Velvet Hotel

Right on Canal Street, the beating heart of Manchester’s famous Gay Village, you’ll find Velvet, an independent four star boutique hotel with a bar and restaurant.

Perhaps one of Manchester’s biggest party streets isn’t the most obvious place to rest your head, but that’s kind of the point of Velvet. If you’re staying here, you’re likely one of the revellers – but one with a penchant for luxury. Quiet it ain’t, but luxurious it is, with all of the accommodation – from standards rooms to signature suites – elegantly designed and packed with character.

But it isn’t just the rooms that impress – the building is pretty special, too. It’s a listed red-brick whose storied history includes being a former cotton mill and a Victorian warehouse. Inside, many touches nod to the building’s past incarnations, for example bedside tables that resemble cotton reels. Other design flourishes look further afield, including velvet (obviously) Louis XVI-style sofas and brass four-posters.

Downstairs, you’ll find the hotel’s stylish bar and restaurant, Village Brasserie, where guests can enjoy expert-level cocktails and contemporary British and Mediterranean-influenced food. The eclectic menu champions provenance, seasonality, and quality, offering all-day brasserie-style favourites using the freshest ingredients.

But your options are many in this vibrant part of town, which welcomes all members of the LGBT community and beyond, with venues catering for all manners of persuasion providing entertainment seven nights a week. And Velvet is an absolutely ideal place to retire at the end (or possibly in the middle) of the night’s frivolities.