Whitworth Locke, Manchester, UK
An apart-hotel from the Locke Living group, Whitworth Locke is well located and offers good value for money.
Photography by Hotel Palette
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✓ Design on a budget
✓ Kitchenette is ideal for longer stays
✓ Excellent on-site coffee shop
Stylish and incredibly good value, this well-located aparthotel from Locke Living (also in Edinburgh and London) offers chic studios and suites, a co-working space, excellent coffee shop, a pop up restaurant (currently Peruvian, rotates regularly), cocktail bar and gym. For £60 per night, right by Oxford Road station and 5 minutes on foot to Piccadilly, you can’t go far wrong.
Who stays here?
Populated by freelancers scrunched over MacBooks by day and quiet revellers by night. Young couples and friends have found a stylish but affordable base in the city, here, while the self-catering kitchenettes are ideal for solo business travellers or those staying a little longer.
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Rooms
Rooms are spacious with a fully-equipped kitchenette and seating area ideal for guests staying more than a couple of nights. There’s a dichotomy in the building’s industrial past against chic finishes and contemporary design choices: rough brick walls are painted in a contemporary shade of salmon pink, and sit happily against sleek brass-clad bedside tables and window sills. Comfortable king-sized beds feature a baby blue velvet headboard and a locally made throw, available to buy downstairs.
Apparently they have the fastest hotel Wi-Fi in Manchester.
Food and drink
Local outfit Foundation Coffee has an outpost here, with breakfast choices including porridge bowls and eggs cooked in a variety of ways. The bed-and-breakfast rate includes a £10 voucher for breakfast here, but this seems unnecessary. The long bar that runs down the centre of the glass atrium is an ideal stop-off for a drink before heading out for the evening, while the pop-up restaurant next door provides a nice option for those not wanting to venture out in the Manchester drizzle.
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Design details
The building was once a cotton mill, and New York-based architects Grzywinski+Pons have simultaneously embraced the industrial features, such as the original pillars and exposed bricks, and created soft, intimate spaces within the cavernous shell. Reception is on the far side of a chic bar which blends the inside and outdoors with a cobbled floor, glass ceiling and lush hanging baskets.
Service
Laid back ‘house hosts’ offer a cheerful welcome and helpful orientation of the building. The staff in FDN coffee next door are less smiley and more reserved. The co-working space is split into different areas that offer a choice of seating, plugs and light . The Locker Room gym in the cellar features free weights, yoga classes and a couple of cardio machines.
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Things to do
Manchester Museum and The Whitworth are both a short road down Oxford Road. Head to Refuge bar for cocktails, Bistrotheque at Cultureplex for dinner, Evelyn’s in the Northern Quarter for brunch.
Packing list
An oversized Acne scarf and Doc Martens to keep warm while walking around Manchester.
Getting there
On busy Princess Street in the city centre, Whitworth Locke is a couple of minutes’ walk from the bars and restaurants in Manchester’s vibrant Gay Village and Chinatown. It’s five minutes on foot to Manchester Art Gallery and Piccadilly train station.
