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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Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day is back for 2024 to celebrate the international summer of sport / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”