A luxury aparthotel that has famously been home to Manchester City stars and the team's manager Pep Guardiola has scooped a top national tourism award. City Suites on Chapel Street has been named among a list of top 100 accommodation providers across England for offering the "warmest of welcomes".
The apartment building sits on the Salford and Manchester border right opposite Manchester Cathedral and just a minute's walk from the city centre. It has become known for its stylish aparthotel offering as well as plush extras for guests including a swimming pool and jacuzzi.
The building also gained fame for a host of its high profile guests - including Manchester City boss Pep and a host of his team after it first opened in 2017. They are understood to have taken out specific floors of the building that are purely used for long stay residents rather than hotel guests.
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The 16-storey building hosts 237 one and two-bedroom luxury apartments that all come complete with their own kitchens (with oven, microwave, dishwasher, fridge freezer, washer and coffee machine) as well as a spacious living room area. You can rent the apartments for any length of time from four nights upwards - with bosses saying the average stay is around three weeks.
But there are also two floors of privately-owned apartments - where it is understood Pep and some of his star players, including David Silva when at City, were based. It is one of the new breed of apartment hotels in the city centre, giving business travellers needing to stay in the city a little longer than a few days more living space, and more home comforts than a regular hotel room.
On the ground floor guests can also eat at the Embankment Kitchen restaurant, while there's also a fitness suite to burn off the calories. And the aparthotel has been such a success that a second site right next door was launched at the end of last year, called City Suites II.
Rooms at the front of the hotel boast spectacular views taking in Manchester Cathedral, Chetham's School and out across the city centre. Current offers at the hotel include weekend breaks from £110 per night.
City Suites was one of 100 winners of VistEngland's annual ROSE Award, with the full list announced earlier this week. Of the 16 winners in the north west, City Suites was the only representative to claim the honour in the Greater Manchester region.
Other north west winners included Riverside Barn House in Preston, Clifton Arms Hotel in Lytham and Capernwray House in Carnforth in Lancashire. There were also nods for accommodation in the Lake District including The Old Vicarage in Horton Heath, Castlerigg Holiday Park in Keswick and Sandburne Vegetarian Guest House also in Keswick.
The ROSE Awards recognise the accommodation providers across England who provide visitors with the warmest of welcomes. They celebrate the establishments, irrespective of their star rating, style or type of accommodation, where the owners, management and employees provide outstanding experiences for their customers.
The awards are now in their sixth year after being paused in 2020 and 2021. VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: "It is great to see the ROSE Awards back as we celebrate and congratulate accommodation businesses across England excelling at customer service and creating stand-out experiences that keep visitors coming back time-after-time.
"The awards are also a wonderful showcase of the sheer scale of outstanding accommodation across England with visitors truly spoilt for choice. From stunning estates with camping on their doorstep to quintessentially English pubs with cosy rooms, from charming B&Bs and self-catering cottages in glorious locations to quirky beach huts in picture-perfect seaside towns, there is a stay to suit all tastes and requirements.”
The ROSE Award winners were nominated by VisitEngland’s quality scheme assessors and selected from assessor comments and online feedback from overseas and domestic visitors.
Recipients of the awards include all types of accommodation from Bed & Breakfasts, guesthouses, self-catering and hotels to parks, campsites, glamping sites and hostels. The winners cover a range of ratings from three to five stars, as well as accredited properties.
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