One of the most hotly-anticipated new hotel openings in Manchester, Treehouse Hotel, has finally confirmed its launch date.
The major new opening has been slowly transforming the brutalist tower at the end of Deansgate, formerly long-standing hotel the Renaissance, into a ‘whimsical, forest-inspired’ accommodation.
Once it opens, Treehouse Hotel will bring 224 guest rooms, including nine suites and three accessible rooms, to Manchester.
Also opening on the ground floor of the huge building will be Pip, by acclaimed local chef Mary-Ellen McTague, showcasing a low-waste cooking approach with seasonally sourced ingredients.
Just announced too as part of Treehouse Hotel Manchester is Sister Moon by Sam Grainger, a 14th-floor Southeast Asian dining destination set to open later in 2025.
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Work has been ongoing at the site for several years now, with an initial launch date pencilled in for summer 2023.
But things are finally coming together and Treehouse Hotel Manchester has now announced it will open the doors to its ‘playful and free-spirited’ hotel on Wednesday 19 March.
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This ‘one-of-a-kind’ addition to Manchester’s thriving hotel scene follows SH Hotels & Resorts (soon to be Starwood Hotels) launch of its first Treehouse property in London in 2019.
A glimpse inside the rooms at Treehouse Hotel Manchester. Credit: Brad Matthews
The new hotel aims to provide a ‘unique retreat for visitors seeking both comfort and an element of adventure’.
Its interiors will blend the enchanting charm of a forest with the hotel’s signature ‘perfectly imperfect’ design ethos.
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And they’ve called upon some of the North West’s most celebrated culinary names to craft the dining and drinking options, Pip and the newly-announced Sister Moon.
Also up on the 14th floor will be The Nest in Treehouse, a space with sweeping city views and a lively atmosphere.
Pip Restaurant will open at the new Treehouse Hotel. Credit: Supplied
And up on the top of the hotel will be The Hideout, an intimate rooftop lounge and terrace, with Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford leading a series of events across the hotel.
Treehouse Hotel Manchester will have on-site facilities that include a 43-seat Flix screening room, a state-of-the-art Playground gym, and meeting rooms named after trees.
There’s nothing like a bit of shrubbery to break up the grey-scale skyscraper landscape of Manchester and this next new opening has taken it to the next level.
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Stays at Treehouse Hotel Manchester start from £199 per night, with bookings now open HERE.
The beautiful Lake District bluebells display that’s being ‘loved to death’
Daisy Jackson
People are beginning to flock back to the Lake District for one of the season’s most beautiful spectacles – the arrival of the bluebells.
These pretty flowers are beginning to blanket parts of the national park in blue and purple blooms.
They’re incredibly rare flowers with around than half of the world’s bluebells found here in the UK, and can take around five to seven years to develop from seed to flower.
Which is why it’s actually against the law to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy bluebells.
The National Trust has also again stressed that people should resist the urge to step into the fields of bluebells – once they’re trampled, they can take years to recover.
One particular hotspot to see these incredible flowers is Rannerdale Knotts in the Lake District, where thousands of these wildflowers pop up between late April and mid-May.
While most bluebells flower in woodland areas, this particular patch covers open fellside – they bloom a bit later than other areas in the UK and mid-May is the perfect time to see them in full bloom.
Rannerdale Knotts is a short distance from the village of Buttermere, and the bluebell field can be accessed by a gentle walk from Buttermere National Trust car park.
However, these flowers are at risk of being ‘loved to death’, the National Trust has warned.
They say: “Rannerdale’s bluebells are renowned as a natural wonder, beloved of visitors and photographers; however, they are being ‘loved to death’.
“Once the plants are damaged by trampling they can’t photosynthesise enough energy and it can take them years to recover. Over the last 5 years, nearly 25% of the bluebells have been lost.
“To save the bluebells, and access to them, the National Trust are asking visitors to fight the urge to get in amongst the flowers and just simply stick to the path. Only by protecting them today can we ensure everyone has a chance to enjoy this special spring display in the future.”
Several locals have echoed this on social media, with one person saying: “As a local we love to share our landscape with visitors but please remember to maintain its natural beauty. So many people trample on them to get the perfect insta shot.”
Green light given for new train station in Greater Manchester town without one for 60 years
Emily Sergeant
The green light has been given to build a new train station in a Greater Manchester town that’s been without one for 60 years.
It’s been a whopping six decades, but the residents of Golborne will soon be able to hop on a train out of there, and that’s because a planning application to connect the Greater Manchester town, in the Wigan borough, that was submitted back in November of last year has been approved by Wigan Council.
This means connectivity is finally one step closer to becoming reality.
Plans to deliver a new £32m train station in Golborne have reached a milestone moment. 🚅@WiganCouncil has given the green light to the planning application for the station and #TfGM have appointed a local company to design it.
In case you didn’t know, Golborne currently has no direct bus, train, or tram services to Manchester, while the wider area is the largest and most-populous area in Greater Manchester not connected to the rail network.
The application includes plans for a new accessible two-platform rail station, including step-free access throughout with a footbridge across the tracks and lifts to both platforms, a new hourly service between Wigan and Manchester Victoria, and onwards to Stalybridge, an improved town centre car park, and also new walking and cycling links to the town centre.
According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the Golborne station scheme forms part of a wider ambition to bring eight commuter lines into the Bee Network by 2028 – of which ‘significant investment’ has been put into.
A CGI image showing an aerial view of the proposed Golborne train station / Credit: TfGM
The planning approval milestone will also help to boost access to jobs and opportunities for people both in the town and in the wider Wigan borough.
Now that plans have been approved, this means TfGM, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Wigan Council, working with Government, will now develop a full business case and detailed design throughout this year.
To deliver this work, TfGM has appointed Golborne-based engineering firm Murphy to develop the final station designs.
Subject to approval from the Government, work to make the Golborne station vision finally become a reality will begin in 2026, and it’s hoped that the first trains will stop there in 2027.
Daisy Jackson -
11th February 2025 
