The group behind some of Manchester‘s worst hotels has reported record profits, despite its less-than-stellar reputation in the city and across the UK more generally.
Britannia Hotels, which is behind the infamous Northern Quarter hotel Sacha’s and the Britannia Hotel on Portland Street amongst others, suddenly appears to have become a popular place to stay – if its takings are anything to go by.
The company reported a loss of £9.5m in 2021, but in the following year revealed its pre-tax profits to be £33.3m.
The chain is also behind the Britannia Airport Hotel, as well as having further sites in Wigan, Stockport and Bolton, and has been consistently rated the worst in the UK for ten years consistently.
Its most recognisable city centre hotel Sacha’s has been referred to as the city’s very own Cecil Hotel, with reviewers on TripAdvisor regularly calling it the ‘worst hotel in Manchester’ and comparing its rooms to a ‘prison cell.’
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One reviewer, posting under the username Vincent B, confessed he couldn’t even make it through the night and checked out seven hours into his stay.
He wrote: “I did not even stay the night the hotel was that bad. It’s basically next door to 3 night clubs. Checked in at 16.00 and left at 23.15. Windows were so dirty and the bed was nowhere near sleepable. Will definitely not be going anywhere near me.”
Another person compared the rooms to a ‘prison cell’, writing: “The most vile place I’ve ever stayed. Location good and staff are nice but wow I can’t believe they can charge £225 a night for this hell hole.
“The rooms are like a prison cell. No proper windows and aircon doesn’t work. Have a tiny fan that doesn’t even make a difference. Huge window on the ceiling with no blind. Light from 4am so we were wide awake!! Told the reception staff whilst checking out and I honestly think they’ve heard it all before. Just said sorry for the inconvenience!! It’s grotty and it stinks.”
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A statement from the chain’s board said: “The result represents a return to performance levels comparable to pre-Covid-19 achieved during a period of difficult trading conditions which continues to limit opportunities for growth.
“Our priorities continue to be maintaining occupancy levels and to manage operating costs whilst ensuring that the business is well placed to exploit the opportunities of the future.”
“The directors remain confident that the company is in a good position to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. The hotels have managed to maintain their competitive edge through the economic downturn and continue to take steps designed to attract new business and improve market share going forward.
“The directors have carefully considered the availability of working capital and likely levels of trading over the next 12 months. They are confident that the business is well placed to meet the challenges including the current geopolitical uncertainty, cost of living crisis and the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Featured image – Wikipedia
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Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
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Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Georgina Pellant -
14th June 2023 
