Last Updated on October 16, 2023

Luxury hotel with decadent style in the heart of Manchester – Hotel Gotham.

With my daughter in her second year at university in Manchester, I have become a regular visitor to the city, so it’s great to discover one of the best, coolest places to stay. It should take around two and a half hours to get from London to Manchester by train, though my latest trip took rather longer than expected as the train from London was on a go-slow thanks to Storm Ciara. It was well worth the effort though as I was lucky enough to be staying at the magnificent Hotel Gotham.

This 5-star hotel is a decadent gem, best known as the “King of King Street”. It’s ideally positioned in the heart of Manchester, just ten minutes’ walk to Piccadilly railway station, minutes away from Manchester Art Gallery and with plenty of shops and restaurants nearby including Vivienne Westwood on its doorstep.

The Gotham is situated in a grand Art Deco building designed by Edwin Lutyens that was formerly a branch of the Midland Bank. Expect theatre from the moment you walk through the door; staff dressed for the bank whether it’s in pin-striped suits or bowler hats and bow ties and the money theme runs throughout from gold bullion bars, cute pink piggy bank biscuits, and swag bags hanging from the doors and dotted around the building.

Sixty elegantly designed bedrooms are set over six floors of this splendid building, which boasts plenty of original features including huge floor to ceiling windows, old bank doors and a central staircase with a stunning brass bannister. The decor is cool, yet glitzy, Art Deco meets contemporary design. Jazzy geometric monochrome carpets and terrazzo flooring, splashes of gold with black and white prints on the walls, all oozing style with a touch of cheeky charm.

The staff were friendly and attentive, nothing was too much trouble. Shown to our room a delightful welcome gift awaited us consisting of a pretty plate of patisserie cakes which had ‘eat me’ written all over them.

The hotel aims to be “the sexiest hotel in Europe”, and our bedroom definitely puts it in the running with its decadent décor.  It had glorious high ceilings, painted grey walls, long floor to ceiling windows with elegant grey curtains, a sleek black desk and leather chair, statement patterned carpeting, a large gold round hanging mirror and a burgundy velvet upholstered chair and lounge stool. The bed had a leather headboard and was adorned with crisp white linen sheets and a sumptuous faux fur throw, and it proved to be deliciously comfortable.

The giant walk-in marble wet room had a fantastic shower which was so powerful it felt more like standing under a waterfall, it was accessorised with Noir products perched on a gold bullion bar, with a selection of white towels and gowns.

The room was equipped with everything you might need … from magazines, TV, ironing board, hairdryer and a spectacular cupboard which revealed an fine array of cut crystal glasses, a mini-fridge, tea selection, coffee machine and small tins which were available to buy, these included: charger and travel adapter, hangover recovery kit, Sleep Works products and ‘Couples’ tin (I’ll leave that one to your imagination).

Before dinner, we enjoyed cocktails in the exclusive VIP lounge Club Brass, which is only open to guests. You enter through two vault-like doors into a prohibition-style speakeasy where the mood is set by low lighting, and lavish décor of dark wood furnishings, olive coloured banquettes and gold panelled walls, smoked glass vases and lamps inhabit snug corners – luxurious, funky and flamboyant all rolled into one. The perfect place to kick off the evening (or end it for that matter).

There are two outdoor terraces, both with impressive views of the city which must be glorious in better weather but not ideal mid storm Ciara!

The glistening well-stocked bar offers a fine array of wines, spirits, and cocktails such as The King of King Street, Bellboy Barry’s Bramble, Lady Crumpsall’s Champagne Cocktail, we opted for beautifully spiced and refreshing Apple Slings- made with Sailor Jerry’s Spiced rum and fresh fruit purées. Plus, there’s a tempting bar menu, with a good selection of bar snacks and light bites available to order.

Dinner was served in the Gotham Hotel’s atmospheric 2 AA Rosette-awarded Honey Restaurant.  The décor is effortlessly elegant and stylish with a perfectly weathered parquet floor, simply set tables, wooden carver chairs, a central tiled work station with wire rack shelves, cocktail trays, gold trimmings on glass panel doors with original semi-circle black painted windows which provide amazing views over the city.

We ate from the set menu which is very reasonably priced at £24.95 for 2 courses or £29.50 for 3 courses. Or you can choose from the à la carte. The food was exceptionally good.

We accompanied our meal with a bottle of Chateau Montcabrier Blanc a well-rounded dry wine with citrus and peach notes.

To start we enjoyed a gorgeously creamy butternut squash risotto with pumpkin seed pesto, small chunks of al dente squash cut through with the rich tangy flavours of blue cheese and a plate of delicate cured salmon, with dollops of crème fraîche, lemon and dill laced with caviar.

The sea-bass main course enjoyed by my companion was served on a bed of sweet fragrant celeriac, baby onions and young leeks, it was cooked to perfection, light as a feather with a tasty crisp skin.

My roasted flat iron short rib beef just melted in the mouth, it was so tender and delicious, served with soft creamy dauphinoise potatoes on a bed of juicy spinach broad bean and mushroom.

For desserts, the Gotham Delice was beautifully presented, adorned with a glistening piped letter G.  a smooth and luscious banana and whipped chocolate goo encased in a crisp outer shell.

The alternative was just as good – soft poached plums with an almond milk cream, sweet crunchy honeycomb and honey ice cream

And finally, a three-cheese selection comprising goats cheese, blue cheese and gouda served with honey chutney and sourdough crackers.

Breakfast is also served in the Honey Restaurant, but with a different morning feel. The zinc tables take on more of a bistro-style without the tablecloths and the waiting staff look fabulous in bowler hats, braces and bow ties.

The Gotham City Buffet offers a great selection of muffins, pastries, scrumptious bircher muesli, Anne Forshaw farm natural yogurt, fresh fruit, bread and cereals, all washed down with fresh juices and a selection of teas and coffee.

The Al la Carte has a good variety of cooked breakfast options including buttermilk pancakes, French toast kippers, poached eggs, and hollandaise, full English, salmon and avocado on toast.  Which option do you fancy?

We sat by the window and gazed out over the city…a perfect way to start the day.

The Gotham is a super luxurious hotel for the discerning customer, it attracts an eclectic mix of customers be they stars, media tycoons, business entrepreneurs or creatives (and their dogs). It provides a uniquely modern, comfortable experience, with lovely attention to detail. And, it’s in right in the heart of the City. I’ll be back.

Hotel Gotham,
100 King St,
Manchester M2 4WU

Phone: 0161 413 0000

For an alternative place to stay in Manchester, you may want to check our review of The Townhouse Hotel. For something similar in London, check out The Andaz near Liverpool Street Station

Disclosure: I was a guest of Hotel Gotham, all content is editorially given.