Sheesh - seems like ages since I've been here. So many changes, business up and running - bred my f...
Sheesh - seems like ages since I've been here. So many changes, business up and running - bred my first litter of labs - moved house - guess I had better work on catching up now!
Member since:20.03.2001
Reviews:275
Members who trust:170
I have always been curious about Britannia Hotels, and thanks to some unexpected work commitments managed to stay in two in as many days.
The Britannia Hotel is one of five in the Manchester area, and one of two in the City Centre, the chain appears to be expanding all the time. Most of the company's hotels are in the North and Midlands, although they do have venues in Brighton, Gatwick and London.
LOCATION It is located across the road from the Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel, and walking distance from G-Mex, the Arndale Centre, and Piccadilly Square (where all the trams meet). If you are arriving at night, you cannot miss it as it is brightly lit up with white lights.
There are a number of bars and restaurants within easy walking distance. The hotel is also a stones throw away from China Town, host to numerous culinary delightful chinese restaurants and well worth a visit, the one we chose had 5 courses for £12.
The
hotel has a couple of restaurants, a bar and disco, and is lit up rather brightly at night.
The entrance hall is very grand with large stairways and chandaliers almost the size of my living room, it is painted in blue and gold, and has a rather 'indian' restaurant type feel to it throughout.
THE ROOMS I am now coming to the conclusion that in most cases, you have seen one hotel room, you've seen them all. En-suite (bath, shower, sink and toilet) the rooms have high windows no real view if located in the back of the hotel and not a lot of real light, a desk area, lots of lamps, a settee, telephone, colour TV, trouser press (well hidden in the wardrobe).
The temperatures were very high both in the rooms and throughout the hotel, and I was advised by the receptionist that this is quite usual.
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Complimentary newspapers are provided, but don't expect them delivered outside your door. Irons and ironing boards are provided, but unusually they are not delivered to your room, but located in an ironing room. not great if you've got nothing to wear and something creased.
BREAKFAST Self-service basis, including fruit juice and cereals.
Cooked food included, scrambled egg, fried egg, normal sausages, seasoned sausages, fried bread, waffles, bacon, black pudding, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes and CHIPS! Coffee/tea and toast are supplied in abundance.
RATES Rates vary according to demand and day.
The rack rate for a double room is £93, but your best bet is to book over the internet which should offer the best rates. However, if you are attending a conference here it may be worth checking with the hotel to see if a special rate has been negotiated, we had an excellent rate at one of the Britannia hotels in Coventry.
We paid £62 for B&B in an executive double room on our first visit.
I had been warned by my brother-in-law (also a regular visitor to the hotel) that some of the budget rooms do not have windows, I was rather disbelieving until my third visit to the hotel when we were placed on the top floor, sure enough the rooms only have a skylight and no window, making them rather depressing and warmer than usual. You can apparently open the skylights, but I didn't manage it.
PAYMENT Payment can be made through cash or credit card, but if using the latter, be prepared to sign for pre-authorisation (something I have never encountered before on my travels). This is when they make sure you are good for the amount due, plus a few extras in case you wish to take advantage of their always open (providing there are customers around) bar and rather overinflated prices for Manchester - although not too bad as hotels go.
The hotel was not too friendly with regards to setting up accounts, although I should imagine the bigger organisations would probably have less problems. Corporate credit cards cannot be used without pre-authorisation through their pre-set system, or otherwise they must have the signatory present.
PARKING As with most of the hotels in this area, there is no parking available at the hotel, and thus you must use the NCP car-parks located close by, £14.50/day. If you use the Thistle Hotel just up the road they offer a special rate for the same car-park. There is very limited unrestricted parking available directly outside the hotel between 8pm and 8am, although can be a hassle if trying to get ready for a meeting and needing to move the car elsewhere.
LEISURE FACILITIES There are no facilities available at this hotel, although guests may use the facilities at the Britannia Sachas hotel a short walk away, although unlike most other major chains, these facilities are not free to paying guests at either hotel.
SUMMARY A nice hotel in a central and very convenient location at affordable rates.
CONTACT DETAILS The Britannia Hotel Portland Street Manchester M1 3LA Tel : 0161 228 2288 Fax : 0161 236 9154
Best way to Book: www.britanna-hotels.co.uk
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I stayed there and found the ott decor quite amusing, but checkout was very slow. I have no memory of the room and assume it was fine for its purpose - a cheap place to stay for two nights. Luci
anjib 25.07.2002 10:29
Great, loads of information. Sounds pretty typical of the Britannia Hotel here in Coventry. I presume they belong to the same chain. I can't imagine a room without windows though, would feel like a prison.
sue.51 17.05.2001 08:46
I stayed in the Royal Court Hotel (Britannia) in Coventry on Tuesday night but there is no space for it on here - I used to live in Coventry and know that other hotel well - I have never actually stayed there but have visited and it looks very nice inside.
Sue
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May 16th, 2001
(Jul 20th, 2002)
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