We go inside the (yet to open) Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria Station

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Last week we got a peek inside the IHG’s new Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria Station. This is in the northern part of the city centre and just opposite the new Amazon HQ. It’s so new, it isn’t even open yet.

I was in Manchester to take a look at the new Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites properties which have just opened – those reviews will follow in a few days. We also asked IHG if I could have a hard-hat tour of the new Hotel Indigo and they generously agreed.

The Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria Station website is here.

Final touches are still being made for a planned opening sometime this week – touch wood – but the hotel already feels very finished. With all the contractors, IHG staff and hotel management bustling around it certainly felt like a real hotel! You can see some last minute touches being added to the front desk here:

…… and the beautiful lobby-atrium with these lovely basket lights:

Like all Hotel Indigo properties, the concept for the interior design is taken from the surrounding area. Since Manchester was a hotspot for industrialisation during the 19th century, this hotel takes its cues from tea, printing (think the Manchester Guardian, as was) and cotton production. Floors are alternately themed, as you can see when you compare the interior of the rooms.

I didn’t get a photo of a ‘printing press’ room but here are the tea and cotton room themes:

and

And a bathroom, featuring me:

The new-build portion of the hotel, called the rotunda, has penthouse suites on the top floor with some excellent views over the city centre:

hotel indigo manchester suites view

The industrial chic vibe is particularly evident in the hotel restaurant, which looks great and offers a range of seating options:

hotel indigo manchester bar

The cafe serves its own Indigo tea, locally produced. I am told they are trying to source as many items as possible locally, including the toiletries in the rooms which come from just outside York.

The hotel also has a small gym with a couple of running machines, a bench press etc.

Conclusion

It’s the location that really sells the Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria Station, together with what looks like an excellent restaurant, bar and cafe. The hotel, next door to Victoria rail station and on the edge of the bohemian Northern Quarter is very close to Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and the ‘upscale’ side of the city centre.

The rooms themselves are generally on the smaller side and it will be interesting to see how they wear. They are more boutique-y but slightly less premium than the new Crowne Plaza, as you’ll see from my review in a few days, and will probably attract a younger and more leisure-oriented customer.

The hotel is hoping to open in the next few days. Room rates for mid-week dates are around £135 or 30,000 IHG Rewards Club points. The points value, at least midweek, is slightly above Rob’s target valuation of 0.4p. You can see more about the hotel on the IHG website here.

Thanks to IHG and the Indigo team for letting me interrupt their busy construction schedule.

IHG Rewards update – December 2021:

Get bonus points: You can earn up to triple IHG Rewards base points with IHG’s new Autumn promotion. It runs from 1st October to 31st December. You can register here and our full article on the offer is here.

New to IHG Rewards? Read our overview of IHG Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG Rewards points worth?’ is here.

Buy points: If you need additional IHG Rewards points, you can buy them here.

You will get a 100% bonus when you buy IHG Rewards points by 4th January 2022. Click here to buy or learn more.

Want to earn more hotel points? Click here to see our complete list of promotions from IHG and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

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This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Uri says:

2 Dec2 December 07:41

Looks great! Any idea when the new Hilton Garden Inn at Heathrow terminal 2 will open?
- Rob says:
  
  2 Dec2 December 10:37
  
  February-ish I think. Same owner (Arora) as the new CP T4.
  
  The guys who own this new Indigo own the new Staybridge / HI about to open at Heathrow in a few weeks (Bath Road).
Peter K says:

2 Dec2 December 08:55

Why is Richard Osman (of pointless fame) at the reception desk?
Froggitt says:

2 Dec2 December 09:01

Locally produced tea? Hmmmmm.
- Save East Coast Rewards says:
  
  2 Dec2 December 10:32
  
  You can get English grown tea, It’s from Cornwall, probably the only place in the UK it’s possible to grow it. They serve it on GWR Pullman services – https://tregothnan.co.uk/
  
  Locally produced tea probably just means there’s a tea merchant in Manchester (like Taylors in Yorkshire who make Yorkshire Tea, and Ringtons in Newcastle) that blends locally.
- Rhys says:
  
  2 Dec2 December 11:41
  
  Distinction: locally produced and locally grown.
Mike says:

2 Dec2 December 09:18

Looks great – definitely on my list and I would not have known about the new Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria Station opening without HFP
- Peter K says:
  
  2 Dec2 December 09:25
  
  Ooh, is this a new game? Put the full title of the hotel in the comments to help gain search engine hits! 😁
  The new Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria Station is a good one to start with, so let’s carry this on in the future after the new Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria Station!
  - Simon says:
    
    2 Dec2 December 18:41
    
    @Peter +1
Alan says:

2 Dec2 December 10:03

Looks excellent – I’ve had nice stays at a number of Hotel Indigo properties now, definitely one of my favourite IHG brands.
- Neil says:
  
  2 Dec2 December 10:29
  
  Worth mentioning amazon is opening offices in Manchester, Cambridge and Edinburgh …the HQ is still staying in London, these new offices will not be HQs!
Andrew says:

2 Dec2 December 15:10

Themed hotels?

I used to stay at the V&A in Manchester when it was Granada themed. The Sherlock Holmes room was quite fun with the flickering Coach Lamp by the door. There were various Coronation Street themed rooms too and it wasn’t uncommon to see Granada celebrities in the hotel.

The week I spent in the “Mrs Merton” themed room was quite memorable. Picture of Malcolm by the bedside and on the wall a life sized framed poster of Peter Stringfellow hugging Mrs Merton with spotlights that were connected to the same circuit as the bedside lights. Quite startling to wake up to.
- PK says:
  
  2 Dec2 December 18:16
  
  The Great John Street Hotel roof terrace once looked down onto the (old) Coronation Street set.
  
  I was always surprised that they actually mentioned this in their marketing.
  - Shoestring says:
    
    2 Dec2 December 18:20
    
    One of the UK’s longest TV ‘soaps’ I’ve never watched in my 55 years!
    
    Very proud of that fact 🙂
    - Yuff says:
      
      2 Dec2 December 18:38
      
      And there was me thinking you’d have a vpn, at your place in the sun, just to make sure you didn’t miss an episode 😉
    - Shoestring says:
      
      2 Dec2 December 18:42
      
      I was a big fan of Neighbours as a student, 6 pints @75p started with Neighbours Monday to Friday with about 75 mates in the student bar 🙂
      
      Those were the days, Kylie was Kylie and Jason was red blooded.
      
      That’s about as far a me & soaps go.
john says:

4 Dec4 December 22:39

On the topic of hotels…
How do I know (or find out) whether I will earn points for 2 rooms Melia?
As in, I booked 2 rooms at a Melia hotel – both are under my name with my MeliaRewards number.
I know some hotels allow it but others don’t – does anyone know about MeliaReward?
Rob, you have been providing more coverage for the Melia program lately.
barnaby100 says:

14 Dec14 December 18:30

Stayed here last night. Booked a king.. Got put in a twin that was wedge shaped and you couldn’t see the TV. No response to my email complaining.