King Street Townhouse, Manchester

The recently opened King Street Townhouse in the centre of Manchester is in the upper part of the King Street conservation area of the city. The Italian Renaissance building was originally built for the Manchester Salford Trustees Bank in 1872 but has now been tastefully transformed into what they describe as a "baby grand hotel providing contemporary accommodation".

The hotel guide in the rooms has a quote from Mahatma Gandhi:
"The best way to find yourself is to loose yourself in the service of others".
A very apt quote as what becomes apparent whilst staying at this cosy and welcoming addition to the Manchester hotel scene is that the service provided by the staff here is excellent and in my opinion is without exception.

All the staff that I had contact with from the front desk to the restaurant staff to the cleaners all seem to enjoy working there. I have stayed at many hotels where the staff seem to see the job as a stop gap before they move on to something else, but whoever has trained the staff here has obviously instilled in them the importance of professional, first class, friendly service whilst not being intrusive. I understand that some of the staff were headhunted too, but I could see that they are all proud to work here and see the job as part of a successful career.

On arrival we were greeted by Craig on the front desk, whose experience working in other top class establishments was evident. The hotel offers a butler service and Craig offered to unpack our suitcases on showing us to our homely Luxe Junior Suite.

The Luxe Junior Suites are well equipped with a cosy lounge area that has a selection of Michael Connelly and Ruth Rendell books, should you wish to relax, a chess set, a mini bar, two large flat screen TV's with the full Sky HD package (one TV in the lounge room, the other in the bedroom), a mini bar, a Krups coffee machine including shortbread biscuits and macaroons.

The bedroom has a super king size bed including a deep mattress including what must be the best pillows I have slept on, as the four pillows are filled with Hungarian Goose Down. Luxurious and perfect for a superb nights sleep. The air conditioning must be the quietest and effective that I have experienced. Something that is different is the free standing bath in the bedroom; it is a fixture you will either love or hate but I thought it was very novel. The well equipped bathroom comes with two washbasins, a rain shower and high quality toiletries. The bath towels are some of the thickest bath towels I have used. A walk in wardrobe completes this highly desirable accommodation.

Should you have the highly unlikely problem of not sleeping there is a Sleep Well Collection including a face mask, pillow spray and Camomile Tea or if you have overindulged there is even a Hangover Kit including a high energy shot and an Alka Seltzer sachet amongst other items. Like everything else at the King Street Townhouse they seem to have thought of everything.

A nice touch was having the bed turned down, bottles of water left by the bedside and towels replenished whilst we were out for the evening. Fast free Wi Fi is also offered throughout the hotel.

Meals are taken in the warm and welcoming King Street Tavern. My 8oz fillet steak with fat chips was cooked to my liking whilst my partners 8oz Rib Eye steak was a little underdone for her liking, but was soon replaced with a completely new one, when asked if our meals were OK. The restaurant staff were knowledgable about the choices on the menu which was pleasing. Desserts take on a classic touch with my warm Sticky Toffee Pudding and my partners Tavern Cheesecake being delicious on both counts. An extensive wine list is offered too.

Breakfast can be either a continental buffet or a cooked to order hot British breakfast. Afternoon Tea is served in the Afternoon Tea Lounge which has artefacts on the wall depicting the influence that Manchester groups have had on the UK music scene over the years, which I thought was a good local touch.

With a gym, a south facing outside terrace on the 7th floor and a hotel guest spa area this inviting hotel really is an indulgent pleasure that would suit the business traveller, taking your partner away for a special treat or anyone who likes outstanding service in relaxed and contemporary surroundings.

The 40 rooms come in 4 categories: Snug, Comfort, Cosy, Luxe Junior Suite and Suite.

The hotel is currently the Number One hotel on Trip Adviser for Manchester after only being open for 3 months. After your stay here you will see why. A huge achievement for all concerned and rightly deserved in my opinion.

For more information:
www.eclectichotels.co.uk