Moxy Manchester City — Hotel in Manchester

Very different (in comparison to other hotels I have stayed in - very modernist). Staff so incredibly friendly and helpful is what hits you from the start! In fact, let's uprate that to excellent staff.||||Very 'modern' and while your first impression might be it is for a younger 'audience', it's not! A very clean and tidy establishment. Rooms are not big, but then, it's just a bed (and darn comfortable too) for the night. Quaintly 'small' rooms, so they are not for a couple to lounge in and watch TV for any length of time. But then, a huge room is so unnecessary anyway unless you intend NOT to sample what you can find, see and do in Manchester.||||Rooms are nice and quiet (and rather spotless - I did the finger test along one of the ledges and no dust!), and like any hotel, it would be nice if some of the other guests, especially if late back to their rooms, would give a thought to those who go to bed early (not the fault of the hotel). Some people do not know how to close a bedroom door quietly. ||||Very amused by the minimalistic wardrobes - hangers on a wire mesh [see photo], but then, far better than a wasted huge wardrobe just to hang two shirts and two pairs of jeans in!||||Bedroom (and bathroom) impeccably clean, great blackout curtains, good, efficient air conditioning system, very comfortable bed, really nice big shower towels that actually dried you and didn't 'over-smell' of laundry. Large screen TV (perhaps a little too large!), and you can make a "cuppa" or two if required.||||Breakfast brought down my score a little. Good election of everything, but the cooked produce did have an air and texture of being "out in the serving containers" for a while. This, for example, "weaponised" the sausages (as the old joke in a Chinese restaurant goes - they were 'rubbery'), and the scrambled eggs left a little to be desired. But in fairness, there was plenty on offer, and a hearty selection of bread, cold meats, fruit and "crudites" - and one of those holiday conveyor-belt toasters that actually worked!. A couple of juices and a host of coffee variants.||||In the 'lobby' area, an eclectic mixture of 'amusements', including pool (balls and cues, and not swimming) jenga, books to read and of all things, a photo booth.||||The hotel is nicely located, as near as makes no difference, in Spinningfields, which is "sort of" the Salford region of Manchester, just off the main city thoroughfare Deansgate, which, thanks to the council, has now become a very 'strange' traffic affair. At one time it was the main 'uninterrupted' road between North and South Manchester. But it is now, in typical city council manner, very "interrupted". ||||It is a three-minute walk from the Opera House theatre, and a mere 7 minutes to the city centre and 10-12 minutes to Piccadilly. While the nearest mainline train station is Salford Crescent, it's not that far from the two major rail stations, Victoria and its big brother Piccadilly (where, in that area, you can catch buses to the south city suburbs). If you nowhere you want to go, the tram is not too far away, and there are excellent bus links nearby serving the north/north west of the city.||||While I have stayed in the past in Waldorfs, Westins (part of the same group as the Marriot, as it happens), Hotels of the World, Banyan Trees, Traders and more, there really is "nowt wrong" with the Moxy, unless you really want to be over-indulged, pampered and looked at cross-eyed by staff if you check in wearing shorts (which I did not, for fear of arrest).||||I'd be more than happy to give Moxys elsewhere a go too (they are located all...

This is a very interesting hotel! Very modern, centred around the bar, with a host of facilities and games in the downstairs lobby. The hotel had a relatively simple offer in terms of the rooms, which were well layed out, but each of the contemporary concepts was done well. For example, it had a seperate ironing room. Where the iron and ironing board were already out and ready to use. If you needed to iron shirts, which I did, it saved a lot of faff getting the board out, filling the iron, maneuvering around room furniture and putting it back. I can imagine that getting to be a bottleneck if many people needed it, but the customer segments it targeted mean the chance/need for irons is reduced, because people who would use the hotel are much less likely to wear shirts in the first place.

It had quite a community feel. It goes well beyond the basic premise of hotels of the same customer segment, but offers a much more fun, exploratory environment. Even in and around the bar.

It does try to introduce concepts into a hotel stay that you rarely see, if ever, especially in hotels d this budget. For example, giant Connect 4, pool tables, community reflection wall, luggage trolley etc. But what impressed me was the way they could blend that and making a mini co-working space available. There's a meeting room and well equipped desks with plugs almost out of sight of the rest of the lounge. But not quite. It was enough to go check it out and discover it. Like a little cove in the corner. It strikes me as one of those hotels where people who are not guests can come to work in the space too. I often do that and think it's a great use of an otherwise empty space during the day between checkouts and check-ins.

Food was good! Had a reasonable plant based offering. Though it was late for me.

I booked in for a night as I was in town for a legal matter. It was perfectly situated for the court and Spinningfields. However, it's not super visible as a location, as it's tucked away like some London hotels. I happen to know Manchester well, so could figure out where it was.

The one criticism and this could be a big one for some, is parking. The nature of where the hotel is, means parking is available at NCP Spinningfields, for 50% off, but that is absolutely miles away! It is one of the furthest hotel parking offers I've ever experienced (and I've stayed in thousands of hotels over 27 years). There is significant amounts of construction happening there, and this blocks out the street outside. So it's hard for a car or taxi to deliver you to the destination.

If you park, you MUST get the code from them. That car park also serves the Civil Justice Centre, gets very full and is super expensive to park in! You could easily be surprised with a £50 parking bill if you aren't careful. Especially with a very long walk (and sciatica). While the hotel is relatively accessible the parking isn't, at all! One of its lifts (the only one I'm that side) currently doesn't work (a feature of that car park is always having an out of order lift). Again, I know the area, so knew what I was avoiding but that while part of the experience could ruin the hotel stay.

Other than that, definitely recommend it as somewhere different, but a place you can...

Moxy Manchester City is conveniently located near the city center, close to shops, restaurants, cafes, and work offices. The hotel’s design is trendy and hipster, giving it a modern, youthful vibe. The staff are generally friendly, and the central location is a significant advantage for both business and leisure travelers.

However, there are several drawbacks that impacted my overall experience. One major issue is the breakfast setup. The breakfast area is directly in the reception space, which feels a bit odd and not very organized. It doesn’t give the impression of eating in a proper dining area or a kitchen space. Instead, you find yourself selecting items side by side with the reception desk staff, which feels a little awkward.

Another significant problem was the lack of hot water in the showers. On two consecutive mornings, there was no hot water before 6:30 AM, which was both frustrating and inconvenient. On one of the evenings, I also experienced no hot water for about 20 minutes. This issue wasn’t isolated to my room, as a colleague faced the same problem, suggesting a broader issue within the hotel.

Additionally, the early check-in process was disappointing. Despite requesting early check-in via email prior to arrival, when we arrived three hours before the official check-in time, the receptionist dismissed the request outright, stating check-in starts at 3 PM without even checking if the room was ready. When asked about rooms for my colleagues, she initially didn’t check either, and it felt like she was reluctant to go the extra mile. While the hotel isn’t obligated to allow early check-in, the lack of effort to accommodate or even verify room availability left a poor impression.

The rooms themselves are quite basic. There is no minibar or fridge, nor is there a safe in the rooms, which are standard features you’d expect at this price point. These missing amenities make the experience feel more like a three-star hotel rather than something higher-end. Even basic conveniences like borrowing an umbrella come with an additional charge, reinforcing the impression that everything at the hotel is designed to add extra costs.

Overall, while Moxy Manchester City has a great location and a trendy design, it feels overly simplified for the price and rating. Between the lack of essential amenities, hot water issues, and a somewhat inflexible service approach, it doesn’t quite meet expectations for a modern city hotel. It’s worth considering if location is your top priority, but manage your expectations...