Luther King House — Hotel in Manchester

The rooms are a decent size but very basic. This is a university facility that lets out unused student rooms at a reasonable price for people visiting Manchester. It's within walking distance of much of the core university campus for Manchester, and is about two miles from the city centre. Taxi will cost about £6 in 2022. Busses are available and fairly frequent. The positives The nicest staff you could hope for. A really good continental breakfast that will set you up for the day if you don't want to spend money on lunch! (Lemon muffins hot from the oven will make you want to stay longer!) There is no cooked breakfast other than boiled eggs and porridge, but it's in the price. Take note of what I think is mid century design in the dining room. Curved hardwood arches support the church like roof. The library!! This is a gem!! The place feels monastic and with its name you can guess it's Baptist church origins however the agnostic content in the library and periodical rooms are excellent. It's an excellent working library. The courtyard with its covered walk on three sides is an oasis. Even in early march it feels tranquil with its fountain and moss covered cherry trees. The place was full of bird song and the traffic a distant hum. There are well serviced meeting rooms with good facilities. One, a Baptist chapple, the others standard office environment with electronic white boards. The common room with its spectacular light is very comfortable There is a bar that's very reasonably priced and free parking.

The points of note There is no evening meal, it's breakfast only but takeaways deliver and your within walking distance of the infamous "curry mile".

The negative Reception is reminiscent of the student union, not a hotel. The walls are decidedly thin. The rooms are generally clean but dusty. Shabby not shabby chic. Practically every light and windowsill had dead flies. All bathrooms had signs of mold and rust on the bins and fixtures. The rooms, doors and corridors are worn, marked, and chipped. The courtyard, while a main feature of the venue was not well maintained. An 18ct alabaster bust stuck by the recycling bins rather than storing them out of view. Damaged furniture partially blocking one walkway.

Overall the place seems stuck between being a parish church that takes parsimonious delight in its hardship, and what could be a top of the market theological...

I can't say why I decided to choose this place, rather than city centre. And it's not even cheaper that cc. So it's not money.

Yes rooms are basic. Double bed that's rather short. I'm 6'1 and I had my legs sticking out. Telly was but it ain't smart telly. But then you going to hotel to sleep not to watch telly. Shower and toilet where clean and that's that. They did what they where design to do. And did that well.

Breakfast? Never had continental breakfast before and this one is good. What I'm saying? Amazing! You have basic breakfast you can imagine. Porridge, you can have toast (two types of bread) and jam and butter and croissant and jogurt and berry fruits. And peach and pear. Oh and hard boiled egs. Take as much as you want. You can not get it more simple. And then it's coffee. Where its good it's served in jugs that came probably from Life on Mars TV series. From the 70s. And I love it! It serves the purpose. Why make it more complicated?! Oh and two lovely fellas serving in kitchen. Ask any of them for a map of local attractions.

And what to do? Enjoy in lounge after breakfast. Sofa (few sofas really) are comfortable and good to sit. Or go to the garden. Sit there, watch squirrels or if you got some nust share with them. And a small fountain in the middle that was my soundtrack to fall asleep. And library. Or to be precise Christian library. With books about bible, apostols, teaching of bible, how to read bible and what meanings are. Great place to lost yourself there, discovering new and unknown.

And then you can go for a walk. As this hotel is not far from asian / Muslim street where there are many many places to eat. To buy new food. To discover something you haven't seen. And if you get bored, buses are every few minutes with less than 5 minutes walk from hotel to bus stop.

Yes, bed was squicky. So when / if you are feeling romantic at night... Neighbours will hear you for sure. Yes lift could be useful for some. And carpets could be replaced. But you know what? I felt sorry I have to go. I felt like I'm loosing my good mate. This place was more then hotel. It was my safe heaven from which I went out to discover something new every day. And then I get back, to nice and clean place. Place I will choose again knowing I could get cheaper hotels closer to city centre. But those places didn't have that...

I booked because of the name (LKH) It was November 2019 the very first stay. Not knowing what to expect but what it was, was nothing like expected. I thought it was a general hotel but it was a conference centre and the immediate first thing on the way to the room was the smell of pencil sharpening and rubbers like school. Warm and helpful staff and a great breakfast selection and Luther King House became the Magic & it was. Each month or fortnight trip was more to discover and the staff got to know who was coming & accommodated us perfectly within the Annex type area , past the library and the cool statue, through the gardens and blossom trees to the back corner where we could play music and live comfortably home from home. The rooms were always clean and comfortable and had everything needed for the stays that were had there. The last stay was booked for March 2020 and I had just payed for a Friday through to Monday stay , when the country was given a lockdown. The staff were very understanding and gave me a full refund because they knew I wouldn’t get home if I went. That’s six years ago now, but this doesn’t mean the review is not relevant because I had booked in again recently knowing that it would be great to see everyone who still works there and catch up. LKH has indeed been a very big part of my history and it was shared with the same person then as would have been again but unfortunately they went on holiday and didn’t come back as the person I shared time with here. I would have loved to come back to stay because it is a fantastic experience and a personal one also. I recommend Luther King House to all from family, friends, business or pleasure as it caters to all. |To the staff there, I thank you in the very pretty blossom lined street of Brighton Grove MNCR ~ where the squirrel plays & the breakfast is made...