The Best Cheap Hotels to Book in Manchester
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay on a budget in Manchester, these wallet-friendly places don’t stint on style.
Being strapped for cash doesn’t mean settling for crowded dorms or bland budget chains. Manchester’s hotel scene has exploded in recent years, and competitive new arrivals mean there are great deals to be had. Free prosecco on tap? Yes please. Cool co-working spaces? Don’t mind if we do.
1. The Cow Hollow Hotel
Hotel
Despite its eminently affordable room rates, this cool Northern Quarter hotel treats guests to the kind of perks you’d expect from far pricier places. There are high-thread-count linens and goose down duvets on the Hypnos beds, while bathrooms are handsomely kitted out with fluffy towels, REN toiletries and bronze rainfall showers. The icing on the Cow Hollow cake? Every evening friendly staff lay on free prosecco and nibbles in the bar.
2. Whitworth Locke
Apartment
There’s a particularly sociable vibe to this warehouse conversion on the edge of the Gay Village. As well as offering good-value apartments with the design values of a boutique hotel (soothing colour palettes, natural woods and smart Smeg kitchenettes), it also has a handsome central space filled with old industrial features and lavish greenery, where you can find a co-working space, grab a coffee, enjoy a cocktail and check out what’s on the lively roster of events.
3. The Ainscow Hotel
Hotel
The Ainscow occupies a former brewery in a rapidly developing corner of Salford, 10 minutes’ walk from Manchester’s shiny new Spinningfields district, with its smart shops and bars. You get plenty of space and facilities for your money here: the high-ceilinged bedrooms are generously sized, and there’s a well-equipped fitness room, a spa offering cryotherapy treatments and (when the weather plays ball) a suntrap roof terrace.
4. Hotel Indigo Manchester
Hotel
Every Hotel Indigo has a different style that reflects its host city. Here, you get an old Victorian tea warehouse with quirky design details that reference Manchester’s heritage: cotton spools for coat hooks, or (in a nod to the city’s worker bee symbol) honeycomb-shaped shower tiles. Best of all, Indigo is all about offering affordable luxury, so you stay in high-spec comfort for less than you might expect.
5. High Street Townhouse
Apartment
Self-catering is always a good way to stretch your budget, and here all 19 smartly furnished apartments come complete with a fully equipped kitchen and dining area. It wins Brownie points on the location, too, sitting right on the doorstep of the Northern Quarter, a creative district filled with indie cafés, shops and bars, and also the city’s street art hub, with dozens of colourful murals everyone can enjoy for free.
6. Malmaison Manchester
Boutique Hotel
You might not expect to find cheap rooms at the Malmaison, one of Manchester’s earliest boutique hotels, but there are bargain deals to be had, especially if you’re visiting over a weekend. The hotel offers smart, mostly monochrome rooms in a handily central location, just a few minutes’ walk from Piccadilly station. There’s a small spa and gym in the basement, creative cocktails in the bar and a restaurant serving brasserie classics such as smoked haddock fishcakes and steak frites.
7. INNSIDE by Meliá
Hotel
This four-star, 10-storey hotel – part of the First Street development and yards from culture hub HOME – has the kind of slickly designed rooms that could easily command a higher price tag. They’re well-sized and clutter-free, and come with thoughtful little touches such as power sockets in the bedhead and a minibar with free soft drinks. The bar terrace is great for people watching and enjoying the free events that take place in the piazza, especially over summer.
8. Roomzzz Manchester City
Hotel
For more options, discover our guide to the best hotels or luxurious places to stay in Manchester, now bookable on Culture Trip. Or if you’re looking for budget-friendly hotel options, discover our guide to where to stay on a budget in Manchester, bookable on Culture Trip.
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