A new hotel has opened in Manchester city centre, taking proud inspiration from the city’s industrial heritage.
The Reach at Piccadilly is a beautiful new hotel in an enviable location.
Standing at 11 storeys tall, the building towers over the Rochdale Canal and is a mere 90-second walk from Manchester Piccadilly.
In the present day, that means you’re a short stroll from several iconic music venues, loads of great bars and restaurants, and plenty of transport links, but The Reach at Piccadilly has taken its inspiration from a little further back in time.
It’s been designed to celebrate Manchester’s pioneering history, which is fitting given that it stands on a canal that was vital to the city’s Industrial Revolution.
ADVERTISEMENT
The hotel, situated on Ducie Street, has made nods to the area’s history with little touches like nautical interiors, activated charcoal toiletries, and a twist on the ‘fourpenny’ drink that was historically used by workers to toast the end of the day.
The Reach at Piccadilly is Manchester’s new canalside hotel with proudly Mancunian inspirations / Credit: The Manc Group
The hotel itself, which is dog-friendly, has 215 guest rooms, eight suites, and the ground floor restaurant and bar, Lock 84.
ADVERTISEMENT
In Lock 84, you’ll find all-day dining crafted around sustainable, seasonal, and local ingredients.
The inspiration for the menu comes from across the globe, but is based on British dishes with lots of small plates, including the stand-out Manchester Scotch Egg, and a range of larger courses, sides, snacks, and more.
The Reach at Piccadilly is part of Tribute Portfolio, a collection of characterful, independent hotels from Marriott Bonvoy, which all strive to create social scenes for guests and locals alike, and each one has its own unique vibe.
ADVERTISEMENT
For The Reach at Piccadilly, it’s all about its Manchester-led authenticity and collaboration with local partners, promising guests a ‘warm Northern welcome’.
In Lock 84, you’ll find all-day dining crafted around sustainable, seasonal, and local ingredients / Credit: The Manc Group
Peter Nye, general manager at The Reach at Piccadilly, said: “We are delighted to unveil this new and exciting addition to the city’s thriving hospitality scene. When creating the concept for the hotel, we have been conscious to create an authentic Manchester experience for guests to fully encompass, and our teams have worked tirelessly over the past few months to ensure our guests experience the very best of the city’s supply network.
“They’ll be able to enjoy produce grown only a few miles away, drink a great cup of coffee which has been roasted around the corner, and sip on unique, locally brewed beer.
“We really are very excited to welcome guests from around the world.”
The Reach at Piccadilly is now open, and bookings can be made over on the hotel’s website – https://thereachmcr.com/
Featured Image – Supplied
Sponsored
A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
Sponsored
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Daisy Jackson -
31st July 2024 
