The Best Boutique Hotels in Manchester
![From historic conversions to the purpose-built, Manchester has something special to suit your stay](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/1220x671/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/j0dfry.webp?quality=1)
The thriving boutique hotel scene in Manchester shows no sign of slowing, much like the city itself. Whether you’re after Victorian-era grandeur or velvet-clad fun palaces, we check in to the most characterful stays in the city.
The Lowry Hotel
Boutique Hotel
![Seating and bar stools at the stylish bar in the Lowry Hotel, with potted plants in the corners](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/lowry-hotel.webp?quality=1)
A long-standing favourite of visiting VIPs, the five-star Lowry sits on the Salford side of the River Irwell, linked to central Manchester by a curvy white footbridge. Rooms are sleek and spacious, with light flooding in through floor-to-ceiling windows, and the on-site perks include a spa offering Elemis and Aromatherapy Associates treatments. There is also a revamped restaurant, where the modern British menu features veg from Cheshire farms, Lancashire meat and fish, and gins and beers from local Salford producers.
Stock Exchange Hotel
Boutique Hotel
![Dining area with couches in an s formation and ornate walls at the Stock Exchange Hotel](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/stock-exchange-hotel.webp?quality=1)
One of the finest Manchester hotels, Stock Exchange is a little beauty, its Edwardian baroque interiors awash with marble columns, gleaming brasswork and stained glass. They haven’t cut any corners here: bowler-hatted doormen usher you in; celebrity chef Tom Kerridge is behind the refined menu of British comfort food; and the bedrooms feel grown-up and glamorous, with swish white marble bathrooms and soft furnishings in soothing shades of coffee and cream.
Hotel Football
Hotel
![Bar stools and seating in the bar area at Hotel Football](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/0aebce6f.webp?quality=1)
Hotel Gotham
Hotel
![A couch and bright pink chair next to a trunk in a seating area at Hotel Gotham with views over city](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/f0cc8ed7-jpg.webp?quality=1)
The Midland
Hotel
![Seating around railings in the stylish and ornate lobby area at the Midland, with a large potted tree and marble columns](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/99fafeb3.webp?quality=1)
Built in 1903 to house well-heeled rail travellers, this red-brick landmark is a grande dame of the Manchester hotel scene and looking better than ever thanks to a £14 million top-to-toe refurbishment. The revamped bedrooms have been elegantly made over in cool neutral shades, and the lovely basement spa offers thermal experiences, a relaxation pool and Caudalie treatments. Eating options include Adam Reid at the French, winner of many awards for its modern British fine dining.
The Oxnoble
Boutique Hotel
![Tables and seating in the dining area at the Oxnoble, with a TV in one corner](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/the-oxnoble.webp?quality=1)
Named after a variety of potato (yes, really), the Oxnoble is known for its food. An early arrival on the gastropub scene, it still packs in the punters for a menu that features the likes of brioche bacon butties, steak and ale pie and vegan burgers. It also has 10 simply furnished but cosy bedrooms that make a great base for visiting the surrounding area, with Castlefield on one side and the Science and Industry Museum on the other.
Velvet Hotel and Bar
Hotel
![Bar stools along the stylish bar at Velvet Hotel & Bar, with orchids in large pots at either end](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/velvet-hotel-and-bar.webp?quality=1)
Malmaison Manchester
Boutique Hotel
![A bed and light fixture in a modern hotel room at Malmaison in Manchester](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/malmaison-2-1.webp?quality=1)
The Mal was one of the first boutique hotels to open in Manchester and, despite increased competition, it’s still going strong. The easy-to-reach location close to Piccadilly station certainly helps, as does the fact that it has continued to refresh and update over the years. The look in the rooms, split between a 1904 cotton warehouse and a modern extension, is mostly moody and monochrome, and facilities include a small basement spa and gym and a popular brasserie and bar.
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel
Boutique Hotel
![A double bed, grey armchairs and a partly tiled wall in a hotel room at Kimpton Clocktower](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/kimpton-clocktower-3.webp?quality=1)
Victorian grandeur meets 21st-century buzz in this Oxford Road hotel, created from the old Refuge Assurance Company HQ. At its heart is a vast, high-ceilinged space replete with original arches and ceramics, all cleverly subdivided into different zones: bar, games den, foliage-filled Winter Garden and a restaurant serving small plates and sharing dishes (the slow-cooked lamb shoulder is a perennial favourite). Bedrooms impress, too: no two are alike, but all have grand proportions and a cool modern look.