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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Massive rock, paper, scissors tournament with BIG pizza prizes takes over Trafford Centre this week
Emily Sergeant
A thousand free pizzas will be up for grabs to celebrate one of Greater Manchester’s newest restaurant openings this week.
That’s right – award-winning Neapolitan pizzeria Forbici is officially opening at the Trafford Centre.
From 11am until 12:30pm this Wednesday (5 August), Forbici will be giving away up to 1,000 full-sized pizzas, so visitors to the shopping centre will have the chance to taste what has recently been declared one of the best pizzas in the world without needing to spend a penny.
Following the opening of its first site on Cross Street in the city centre last year, before expanding over to Sheffield, this new 7,000-capacity Trafford Centre space at The Orient will be Forbici’s third restaurant in the UK and the second in Greater Manchester.
Crafted with signature three-generation ‘biga dough’, slow fermented to create a light, airy crust, alongside carefully sourced Italian ingredients, it’s no secret that Forbici offers some of the finest pizza in town.
Forbici is opening at the Trafford Centre this week / Credit: The Manc Group
And staying true to its name, every pizza is cut with scissors before being served.
The celebrations will then continue on Friday (August) as Forbici’s newest restaurant transforms into the home of Europe’s biggest Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament hosted by Manchester’s viral foodie content creator, Zack Hipps.
Across four sessions, you’ll have the chance to test your luck, speed, and strategy in a bid to be crowned champion – with tournaments taking place every hour from 11:30am.
Inspired by the pizzeria’s name, Forbici – which is, of course, the Italian word for ‘scissors’ – competitors will go head-to-head in fast paced knockout battles throughout the afternoon, with prizes up for grabs at every session and the winner of each game getting to take home a year’s supply of Forbici pizza.
There’ll also be a couple of exclusive local-themed pizza specials to celebrate the new opening too, including Forbici’s indulgent Manchester Tart pizza, and the Lancashire Hotpot pizza, which combines Fior di Latte, slow-cooked Lamb Ragù, and cracked black pepper on Forbici’s signature Biga base.
The Manchester special pizzas are also available at Forbici’s city centre restaurant as well, so you can feast wherever you find yourself.
Toni Dennan at Forbici said: “We’re incredibly excited to bring our innovative pizza craft to the Trafford Centre. To celebrate, we’re giving away 1,000 pizzas, inviting guests to experience Forbici on us.”
“Forbici is all about pushing pizza craft to new heights,” commented Forbici’s Toni Dennan. “Opening at Trafford Centre gives us the opportunity to share our passion for proper pizza with even more people.”
Simon Layton, who is the Centre Director at Trafford Centre, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Forbici to Trafford Centre, offering an innovative pizza concept to shoppers and leisure seekers alike. With a huge giveaway and exciting Rock, Paper Scissors tournament, Forbici’s opening week is not one to be missed and we look forward to welcoming customers down to the centre to celebrate its arrival.”
Forbici Trafford Centre is opening this Wednesday 5 August, and bookings are now live online here.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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A huge Stanley Chow exhibition featuring inflatable portraits of Manc icons is coming to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Some of Manchester’s most famous faces are about to get even bigger, with a new Stanley Chow exhibition coming to town this summer.
And rather unusually, the artist’s portraits will be inflatables…
The huge new MCR Made exhibition is set to take over Manchester Arndale from 3 August all the way into the autumn.
Shoppers and locals will be able to admire 13 portraits of Manc icons, which will be up to six metres in length, whether it’s Oasis legends or Suffragettes, football heroes or creative pioneers.
The gigantic inflatable Stanley Chow portraits will be suspended right across the iconic shopping centre for an art trail that celebrates the figures who have shaped the city.
The impossible-to-miss exhibition features famous faces from the worlds of music, sport, science, politics, art and culture.
Along the trail you’ll spot the likes of Liam and Noel Gallagher, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Emmeline Pankhurst, Alan Turing, L.S. Lowry, Lemn Sissay, Caroline Aherne, Aitch, and a host of other trailblazers, all in Stanley’s signature and distinctive style.
MCR Made showcases the work of legendary local artist and illustrator Stanley Chow in an exciting new way, encouraging exploration through photo opportunities and a social media competition.
Stanley Chow said: “The Arndale Centre for me is my Mecca, and I’m sure it is for so many people from Manchester. I’m old enough to remember when it first opened as a shopping centre nearly 50 years ago, and I haven’t stopped coming here since.
Inflatable portraits by Stanley Chow will take over Manchester Arndale this summer
“I’m a proud Mancunian, so I was very flattered and touched to be asked to do this. Art needs to be seen everywhere, and not always necessarily in a gallery. I can’t think of a better place for as many people as possible from all walks of life to be able to see my work presented this way.”
David Allinson, Centre Director at Manchester Arndale, said: “Manchester has always been a city that outperforms and exceeds expectations. Through music, sport, science, politics, creativity and innovation, Manchester’s influence is recognised around the world, and MCR Made celebrates the icons whose talent, ambition and determination helped build that reputation.
“The exhibition feels particularly at home inside Manchester Arndale, itself a Manchester institution that has been woven into the city’s fabric for almost five decades. The shopping centre provides the perfect backdrop for celebrating Manchester, its creativity and the iconic figures behind its global reputation.”
Manchester Arndale will also be giving visitors the chance to own a piece of MCR Made, with 26 limited edition A4 prints signed by Stanley Chow up for grabs. Two prints of each icon have been produced, with winners allocated their artwork at random. To enter, simply follow @manchesterarndale on Instagram and like the competition post.
MCR Made will run at Manchester Arndale from 3 August – 24 October, and is totally free to visit.
Daisy Jackson -
31st July 2024 
