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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.”
ADVERTISEMENT
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…
News
Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
News
More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
Jess Walmsley -
4th July 2020 
