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 Airport unveils bumper Christmas makeover with Santa’s Grotto and last-minute shopping ideas
Daisy Jackson
Christmas has officially landed at Manchester Airport, and with an estimated 1.1m of us travelling through the busy transport hub in the coming weeks, the airport is really kicking off the festivities.
The halls have been decked with all sorts of festive touches, like a 20ft Christmas tree in Terminal 2, and plenty more glitter and sparkle around the entire airport.
There are dozens of discounts on stocking fillers as part of Manchester Airport’s ‘Holidays Mode Activated’ campaign, along with festive menus at bars and restaurants.
A Santa’s Grotto in Terminal 1’s free play area, the Little Flyers Zone, will be open until Wednesday 18 December, where little Mancs can send off their list to the big man with a Letters to Santa Station.
Santa himself will be on hand to greet families on Thursday and Fridays, but his elves will be there throughout the next few weeks too.
There are more than 200 destinations you can fly directly to from Manchester, from city breaks to other Christmas markets to snatched fortnights of sunshine to flights to spend the festive break with loved ones.
You can do your Christmas shopping at Manchester Airport with brilliant businesses like The Sculpts
And whether you’re one of those who’s panicked and left your shopping until the last minute, or are biding your time to save cash on beauty, booze and fragrance at World Duty Free, you can tick everything off your list on your way home for Christmas.
Shops at Manchester Airport include legendary toy shop Hamleys, fragrance favourite Jo Malone, and sportswear brand JD Sports.
You can stock up on gifts like fashion accessories from shops like BOSS and Accessorize, or get all your gifts for 2024 in one go at duty free.
And don’t miss The Sculpts, a Manchester-based design business operated by a local couple, who sell a range of handmade homeware and souvenirs including their signature alphabet tiles.
Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said: “Christmas is a magical time here at Manchester Airport.
“We’re always proud to connect the North to the world but the importance of that role really shines through at this time of year. It feels wonderful when you see travellers having emotional reunions in arrivals and families in departures getting ready to visit Father Christmas in Lapland.
“It’s also always a popular time to fly and, having broken our passenger records every month for well over a year now, we expect this Christmas to be the biggest and busiest we’ve ever seen with over a million passengers flying in the two-week festive period.
“Not only will those passengers receive a great service – last month 82% of our passengers waited less than five minutes to get to security – but they will also be able to soak up some of the magic we have here, including Santa’s grotto in our Little Flyers Zone in Terminal 1 and choirs singing carols at various spots in all three terminals.
“We can’t wait to welcome passengers to Manchester Airport this festive season.”
Record 29 million people expected to drive home for Christmas this year
Emily Sergeant
Drivers are being told to prepare for long queues, as a record number of festive trips are predicted across the UK ahead of the big day.
With the festive season generally known to make the roads nationwide busier than usual, travel warnings have now been issued to all those making Christmas getaway trips for the holidays – with an annual study by the RAC and INRIX suggesting that 29 million journeys are planned before Christmas Day arrives.
Nearly half of these journeys (14.3 million) are set to be crammed into this coming weekend.
But, as Christmas falls mid-week this year, the figures suggest there will be an extended period of ‘pre-Christmas panic’ on the roads, with 5.7m trips taken yesterday and today alone.
The true festive getaway kicks off tomorrow (20 December), with an expected 3 million trips on this day, before the figure then jumps up to 3.7 million and 2.9 million this coming weekend (Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 December) – which is the final weekend before the big day itself.
A record 29 million people expected to drive home for Christmas this year / Credit: Geograph
By far the single busiest day, however, has to be Christmas Eve, with 3.8 million separate getaway journeys expected by car, on top of the final flurries of commuter traffic.
To make matters worse for everyone, the RAC’s research has also revealed that a further 4.7 million trips are expected at some point between the 20 and 22 December, and 2.5 million on either the 23 or 24 December, all coming from motorists who haven’t yet decided which day they’ll travel.
When it comes to the best and worst times to travel over the festive period, the research has revealed that the worst time to travel along major routes will be between 1pm and 7pm, especially tomorrow and Saturday, so both the RAC and INRIX are suggesting that drivers set off early in the morning, or later in the evening when the heaviest of the traffic should have subsided.
After the big day, there are an additional 4.4 million trips predicted on Boxing Day and 3.8 million on Friday 27 December.
On these days, drivers are advised to avoid major roads during the hours of 10am to 3pm, which is when journeys are expected to take significantly longer than usual.
Daisy Jackson -
11th July 2024 
