Velvet Hotel in the Gay Village is reopening this weekend after an expansion and refurbishment.
The landmark hotel on Canal Street has added 17 new suites after expanding into 3 Canal Street – a former office building – next door.
It’s set to relaunch just in time for Manchester Pride this weekend, which will see thousands flock to the Village for four days of protest and partying.
The four-star Velvet Hotel occupies a former velvet factory and still has historic details like exposed brick work and high vaulted ceilings.
The Signature Penthouse Suite spans 40 sq metres across two levels, with a private bar and seating on the first level and an en-suite bed deck on the second.
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The design concept across the entire hotel takes inspiration from the site’s history – a factory warehouse producing velvet in the epicentre of the industrial revolution.
Inside the new-look Velvet Hotel. Credit: Supplied
Eris Koutsoudakis and Maria Kachramanoglou of Meraki Design led the interior design, with a vision that included moody dark hues reference the original commercial heritage of the building.
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You’ll find it in plush velvet furnishings, and black bedside tables shaped like cotton reels.
The new bedrooms and suites feature super king-size beds, smart 65” televisions, air conditioning, complimentary Wi-Fi, black-out blinds and ambient lighting systems, with walk-in rainfall showers and underfloor heating in the large bathrooms.
The hotel’s Village Brasserie remains too, with cocktails and offers like Steak Night Wednesdays and lunch deals.
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To celebrate its relaunch, Velvet Hotel is running a Stay For Free deal, where you receive the full room booking fee back as credit to be used on food and drink at Velvet Bar and Village Brasserie.
Mr Sean Kilheeney, managing director of Tick Interiors, which oversaw the detailing throughout Velvet Hotel, said: “From our labourers to our sub-contractors, we’ve consciously striven to work with teams who reside in and around Greater Manchester. All of our materials have also been sourced within a 20-mile radius of Canal Street.
“It has been a pleasure working with Velvet to upgrade an otherwise derelict building, with the ambition of continuing the development of the Mancunion economy, and creating jobs within the travel and hospitality sectors.
“We’re incredibly proud of the new look and feel of the hotel, and hope that it provides Manchester’s guests with the best accommodation upon their arrival into the city.”
Velvet Hotel has also been welcomed back into the Mr and Mrs Smith Hotels collection, a travel club for luxury hotel lovers.
Rebecca Puttock, Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel & Villa curator said: “We are thrilled to welcome Velvet Hotel into our collection, and we’re really excited about this partnership. A real gem in the heart of Manchester City Centre, we love the style and uniqueness of Velvet and feel it is the perfect fit for our members.”
To celebrate the relaunch, Velvet Hotel is offering a very special ‘Stay For Free’ getaway, where guests are invited to book their stay and receive the full amount of the booking fee as credit to be used on food and drink at both Velvet Bar and Village Brasserie.
Mr Kim Eivind Krohn, owner of KRO Hospitality said: “The success of Velvet demonstrated that we needed more accommodation, with occupancy above 90% yearly.
“When the opportunity arose to purchase the freehold of the neighbouring no3 Canal Street, we knew this would be the perfect way to expand and enhance Velvet Hotel, the guest experience and bring the former office building back to life.”
Featured image: Supplied
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Elbow teams up with Co-op Live to donate equipment to Manchester grassroots venues
Thomas Melia
Bury band Elbow have joined forces with Manchester’s biggest indoor arena, Co-op Live, in aid of supporting local grassroots venues.
The funds will help improve the already incredible music scene in Manchester, benefitting staples likes Night and Day Café, Matt and Phred’s Jazz Club, SOUP and more.
All of the donations will be distributed across six independent music venues and will be used for various instruments, PA equipment, backline technology and other necessities depending on the requirements of each site.
Elbow have teamed up with Co-op Live in aid of supporting Manchester grassroots venues.Credit: Supplied
This initiative has been keeping Manchester’s Northern Quarter in the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to live music as well as the impressive Co-op Live.
Alongside providing vital resources for these local institutions, Elbow teaming up with Co-op Live also helps cement the North West as one of the main powerhouses in relation to live music.
The latest efforts from the largest indoor arena in Manchester fall in line with celebrating one year of bringing some of the best live music to the city, being officially open for 12 months in May.
Co-op Live have made a commitment to the people and the planet, promising to donate £1 million annually to the Co-op Foundation.
The stunning Co-op Live venue, Manchester’s largest indoor arena.Elbow performing at Co-op Live, marking history as the first act to grace the venue.Credit: Audio North/Supplied
Manchester’s latest live music venue also contributed significantly to selected charities, including Happy Doggo – chosen by Liam Gallagher and Eric Clapton’s addiction recovery centre, Crossroads.
As Elbow teams up with Co-op Live, even more money is making its way to necessary resources, this time in the likes of crucial live music establishments.
Elbow front-person Guy Garvey says: “Playing Co-op Live’s opening night will stay with us for a lifetime, not least because of how incredible the room sounded.”
“When the venue donated funds in our name to support the city we love, it made complete sense to carry that through to the Northern Quarter and to venues that have meant so much to my bandmates and I throughout our career.”
Guy Dunstan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Co-op Live, adds: “In the past year, I have been proud to see Co-op Live become an integral part of such an incredible city.”
“Teaming up with Elbow to directly support the venues that first put Manchester on the map, and to share something so intrinsic to us as venues – proper sound – is something truly special.”
Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon to kick off UK tour in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Multi award-winning musical Sunny Afternoon is set to kick off its UK tour here in Manchester later this year.
Following a sell-out run at Hampstead Theatre, the musical production featuring all the hit songs by legendary rock band The Kinks opened to critical acclaim at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, where it ran for two years ahead of its sensational UK and Ireland tour throughout 2016/17.
It also collected four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical and Outstanding Achievement in Music for Ray Davies, along the way.
Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon is kicking off its UK tour in Manchester / Credit: ATG Tickets
Set against the backdrop of Britain on the cusp of the rebellious 60s,Sunny Afternoon is described as being an ‘exhilarating and moving’ celebration of the music, life, and the band that changed it all, The Kinks.
Sunny Afternoon celebrates The Kinks’ raw energy, passion, and timeless sound.
Charting the ‘euphoric highs’ and ‘agonising lows’, the smash-hit production tells the band’s story through an incredible back catalogue of chart-toppers – including ‘You Really Got Me’, ‘Lola’, ‘All Day and All of the Night’, and of course, ‘Sunny Afternoon’ itself.
Tickets are on sale now from just £15 each / Credit: Kevin Cummins
Producers Sonia Friedman Productions and ATG Productions announced last week that the show would be returning for another UK tour later this year, and it’ll be opening right here on one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages.
The hit musical will open at Manchester’s Palace Theatre on 10 October 2025 and it will run right through until 18 October.
Sunny Afternoon has music and lyrics, and an original story, all by the band’s frontman Ray Davies, along with a book by Joe Penhall, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether, and choreography by Adam Cooper.