Boris has said hotels can reopen from the 4th July, 'Super Saturday' it seems, but how has Manchester's hotel scene coped with the lockdown and will they see a resurgence in 'staycationers' this summer?
One hotel that opened on the very first day after lockdown is The Cow Hollow.
Beautifully designed for a luxurious stay, this glamorous and chic hotel is a lovely little venue in the Northern Quarter – adding little touches you don’t get elsewhere like cookies and milk at bedtime.
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Jamie Lloyd, assistant General Manager, has explained that The Cow Hollow will look a little different come next week, however.
“Interior wise, there have been a number of changes inline with government guidelines – such as perspex screens at the check in desk, hand sanitising stations throughout,” he explained.
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“We have rearranged some of the seating to enable guests to feel safe and comfortable, without sacrificing the relaxed friendly social vibe that we are known for. “
He is also expecting to see an increase in domestic tourism in terms of guests, with some rooms already being booked up.
“The general feeling is that we’re going to see an increase in staycations through the rest of the year, which will balance the fall off from the cancelled events/lack of international travellers in the city over the summer,” said Jamie.
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“We have had steady flow of reservations throughout lockdown, with quite an influx just this week when easing of lockdown was announced. These have been mainly British guests which confirms that line of thought.”
Another hotel reopening in July is The Velvet Hotel on Canal Street in the heart of Manchester’s Gay Village – a venue with a reputation for wonderful catering and luxurious decor.
Kim Krohn, Managing Director, explained the hotel is aiming to make the changes chic, rather than clinical.
“One thing that we are striving for is to keep the same service levels and high standards that we are known for, as so many of the new guidelines the government have released could feel very clinical and unwelcoming for a small independent hotel,” she explained.
“We have put a lot of time and effort into making sure the hotel looks and feels the same, and all our new ‘Be Aware’ collateral is fully branded, so it won’t look like a hospital corridor.”
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The Velvet Hotel Covid-19 awareness signs
The Velvet has made some very exciting changes to their offerings with a funky new food menu including a range of new summer dishes like Superfood Salads, Pizzas, and some amazing new burgers.
“We have worked hard on our new cocktail list including frozen daiquiris & pitchers,” Kim tells us.
“New food and beverage offers will be available all day every day, which include two for £12 Cocktails, Burger and a Beer for £14.95 or Pizza and a Beer for £12.95.
“These are just some of the exciting summer offers we are pleased to provide to our valued customers.”
Local hoteliers appear to have an optimistic approach to reopening – even if things aren’t quite the same as they used to be…
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Social media beauty spots and selfies blamed for record rise in mountain rescue callouts
Daisy Jackson
There’s been a record rise in the number of young people needing help from mountain rescue teams – and social media has been blamed for luring unprepared people into potentially dangerous situations.
As well as these viral beauty spots – such as Mam Tor – the rise in call-outs has also been attributed to ‘poor-quality map apps’ which can stop functioning when in areas with poor phone service.
According to an exclusive report in The Guardian, it’s now tourists under the age of 24 who are most likely to need mountain rescue’s assistance while out walking.
The data provided by Ordnance Survey said that the number of call-outs from this age group has almost doubled between 2019 and 2024.
Overall rescues increased by 24% over a similar period.
A spokesman for Mountain Rescue said that young people are drawn to places like the Lake District after seeing images on social media, but are often not dressed or equipped properly for the conditions.
Nick Giles said people are often ‘too reliant on mobile phones’ and unprepared for the changes in weather and terrain that come with hiking.
Mike Park, chief executive of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, told The Guardian: “We know from incident reports that more and more people are tempted into risky locations by Instagram posts and the navigation apps being used aren’t always suitable for an outdoor environment.
“Add to that a tendency to follow popular routes online without knowing the hazards and context, and it’s not surprising that those likely to be relying most on their phones are the ones getting into difficulties.”
Before you head out on any hike or walk, you should make sure you’re prepared and equipped – see Mountain Rescue’s tips HERE.
Oasis classic voted the greatest British song of all time once again
Danny Jones
With the Live ’25 reunion tour this summer fast approaching, it’s fair to say that fans all over the globe are struggling to think about much else other than Oasis at the minute, so it won’t surprise you to hear that one of the greatest classics has been named the best of British song once again.
Oasis, Britpop fanatics and plenty more will already know the song in question, but the everlasting legacy of this tune remains extremely impressive, nevertheless.
We are, of course, talking about their 1994 hit ‘Live Forever’, taken from the seminal debut album, Definitely Maybe, an album absolutely littered with eternal gems from cover to cover.
It might not be the first time the iconic Manc anthem has earned the accolade, but it does feel like a more poignant time than ever to celebrate with the long-awaited gigs now just months away.
Voted for directly by Radio X (formerly XFM) listeners, the legendary Oasis tune has been the ‘Best Of British‘ yet again, with each year’s victor being chosen from a poll on a century of classic bits of music from UK artists.
Note that this isn’t just a second win either; it’s actually the third time in a row that the station has given it the top spot, not to mention naming 16 Oasis entries on the list.
Oh yeah, it also happens to be just the 10th anniversary of the now annual award, meaning ‘Live Forever’ boasts nearly a third of all Best of British wins to trophies to date – and believe us, you won’t hear any complaints from The Manc office or Audio North.
You’ll also be glad to hear that Manchester was the most heavily respresented city this year too, with bands like The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division and Oasis making up a total 39% of the vote. Because of course.
Radio X’s Managing Editor, Matt Deverson, said of the very easy repeat decision: “‘Live Forever’ had to be number one, didn’t it?
“And with Oasis dominating the 100 with 16 songs in the list, it reflects the growing excitement among Radio X listeners for what will be the biggest music and cultural moment of the year, from the biggest band in the world right now!”
Might as well watch the music video for the 100th time, then, eh?
Do you agree? Is ‘Live Forever’ the greatest British song of all time?
It is still a spine-tingling track even to this day, there’s no doubt about that, but more importantly where does it land for you?
We certainly have one our own thoughts on the best Oasis songs of all time that we’re sure some of our opinions will irritate you no end.
Fellow firm favourites that made it into the top 10 were ‘Champagne Supernova’, ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’; meanwhile, one of the newest and highest-ranking additions is Sam Fender’s hugely popular ‘People Watching’, the title track from his fantastic third album.
With everyone getting ready for one of the biggest music events in history and even rumours of a return to Knebworth swirling, summer 2025 is set to go down in the history books. We were also glad to see someone who was there at the very beginning is as amped up as we are.