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
What's On
Neighbourhood Festival’s return to the city centre is looking great with after revealing second wave
Danny Jones
Neighbourhood Festival’s city centre all-dayer is returning to Manchester for 2026 after a year off, and with the second wave of the lineup having just dropped, it’s looking very promising.
Following teasers over the past month or so, it didn’t take long for us to figure out that NBHD Festival was coming back, especially with the Weekender in Warrington having taken a similar hiatus in 2024.
However, when festivals like these take time out, it can be easy to worry whether or not they’ll lose momentum or come back stronger.
Judging by this follow-up batch of acts alone, there’s no doubt NBHD Fest ’26 will be another cracker.
As you can see, as well as the fast-rising grungey alternative and garage rock quartet, KEO, being announced as one of the first big hitters on the list, there are some other familiar names on the lineup.
Especially for us Mancs.
With both Bolton and Altrincham youngsters, Florentenes and The Guest List, both joining the roster, as well as the likes of Bury-born ‘rockabilly’ revivalist Elliot James Reay also featuring on there, there’s a good deal of local talent to be enjoyed as always.
That goes for the regional delegation in general, too, with the likes of Jos River heading back up this way from her base in London, and Leeds’ fittingly named indie four-piece, The North, also booking a slot.
We’ll admit there are plenty of bands and artists coming up from the capital for the all-day festival, but at least they know where the UK’s real home of music is.
For instance, we’re buzzing to see the Red Rum Club boys returning to the NBHD stage once again – they never disappoint, and there are so many other guaranteed top performers on the bill. And that was just this year’s Weekener…
It’s worth reminding, once again, that since its inception in 2016 (yes, it really has been a decade now), Neighbourhood Fest has continued to serve as a proper launchpad for the next wave of superstars, not just here in the North West but across the country.
We still remember seeing the likes of Sam Fender, Holly Humberstone, Declan McKenna, Mahalia, The Lathums and more – some for the very first time – on these city centre stages, and it’s crazy to see how big some of them have gone on to become.
Set to take over some of Manchester’s most iconic venues along the Oxford Road Corridor once again, this is, without a doubt, one of the best dates for independents on the annual live music calendar.
Hosting a total of 11 stages on Saturday, 17 October, for a full day of live music, tickets for this year’s Neighbourhood Festival are on sale now right HERE.
And if you’ve already sorted yours, why not read our review of NBHD Weekender ’26 down below to get you in the mood for the next two editions.
Major DJ forced to pull out of Parklife festival on doctor’s orders
Thomas Melia
A well-known techno and trance DJ will no longer be playing at Parklife this weekend, he’s announced, with just one day to go until his major set.
Anyone heading to Heaton Park over the weekend for Manchester-based festival, Parklife, may notice the lineup looks a little different after one distinctive DJ has pulled out due to doctor’s orders.
Marlon Hoffstadt, who also goes by the moniker ‘DJ Daddy Trance’, was expected to play out on the Matinée stage on Saturday 20 June from 6.30pm – 8pm.
The Germany-based act was taking to the decks right before Manchester’s own Morgan Seatree, who has become recognised for his material which is an ode to house music and is likely to be one of the busiest sets of the weekend.
Hoffstadt had two gigs this weekend; the first being Parklife in Manchester and the second Fête de la Musique in Paris, both of which he has since pulled out of in a newly-published social media announcement.
The Berlin-born music maker has reluctantly called off these upcoming appearances and justified his decision by saying: “As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first”.
To much dismay, Hoffstadt received doctor’s advice who deemed him ‘currently not fit to fly’ following surgery, urging him to rest and recover.
Marlon posted today: “I’m so sad to have to share this, but unfortunately I won’t be able to play Parklife in Manchester and Fête de la Musique in Paris this weekend.
“I recently had a surgery and, following my doctor’s advice, I’m currently not fit to fly and need rest and recover.
“I know many of you made plans and were looking forward to it, and I’m so sorry to let you down.
“As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first so I can get back to doing what I love as soon as possible.”
As much as the presence of this world-class performer will be missed, there’s still plenty of notable names set to make their mark on Parklife including Zara Larsson, Calvin Harris, Skepta and more.
The outdoor big music weekender has established itself as a rave haven with mainly dance artists and DJs making up its lineup through a variety of curated b2b sets and live performances.
If you’re after immersing yourself in some jungle music, Bradford-native Nia Archives will have you transfixed over at The Valley with her jungle-heavy tunes from 6.30pm – 7.30pm or there’s three more stages to take your pick from.
We’re sure that anyone eager to see the ‘Hands Up In The Sky’ producer live may be frustrated by this brand-new social media announcement however as Hoffstadt mentions it’s so he can “Get back to doing what I love as soon as possible”.
Daisy Jackson -
24th August 2022 
