Harley Young stays at the newly refurbished airport hotel ahead of her flight
Staying over at an airport hotel the night before your flight is a far more convenient and comfortable experience than getting up at the crack of dawn and piling into your car before racing down the M56 and inevitably getting held up in traffic at some point along the way.
But most airport hotels are built for just that - convenience's sake and nothing else. They’re usually not very impressive or good looking and, as for decent on-site restaurants, you’re often lucky if you get a makeshift continental breakfast in a paper bag before they boot you out the door.
Luckily, the 4-star Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport is a whole different kettle of fish.
Perfectly situated overlooking all three airport terminals, with Terminal 2 and the airport train station just a 10-minute walk away, staying here means you can afford to catch an extra few z’s in bed before your flight. The hotel also offers a convenient airport shuttle service as well as competitive Park, Stay & Fly Packages with 320 car park spaces available.
Having undergone an extensive refurbishment earlier this year, featuring the introduction of a new open lobby space and 299 upgraded bedrooms, the hotel has just recently unveiled its new leisure and business facilities too including a 24-hour fitness centre with state-of-the-art equipment and versatile meeting space for up to 70 people.
Sampans, the hotel’s on-site Pan-Asian restaurant has also undergone a full refurbishment, modelling a more sleek and stylish look. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 6-10pm, Sampans offers guests a wide range of dishes including Dim Sum, rice and curry-based dishes and authentic desserts such as the Malaysian Kujh Dar Dar.
My rucksack and I headed straight to the hotel after a long day at work. Well signposted and not a million miles away from the station, I found it quite easy considering that most airport ‘villages’ are an absolute labyrinth.
I was welcomed warmly by Michelle, a member of the reception team, who swiftly checked me in and explained the hotel’s facilities to me before I headed off to my abode for the night.
The rooms here are sleek and modern, complete with cosy, dim lighting for an extra tranquil ambience; perfect for de-stressing before (or after) your flight. Equipped with all the mod cons, including robe and slippers, a huge flat screen smart TV and coffee pod machine, there’s everything you could need for a short stay.
Due to the hotel’s location, you can hear the faint sound of planes flying by from your room, but this is forgivable as it's excellently situated. Besides, you’d be a bit worried if you couldn’t hear planes at an airport, wouldn’t you?
Knackered from a long day of working in the city, I decided to kick back and indulge in one of life’s sweetest pleasures - hotel room service. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a warm chocolate brownie and vanilla ice cream for dessert, available from the bar menu until 10pm.
Both dishes arrived swiftly and were presented nicely at my desk ready to eat. Generous in both size and flavour, the burger and fries satisfied any hunger I had and the gooey chocolate brownie was just the ticket needed to send me into a food coma ready to drift off into the land of nod.
I awoke bright and early the next morning to file some copy (the work never stops, does it?) before making use of the rainfall shower and beautifully-scented toiletries and heading downstairs for breakfast.
Served in the bar dining area, breakfast is available as both hot food (self-serve and from a menu) and continental options. There’s a very good selection of sweet and savoury items to choose from, including fresh fruits and pastries, breads and cereals plus all the usual suspects you’d expect on a full English breakfast over in the bain maries. You can reserve your breakfast at the time of booking your room or pay for it in the morning, allowing extra flexibility if you’d rather have a lie-in before your trip.
One huge perk of staying at an IHG hotel, which I took full advantage of since my flight wasn’t until mid afternoon, is that IHG members can choose to check-out as late as 1pm. Meaning, if you really hate mornings, have work to catch up on, or you just want to take advantage of all the great on-site facilities such as the gym and meeting spaces, you can do it at your leisure.
Don’t worry if you get completely sucked into an episode of your favourite TV show and lose track of time either - a member of the team will call or pop by to remind you shortly before check-out is due.
Overall, Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport Hotel is a well-situated, well-equipped option for a pre or post-flight overnight stay, providing a comfortable and clean space full of character to travellers looking for somewhere to rest and relax.
Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport, an IHG Hotel, Ringway Road, Manchester M90 3NS
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