The city centre is set to be home to some brand new boutique accommodation as the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel opens its doors at the start of next month.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants – the leading global boutique luxury brand from IHG – will open its Kimpton Clocktower Hotel on Thursday 1st October.
It’s the brand’s fourth and final hotel to open in the UK, joining sites in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is a magnificent, terracotta Grade II listed building, with a history dating back to 1890 when it first opened as The Refuge Assurance Company headquarters. The grand clock tower at the centre of its striking Victorian architecture is an unmistakable landmark on Manchester’s skyline.
All 270 loft-style bedrooms – including 11 suites – were designed to make the most of the stunning, double and triple-height ceilings. Other original, period features – including glazed bricks, tiles and faience, stained glass and carved wooden staircases – meet contemporary fittings and interiors, such as the three-metre-tall bronze horse by artist Sophie Dickens, which sits in the lobby and is a piece that denotes a horse-and-carriage ‘turning circle’ that once stood on the spot.
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Guest rooms offer an homage to Manchester’s iconic music scene, with vinyl records of the city’s most iconic bands – from the Stone Roses and Oasis, to Elbow and Take That – available to play on record players in each room.
Each room borrows design inspiration from the spirited and renowned Manchester party and music scene, with vibrant, bespoke textiles designed by Timorous Beasties, which incorporate the iconic Manchester worker bee and bold contemporary graphic prints adorning the walls.
Hotel guests will enjoy Kimpton’s signature perks such as in-room yoga mats and the ‘Forgot It? We’ve Got It!’ service offering important guest essentials.
Free tuck boxes of treats in all rooms – as well as fresh milk and mineral water in the fridge – make for a relaxing in-room experience, and guests can also expect the brand’s industry-leading pet-friendly attitude and an approachable luxury experience fuelled by a hotel team who is committed to delivering heartfelt care and personal service in surprising ways.
Those wanting to make human connections can meet fellow visitors across social distanced tables at the nightly Kimpton Social Hour to bond over hosted drinks from 5-6pm at The Winter Garden – an interior glasshouse within The Refuge, which is a dining room and public bar set in a 10,000 square foot of space.
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IHG / Kimpton Clocktower Hotel
A 10-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is located in the heart of the city, opposite Oxford Road Station. Visible from all around thanks to its clock tower, it is less than five minutes by foot from the world-famous LGBTQ area of Canal Street, and close to the city centre’s shopping areas and department stores.
For those looking to explore Manchester on two wheels, Kimpton-branded bikes are available for hire free-of-charge.
Destination bar and restaurant, The Refuge by Volta, serves globally inspired small plates, craft beers and cocktails curated by the award-winning team from Volta and has a uniquely curated programme of events and happenings.
The hotel also offers 17 meeting rooms – featuring charming Edwardian detailing alongside 21st century technology – with capacity from four to 1,000, thanks to the largest ballroom in a hotel in the north west of England.
Johan Scheepers – General Manager at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel – said: “Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is the latest addition to the global Kimpton brand. Each Kimpton hotel is an escape from the ordinary, and Kimpton Clocktower Hotel will offer a real ‘wow’ factor stay with a warm Mancunian welcome.
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“Kimpton continues on its incredible expansion across the globe with the opening of Kimpton Clocktower Hotel marking our fourth opening in the UK.
The Kimpton brand is rooted in human heartfelt connections and we look forward to welcoming guests and locals in a city world renowned for its warmth, charm and exuberance.”
Double rooms at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel start from £120 (inc VAT, Service Charge and Full English Breakfast).
Bookings are now available via the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel website here.
The safety and wellbeing of guests and colleagues amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is of top priority, so the newly-introduced IHG Clean Promise giving guests extra reassurance and you can find out more at kimptonhotels.com/Clean
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Tommy Fury vs Darren Till press conference descends into foul-mouthed chaos
Danny Jones
The first press conference ahead of Tommy Fury vs Darren Till was held on Tuesday evening and it didn’t take long for the whole thing to descend into absolute bedlam.
Having only been confirmed on Sunday, Fury vs Till will be a homecoming bout for the Wythenshawe-born fighter who is set to headline the first-ever boxing match at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena.
With the date set for 18 January, the pre-fight build-up and media frenzy are growing fast and things have already come to ahead in just the first meeting between the two fighters in London this week.
