The iconic Kimpton Clocktower hotel has unveiled a staggering three-bedroom hotel suite this week – a first for Manchester.
Suite No.51 is about as posh as they come, promising customisable amenities and masses of space for guests.
Do you want a piano popping in your bedroom? A fridge stocked with whatever drinks you fancy? Picking up from the airport and dropped straight at the hotel? You got it!
You can even choose which plants and flowers the room is dressed with for your arrival.
They’re promising that the new suite will offer ‘unrivalled luxury without the fuss’.
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The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel’s new suite is a jaw-dropping beauty, with dark wood-panelled walls, towering double-height ceilings and enormous windows.
In the main living room, there’s a dining space built into the impressive bay window, a marble table, and custom furniture complete with fabrics designed exclusively for this hotel.
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As well as having up to three bedrooms (they can be split to suit each guest’s requirements), four bathrooms, and a huge open-plan living and dining room, Suite No.51 is also kitted out with plenty of opulent extras.
The living and dining space in Kimpton Clocktower’s Suite No.51. Credit: The Manc GroupOne of THREE bedrooms inside Suite No.51 at Kimpton Clocktower HotelThe walk-in wardrobe
There’s a 65-inch 4K smart TV in the lounge and dining area, 50” smart TVs in each bedroom, PS5 gaming and entertainment system, and a Project T1 Record Player with its own private record collection (though if your favourite music is missing, you can request more through the hotel’s Music Concierge service).
Guests will be able to get ready with their own walk-in wardrobe and dressing room, equipped with Dyson hair styling tools, as well as luxury bathrooms with underfloor heating, free-standing bathtub, a double vanity and a wireless music system.
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All three bedrooms have super king-size beds as well as motorised, sound-insulation black out curtains.
This huge three-bedroom hotel suite has been constructed in a former office within the Grade II-listed hotel, a landmark in Manchester previously known as the Palace.
The hotel was originally The Refuge Assurance company headquarters with a history dating back to 1895, but nowadays is home to 270 bedrooms, the Refuge restaurant and bar, and 17 event spaces.
Guests have access to their own dressing room. You can kit out the cocktail cart with whatever alcohol you want in advance. The second bedroom in the Kimpton Clocktower’s newest suite
Original features it’s become so famed for include its glazed brick tiles, stained glass, and Carrara marble staircase, plus of course the iconic clocktower itself which still stands proud in the Manchester skyline.
Guests who choose to stay in Suite No.51 have a dedicated Kimpton Clocktower ambassador available at the click of a button to help with whatever you need.
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Other bespoke extras include in-room check-in, turndown service and complimentary bar and airport shuttle service.
Before you even step foot inside the hotel building, you can have your room filled with your favourite flowers from the Clocktower Florist downstairs, and stock the cocktail bar with whatever spirits, wines and soft drinks you fancy.
Kelly Andreasson, hotel manager at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, commented: “Kimpton Clocktower continues to captivate, and No. 51 is set to be one of the most opulent suites in the city.
“The Kimpton brand is rooted in heartfelt human connections, and we look forward to welcoming guests, where we will provide a next-level service.”
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel’s Suite No.51 is available to book now for stays from August – see more here.
In pictures – The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel unveils luxury suite Suite No.51
Featured image: Rebecca Hope Photography
Travel & Tourism
Manchester Oxford Road station could close for more than two years for a major refurb
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s major central train stations could be set to close to the public for more than two years.
Hundreds of trains pass through Manchester Oxford Road each week, but that could soon be set to change, as Network Rail has today launched a public consultation on plans to carry out major upgrades at the station in a bid to “deliver improvements” for passengers and the wider rail network.
Upgrades include longer platforms, track and signalling improvements, and even the construction of a new station footbridge.
Proposed track layout and signalling improvements would reduce congestion by removing conflicting train movements, while overhead line equipment would also be upgraded, as well as over 900m of new track being laid.
Accessibility would also be improved throughout the station, with the proposed new footbridge increasing movement space for passengers and new lifts allowing step-free access to all platforms.
🛤️Big plans for Oxford Road!
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Wider resurfaced platforms, and improvements to existing lifts are also planned.
Network Rail says the aim of the public consultation is to “give everyone the opportunity to review outline proposals” and to “provide their views” so that these can be taken into account and inform further design.
Feedback is being invited on all scheme elements – such as design, construction, and the impacts of the scheme on the rail network, environment and community.
Manchester Oxford Road station could close for more than two years for a major refurb / Credit: Northern
Speaking on the consultation as it launched today, Councillor Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We have said for a long time that Oxford Road Station is in need of a range of improvements from easing the congestion, increasing capacity, improving reliability and ensuring that the station is accessible for all commuters.
“Any future development will be a long-term project but infrastructure upgrades like these are essential if we are to continue growing Manchester as the leading city of the North.”
The first round of consultation will run up until 28 February, both online via the feedback form available at here, as well as at two drop-in events at Friends’ Meeting House, on Mount Street in the city centre, on Saturday 1 February from 11am-4pm, and Monday 17 February from 2pm-7pm.
A second round of consultation is due to take place before the end of 2025, and once both consultations have been considered, Network Rail is looking to submit the applications needed to build the scheme next year.
Featured Image – Network Rail
Travel & Tourism
80% of drivers say they regularly see people ‘excessively speeding’ on UK roads
Emily Sergeant
80% of drivers say they regularly see people ‘excessively speeding’ on UK roads, new data from the RAC has revealed.
After the Government‘s road casualty statistics showed that ‘exceeding the speed limit’ was sadly a contributory factor to a total of 304 (21%) fatal collisions in 2023, the RAC spoke to 2,691 drivers to gather their experiences about driving on roads nationwide as part of its annual Report on Motoring for 2024.
82% of drivers surveyed noticed others breaking the limit excessively on motorways and high-speed dual carriageways, while 80% said it was also a common occurrence on 30mph or 20mph roads.
In comparison to previous years, the sharpest increase in speeding figures was found on 20mph roads, where 50% of drivers said they have frequently or occasionally broken the limit – which is up from 46% a year ago, and 36% from 2018.
It’s motorways where drivers admit to breaking the limit more often than on any other type of road, however, with 58% admitting to going above 70mph in 2024.
80% of drivers say they regularly see people ‘excessively speeding’ on UK roads / Credit: Don Sniegowski (via Flickr)
Figures also showed that many appear to see the speed limit as a target, with seven in 10 drivers (72%) saying they try to drive as close to the speed limit as possible, while 55% believe there is a culture among UK road users where it’s acceptable to break the speed limit.
“It’s concerning that our research indicates excessive speeding has become so commonplace because the consequences are very severe,” explained RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis.
“It is particularly worrying that so much excessive speeding observed by drivers appears to take place on 20mph and 30mph roads, as this is where the greatest number of vulnerable road users are, such as pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders.
“We badly need to bring an end to excessive speeding to keep us all safe.
Daisy Jackson -
11th July 2024 
