant, named after the author of Guys and Dolls, Damon Runyon, features more than the usual burger and chips offerings of many American-inspired eateries. Chicken and waffles can be selected alongside a burrata and orange and fennel salad, and a selection of rib eye, tomahawk and New York strip steaks are available on the menu as well as halloumi and falafel dishes.
Cocktails inspired by the likes of Marsha P Johnson and Andy Warhol feature spirits brewed for the Brooklyn brand.
The breakfast selection is vast and considered, but the buffet is now out and table service in. Alongside waffles, breakfast meats, eggs, fruit, yoghurt and cereal, there’s mustard and syrup from the States as well as a selection of UK condiments.
Room service is also available without a supplement and you can choose to read the menu via QR code on a smartphone if you prefer.
The Salvation bar on the penthouse floor of the hotel boasts impressive views of the city’s skyline, and offers a quieter option for those who want to drink a cocktail in a more sedate setting.
What to do
Museums tend to be free in Manchester as part of a council initiative, Brooklyn Hotel History and Reviews so visiting Manchester Art Gallery and the Science and Industry Museum are worth a trip. The People’s History museum details Manchester’s voice in modern political movements, from the Peterloo Massacre, to its place in the modern Labour and Suffrage movement.
Fans of architecture and literature should venture to see The John Rylands or Manchester Central Library. The former’s late-Victorian neo-Gothic building attracts visitors who are not simply interested in research, while the Central Library doesn’t employ the usual no silence policy associated with libraries, inviting you to test out its drum kit and piano located on the third floor.
Later on in the evening, venture to the centre for international contemporary art, theatre and film Home. Beer fans should seek refuge in Beermoth, Port Street Beer House and one of Marble’s haunts in the city centre or the gentrified-yet-charming suburb of Chorlton.
Worth writing home about
Hotel Brooklyn is one of the UK’s first fully accessible hotels. Designed by bespoke accessibility designers Motionspot, each room can meet individual needs. For example, there’s a hidden hoist that can travel across the ceiling to lift a person out of bed with an elegantly designed pulley. Generous wetrooms with bars and railings are thoughtfully worked into the bathroom’s design, and can be removed at ease according to a guest’s requirements.
The taxi companies the hotel contracts must show that they can cater for mobility needs and all the staff have been trained in accessibility awareness – this is a hotel that really, really cares about pushing the boundaries for what a hotel can offer as “the norm”.
To book
59 Portland Street,Brooklyn Hotel History and Reviews Manchester, M1 3HP (0161 518 2936). Doubles start from £130 B&B, hotelbrooklyn.co.uk
Concierge tip
Paul Bayliss, Hotel Brooklyn General Manager said: “Manchester is quickly developing into a Metropolis since its heady days as Cottonopolis.
“It’s difficult to pinpoint whether the modern inner city tourist should focus on art, theatre, culture or sport – so, my top tip is to book yourself in with one of the many tour guides, such as Jonathan Schofield, who will give you the inside track of how the city has constantly reinvented itself from the industrial revolution through to the fastest growing city in Europe.”
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