Newly opened boutique hotel The Alan has landed itself a rave review from national restaurant critic Jay Rayner, despite a distinct lack of customers. The hotel, which quietly opened its doors on Princess Street in February, was more or less empty when the critic for The Observer turned up to eat.
Rayner did qualify that he was in town ‘school night’, a Tuesday to be exact, and noted that a number of Manchester restaurants are now waiting until Wednesday to reopen after the weekend due to issues with staff and other factors. But he went on to say that people ‘don’t know what they’re missing’.
“The Alan isn’t just quiet. It feels abandoned. A single employee is on duty in the main foyer this evening, eyeing the entrance. He greets us cheerfully as we push through the doors. Perhaps he’s grateful for the company,” he notes.
