INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

After a sympathetic renovation, Manchester’s grand old Midland Hotel is once again at the top of its game.

MANCHESTER

THE MIDLAND HOTEL
PETER STREET
TEL. +44 (0)161 236 3333

YEARS AGO, THE DAUGHTER OF A FAMILY FRIEND – A HIGH-FLYING long-haul stewardess – was asked to name the best hotel she’d ever stayed in anywhere in the world. To everyone’s amazement, it was nowhere far flung or remotely exotic. She trotted out the name of The Midland Hotel, citing the staff and the vast old bathrooms as being the very cradle of civilisation in her perpetually shifting universe. After a fairly recent multi-million pound renovation I doubt there’s much left of the old plumbing, but there were a couple of old(er) charmers on the porter’s desk who appear to have been in place long before the current colour scheme, and who epitomised the very best in old-fashioned hotel service: chipper, efficient and very knowledgeable.

Manchester’s vast remnants of the Industrial Revolution have proven popular with developers in recent years – everything from cotton mills to warehouses have been renovated and revamped for modern living – so it’s fitting that the city’s old fortress-like railway hotel has also been given a new lease of life. Built in 1903, the northern colossus has an edifice of warmly glazed tiles, rich gilt lettering, a rooftop village of chimney stacks and even a gold-painted wyvern set into its outside wall, a symbol of the old Midland Railway.

Inside, the foyer is a modern interpretation of a grander era, with highly buffed marble floors, great colonnades, discreet lighting and punctual clocks. The whole place reeks of prestige and industrial gain, so it seems fitting that a year after the hotel first opened Messrs Rolls and Royce apparently met here for the first time, before going on to establish their famous partnership. Set up a few steps on the left of the foyer is an octagonal room that does a mean afternoon tea and evokes a Moroccan riad with its octagonal shape and punched-metal lanterns. Adjoining bars and an evening-only à la carte restaurant called The French hummed quietly as glasses clinked and cutlery was placed on fine china plates.

Upstairs, the big, wide corridors are quite lovely, lined with sheets of grey marble then finished off with pale mossy-green wallpaper and toning carpet. Left to my own devices, I could have camped out quite happily in one of them. After their grace and generosity, my own room came as an anti-climax: a cube with a small, though immaculate, bathroom, but all kitted out in colours and textures that were too sludgy. The dimensions are still large and the ceilings are still high but a purple dressing table and mud-brown ripple-effect furniture didn’t create much of a comfortable glow.

After an undisturbed sleep, I breakfasted in The Colony Restaurant, a huge cream-coloured room with gauzy banners hanging from the ceiling. Even at just after 7am the place was busy and well staffed with a jovial team bringing drinks and toast and deftly clearing up. Breakfast was neither good nor bad, merely middling. There was too much reliance on packets and even at such an early hour, several items on the admittedly extensive buffet were beginning to look very tired with little sign of any freshening up on the horizon. That said, my bacon and egg was perfectly acceptable.

A quick tour of the premises revealed that the only area not yet brought up to date is the basement leisure complex, but otherwise this is, for the most part, a towering, likeable institution that brings a contemporary edge to its old world values.

LONDON

CHEVAL APARTMENTS
13 CHEVAL PLACE, SW7
TEL. +44 (0)20 7225 3325

Situated opposite Harrods in London’s smart Knightsbridge, the Cheval Apartments are an ideal option for anyone travelling to the capital for extended periods. The Cheval Group specialises in self-contained living and provides an independent base in the middle of London but with the added extras of a daily maid service, membership to a local health club and other perks. Two- and three-bedroom apartments and houses are available, and their various configurations offer flexible options for larger groups of guests. With a minimum stay of seven nights, the flats are intended to be a home away from home, and with excellent kitchens and nice touches such as a luxury hamper plus bread and milk on arrival, Cheval feels more personal than just another anonymous hotel. SW

BRUSSELS

HOTEL BLOOM!
RUE ROYALE 250
TEL. +32 (0)2 220 66 11

In early 2006 the Royal Crown Hotel in Brussels began extensive renovations that saw it relaunch at the end of last year as Hotel BLOOM!, a fresh new venue packed with modern features, original art and plenty of exclamation marks. Light, open and contemporary, and in contrast to the more conservative styling of the Royal Crown, BLOOM! is aimed at the modern business traveller, with 12 meeting rooms, OO! restaurant and the forthcoming ‘pleasure space’ and business lounge MOODS!, due for completion in May. Each of the 306 bedrooms is to have its own original fresco painted by young European artists and work should be finished by the end of the year. Young and dynamic, BLOOM! is bursting out onto the Brussels hotel scene. SW

ROTTERDAM

HOTEL NEW YORK
KONINGINNENHOOFD 1
TEL. +31 (0)10 439 05 55

In 1993 the four-star Hotel New York opened in the Holland-America Line building, a magnificent edifice that had previously lain derelict in the rundown harbour area. Now 15 years on, the revamped area has become one of the most desirable in town, and the hotel’s neighbours include the new Photo Museum and a host of quality restaurants. To appreciate the building, take a water taxi from the city centre and gaze in awe as its 19th-century grandeur slowly comes into view. The interior has its own charm, too, complete with childlike drawings of boats and a giant tea pot in the restaurant and bar. Unfortunately, the food doesn’t match the building, so soak up the atmosphere before heading out to one of the smart new eating places nearby. HdH

ANTWERP

GUESTHOUSE PORTERS
KIPDORPVEST 44
TEL. +32 (0)3 213 35 75

Tucked away on a small street near the Meir, House of Porters includes an interior design and architectural firm, an accessories shop, cooking and flower workshop, reception hall, tea room, and, most recently, a luxury boutique hotel. Having created three hotel interiors, designer Pieter Porters decided it was time to unveil his own hotel. The result is this three-suite property, each suite decorated in its own distinct style. The English Suite is in the country house tradition; the French Suite is a noble affair; while the Eastern Suite subtly blends exotic objects with red and gold trimmings. Each room has its own terrace, spacious deluxe bathroom and two fireplaces, plus a futuristic Domotica system that automatically draws the curtains, lights the fireplace, and sets ambient lighting. SJ

WORDS BY SIMON PARKES