A landmark hotel in Manchester city centre scooped a big prize recently, and was named as one of the most luxurious hotels in the world.
Hotel Gotham, which towers at the top of King Street in an art deco-style former bank building, was crowned as the best Luxury City Hotel.
The five-star hotel scooped the accolade in the World Luxury Hotel Awards, where other winners included world-famous hotels like the Waldorf Astoria in Edinburgh and the Pan Pacific London.
Hotel Gotham has a 1930s interior filled with black and brass furniture and jewel-toned velvets.
There are 55 bedrooms within this stunning building, and five suites, all designed to ‘encourage a bit of decadence’.
Several of the rooms have free-standing bathtubs in them, popped in next to king-size beds draped in soft fur throws.
There are the five ‘inner sanctum’ suites which are even more opulent than the rest, each one named after a local figure.
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These suites at Hotel Gotham transport guests back to the ‘golden age of travel’ with a giant ‘wonderwall’ screen, vintage suitcases, buckled belts and hat boxes.
Credit: Hotel Gotham Manchester
The hotel is also home to Club Brass, a private members’ club up on the seventh floor with rooftop terraces, and its restaurant Honey, which has two AA Rosettes.
Soon, Hotel Gotham will open up its vaults as an underground events space known as Gilt, inspired by the Gatsby era.
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You can see why it got luxury status too – its facilities include being home to Auto Vivendi, an exclusive supercar club.
The hotel’s chauffeur service is in a Bentley too. Pretty fancy.
Rooms at Hotel Gotham start from £160 per night and go up to £1000 a night for the suites.
Hotel Gotham manager Mario Ovsenjak told the Manchester Evening News: “I am absolutely delighted with the latest award for Hotel Gotham. It’s our 20th prize, this time on the international stage.
“It comes at a time when the hospitality industry is still on a very slow and laborious road to recovery after the painful two years of Covid-19 related restrictions. This award is a testament to all the cast and crew of Hotel Gotham, who work tirelessly day in, day out to achieve the very best standards of service.
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“In doing so, the Hotel Gotham team take enormous pride in achieving such great worldwide recognition. It is particularly gratifying to win such a prestigious award in our seventh year of operation.
“This award reaffirms that Manchester as a destination offers the highest standards of accommodation to UK and international travellers alike.”
Featured image: Hotel Gotham / The Manc Group
What's On
A hilarious and award-winning Star Wars burlesque show is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
In a galaxy not so far away, a smash-hit Star Wars parody and burlesque show is coming to Manchester city centre in the New Year.
You may have heard of the funny Star Wars stripper show or even seen clips of it online, but rumour has it that nothing can quite prepare you for the cheekiness of seeing this romp in the flesh.
In case you’ve been completely immersed in the dark side until now, here’s what you can expect:
Now well over a decade into its success and more than 200 Las Vegas shows, ‘The Empire Strips Back’ made its long-awaited transatlantic debut earlier this year.
Getting away at London’s Riverside Studios from May and enjoying a run until this past August, the comedy-driven twist on the classic Star Wars stories and beloved sci-fi characters was an instant hit with us Brits.
It started in Australia way back in 2011 and has gone not only to tour across Europe, but land a coveted residency at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Nevada.
Fast, funny, feisty and by all accounts, fantastic.
Now set to seek out new padawans and storm-strippers all over the cosmos, and by that we mean the UK, ‘The Empire Strips Back: Burlesque Parody’ is coming to Manchester.
Set to land at Depot Mayfield in the New Year – next spring, specifically, we cannot wait to see how this goes down with Northern crowds.
The Manc leg is scheduled to kick off on 6 March and last until 8 May, 2026, with various dates and times of day available.
It’s also worth noting that this two-hour show, including intermission, is a strictly 18+ only event; if you’re interested, you can find out more info and grab your tickets right HERE.
Manchester Open exhibition to return in 2026 with ‘biggest celebration’ of local creative talent
Emily Sergeant
The biggest celebration of Greater Manchester’s creative talent is making a much-anticipated return next summer.
Taking place every two years and now in its fourth iteration, Manchester Open exhibition sees the HOME Gallery walls filled with hundreds of artworks selected by a panel consisting of art experts and community representatives.
The exhibition is open to all and welcomes entries from people of any level of experience, including established professionals, students, graduates, new and emerging talent, enthusiastic amateurs, and even first-time artists.
Artists are invited to submit work into eight different categories, with the aim of creating an exhibition ‘rich in variety’ for visitors to explore.
Manchester Open exhibition is set to return in 2026 / Credit: Jason Lock Photography
This means you’ll get to explore works of ceramics, digital/moving images, drawings, prints, paintings, photography, sculptures/installations, and textiles.
Several awards will also be up for grabs throughout the exhibition – which is set to run from Saturday 20 June and Sunday 6 September 2026 – including a prestigious new award in honour of philanthropist and business leader, Kate Voke.
Three artists will also be awarded with artist development packages, managed by HOME and Castlefield Gallery.
“Following our 10 year anniversary in 2025, we are looking forward to 2026 and welcoming applications to HOME’s biggest celebration of Greater Manchester’s artistic talent,” explained Karen O’Neill, who is the CEO of HOME.
“With a record number of applications to the last Manchester Open, we’re hoping for even more in 2026 and to demonstrate how the city continues to grow as a place where artists and creativity can thrive.”
Manchester Open exhibition is taking place in 2026 from Saturday 20 June and Sunday 6 September, and the application and submission process is now live – with all submissions being reviewed by the selection panel who make the final selection of work to be included in the exhibition.
Artists will only be able to submit one artwork, and the selection panel members will be announced in spring 2026.
Featured Image – Jason Lock Photography (Supplied)