Slip in Between Velvet Sheets
Riddle checks out this boutique hotel a stone’s throw from the city centre on the Manchester canal
Review and Photography by Andy Barnham
Velvet Manchester can be found on the south east edge of the city centre on the aptly named Canal Street, a mere five minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly, the city’s main train station. On a weekday the neighbourhood is calm and quiet, though it is clear even this time of year that Canal Street turns into a lovely al fresco and outdoors venue come summer and the long, light evenings. A quick stretch of the legs and guests staying at Velvet can be in the middle of the city, perfect for this first time visitor.
Velvet itself is the combined named for a hotel, bar and restaurant, all situated under one roof. The bar and restaurant (situated on the ground floor and basement respectively) are open to walk ins and the public with access to the hotel found via a discreet set of stairs leading to the hotel’s first floor reception. For guests staying at the hotel wishing to sample the other areas of Velvet, a lift provides access to all floors and facilities. For guests staying on Friday and Saturday night there is a ‘Party Package’ (reduced room rate, bottle of fizz and late check out) for the rooms above the bar which has a live DJ playing music on into the night (a word to the wise; noise between floors carries and this reviewer was woken in the morning by heavy footsteps in the room above).
The boutique hotel is charmingly quirky with each of the nineteen rooms individually decorated. This reviewer’s ‘King’ room had a definite Scottish feel with tartan wallpaper (sitting alongside exposed brickwork) and throw rugs to the deer and stag accessories. In addition to the superking size bed, the room had a lovely high ceiling, which along with the tall windows gave a wonderfully large and light feel to the room. The King room is the base offering from Velvet, of which there are 13, offering king size beds and en-suite bathrooms. The blue L.E.D motion activated lights at foot height in the bathrooms is a nice touch, offering enough discreet light in the middle of the night without resorting to the main lights, which can be blinding and intrusive when only half awake. REN toiletries are offered in the bathrooms. The remainder of the rooms include three ‘Balcony’ rooms and three ‘Penthouse’ suites. The Balcony rooms are the same size as the King and, as you may guess, all have balconies which overlook Canal Street with a unique offering in each of the three rooms (a four poster bed, a double head rain shower and a huge tub respectively). Lastly the Penthouse suites are the finest rooms available at Velvet and offer contemporary design on split levels.
For those who wish to eat their morning meal at the hotel, the breakfast bar offers the expected range of fruits, pastries and cereal with cooked dishes made to order in the kitchen. For caffeine fiends who believe the day only starts after the first cup of black magic; skip the hotel offering and go and find one of Manchester’s great independent cafés to indulge your habit.
While check in is normally at 3pm (check out is at 11am), if you find yourself in the area and fancy chancing your arm, lady luck may smile on you. In this instance I was able to check in and leave my bag in my room before the allotted time. Indeed, the staff at Velvet are incredibly helpful and will do their best to help from early check in to advice as to where to eat and drink (apparently the blueberry pancakes at the Northern Quarter bar Troff are fantastic). 
Enquiries: Velvet Hotel, 2 Canal Street, Manchester, M1 3HE/ 0161 236 9003/ www.velvetmanchester.com