Clearly sharing plenty of bad blood already, while Tommy and Till were engaging in the usual fighting talk, the family patriarch, John Fury, decided to interject and it was at this point that things boiled over.
‼️ Tommy Fury vs Darren Till press conference descends into chaos as Till tells John Fury: "Shut up, you haven't been seen since Oleksandr Usyk battered Tyson."
As you can see, amidst the various insults being thrown around regarding intelligence, boxing ability, Tommy’s older brother Tyson being “battered by [Oleksandr] Usyk”, ‘Big John’ then launches a bottle of water across the table at Till, sparking a hot-tempered on-stage skirmish.
The lengthy exchange features as many expletives as you could imagine, with 31-year-old Darren Till also threatening that he will “bladder” both Tommy and his more established heavyweight sibling Tyson, labelling the entire Fury family “shithouses” as they walk out of the London press conference.
A mixed martial artist by trade who has competed at both welterweight and middleweight in the UFC, Till assured that even if the boxing match isn’t going his way on the night, he will kick [him] square in [the] face”, adding that he’s a “proper fighter” and that Tommy, on the other hand, has no power.
YouTube turned musician and occasional boxer, KSI – the founder of the Misfits promotion who is putting on the event and who Fury beat back in October last year – can also be heard whooping from centre stage and shouting, “Get your tickets!”
Even after the mini-brawl is separated, the foul-mouthed back and forth continues for some time. You can see another angle here:
Press conference aftermath 🤯@darrentill2 was going IN on the Fury’s 😳
This isn’t the first time things have boiled over at a Fury press conference; in fact, it’s not even the first time John Fury, 59, has found himself in the very eye of the storm.
Meanwhile, the youngest Fury son is preparing first his first fight in over a year, having nearly joined this year’s I’m a Celeb lineup instead.
Tickets for the now highly-anticipated boxing match at Co-op Live, just the second combat sports event to have been held at the arena, are on sale now – you can grab yours HERE. It’s going to be a feisty one.
Festive Grinch-themed cafes to pop up inside Greater Manchester Primark stores
Emily Sergeant
Festive Grinch-themed cafes are popping up inside two of Primark’s biggest Greater Manchester stores in the run-up to Christmas.
As the temperatures turn colder by the day, the nights draw in, and the most wonderful time of the year nears closer and closer, it won’t be long before it’s time to snuggle up in our comfies and pop on the first Christmas film of the year – and for some of us, there’s a good chance that first film of choice will be The Grinch.
Whether you prefer the 2000 fantasy comedy starring Jim Carey, or the 2018 animated reboot with Benedict Cumberbatch, it’s undoubtedly a real family favourite.
To celebrate everyone’s favourite grumpy green grouch, Primark has teamed up with Dr. Seuss once again on a Grinch-tastic collaboration.
Festive Grinch-themed cafes have popped up inside Greater Manchester Primark stores / Credit: Supplied
Shoppers can now head to their nearest Primark store to find the largest-ever Grinch collection, with something for the whole family, as well as great gifting options said to be “ideal for getting into the anti-Christmas spirit”.
There’s Grinch pyjamas and slippers for both adults and kids, a Grinch ‘Onesie’ that’s sure to make people green with envy, Grinch drinks cups and mugs, a selection of loungewear and Christmas jumpers for festive dressing, and so much more, as well as whole host of Grinch-inspired outfits and toys for your four-legged friends too.
As part of Primark’s aim to offer affordable choices for everyone, prices for the Grinch collection start at just £1 for accessories, and go up to £24 for adult clothing.
If the return of the Grinch collection wasn’t exciting enough as it is, the all-new Grinch cafes – which are popping up in Primark on Market Street in Manchester city centre, as well as Primark in Trafford Palazzo – are bound to be hit with fans of the furry character.
There’s everything from green waffles and themed milkshakes, to festive toasties, hot drinks, and more on the menu.
With Greater Manchester Grinch cafes set to be open until the end of December, Sarah Jackson – who is the Director of Licensing at Primark, said: “We’re so excited to roll out our amazing cafe experience across a number of our UK locations, bringing a sprinkle of mischief to our customers this festive season.
“Whether you’re stopping in for a sweet treat or stocking up on pyjamas and gifts for the whole family, we have everything you need to make it a truly unforgettable Grinch-mas.”
Emily Sergeant -
8th September 2020 
