Let’s be honest: Airport hotels don’t usually inspire much excitement. These are always functional and haunting places where lonely businessmen drink expensive whiskey before early morning flights. But every once in a while, an airport hotel pops up that dares to mix things up a bit. And at Manchester Airport, a new person has come on board to rewrite the script. Keep reading to find out how TRIBE Manchester Airport – Manchester’s largest hotel with 412 rooms – with enough edge to make you rethink everything you thought you knew about pre-flight accommodation.
welcome
This is TRIBE’s second hotel. England (The first was Canary Wharf in London) And we arrived in quite wintry weather when the hotel was busy dealing with recent flight cancellations. Now part of Accor, the reception staff were very welcoming and offered us a seat while we went through the check-in process and were allocated a room.
room
We were on the second floor of this eight-story building, rooms 228 and 229. One was a spacious room on the top floor of the building with its own sofa that doubled as an extra bed, and the other was more standard in size. Although there is room, there is still plenty of space for a pre-flight rest.
TRIBE’s guest rooms are a testament to smart design and efficient use of space. In addition to an incredibly comfortable bed with crisp hotel sheets that make you feel like you’re wearing a freshly ironed shirt, there’s a soft cushioned chair to relax in and a thoughtfully designed workspace. There’s space. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the room with sunlight, and sophisticated blackout blinds ensure a good night’s sleep at any hour of the day.
A minimalist desk and large TV create the perfect balance between work and leisure, while precision lighting eliminates the dimness often found in hotel rooms. The rooms are free of unnecessary decorations. That’s good. For an airport hotel, it’s important to have the right necessities.
bathroom
The en suite bathroom is bright, compact and practical, with everything you need including a sink, toilet and a rainfall shower powerful enough to wake up even the most jet-lagged soul.
The toiletries are from Kevin Murphy’s Hydrate Me range, clearly a favorite of actress Demi Moore. The bottles retail for around £40 each and we don’t cut any corners with the products used here.
Everything you need to plan your 2024 trip
facility
The centerpiece of the hotel’s ground floor is a light-filled inner atrium dubbed the TRIBE Social Hub. It consists of a lounge area, an eye-catching central bar and the hotel’s restaurant.
The simply named TRIBE Table is the on-site restaurant, serving breakfast and offering an all-day dining experience centered around authentic Italian comfort food.
The menu features suzzichini, appetizers, pasta, pizza, and other main dishes. Try Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana for a hearty and flavorful winter starter.
For the main menu, we recommend the grilled bavette steak, the rocket and parmesan salad, or the wild mushroom and black truffle pizza. Both were delicious.
Dessert options were Venetian tiramisu, mixed berry panna cotta, and a variety of ice creams.
If your flight is early in the morning, the hotel offers a 24/7 Grab & Go counter with barista coffee, snacks, drinks, and homemade meals. For those looking for a leisurely start to their day, a daily breakfast buffet is available from 6am to 10am. Fresh fruit, pastries, tea and coffee as well as the usual cooked options.
With a 7:30am flight, we had planned with a little extra time, so we actually decided to check our luggage in around 5:45am and head back for breakfast. The hotel is very close to the airport terminal so we were able to do this with plenty of time to spare and then get through security.
The hotel also has a 24-hour fitness center on the ground floor, although I didn’t have time to use it during my short visit.
Another big advantage is that there is limited pre-bookable parking right outside the hotel (and therefore close to all terminals). Recent snowfall made it a bit difficult to get an accurate view of the bay, but we were lucky to be able to take advantage of it. As it turned out, we were perfectly parked and didn’t realize this until the snow had melted and we were heading back.
place
You’re probably staying here to catch a flight. The hotel is just off the M56 and a 2-minute walk from Manchester Airport’s transport hubs including Terminal 2, train, Metrolink and bus stops. All of the airport’s other terminals are easily accessible within a 10-minute walk from here. Despite being so close to the airport, we enjoyed uninterrupted sleep and didn’t feel like we were actually in the heart of the airport. Apparently, the main reason for this is due to the special fire-resistant glass, which not only ensures safety, but also provides high acoustic performance, with noise reduction of more than 50 decibels. This significantly reduces external noise at the airport.
If you have a long layover, our hotel is well connected to Manchester city centre, many museums, sports and music venues.
Other nice touches
Free tea, coffee and water are provided.
cost
Accommodations at TRIBE Manchester Airport typically start from just over £100 per room per night. However, if you’re a member of Accor’s ALL (Accor Live Limitless) loyalty program, you can often get a room for just under that price (registration in the program is free) .
best bits
The highlight for us was that we were able to enjoy a truly charming and relaxing stay before a short city break to Innsbruck. Without this, we would have left home at 4am at the latest. Instead, our vacation started on a perfect note, with a quiet and slow journey in very comfortable surroundings.
final verdict
We really enjoyed our stay at TRIBE Manchester Airport. With welcoming staff, thoughtfully designed rooms, relaxing dining options and a convenient location near terminals, our airport hotels are stylish and functional. TRIBE Manchester Airport offers modern, practical solutions for travelers and perfectly embodies the TRIBE brand’s ethos of ‘everything you need and nothing you don’t need’.
Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by: TRIBE Manchester Airport.
paul johnson
Paul Johnson is the editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for over 30 years. He is a recipient of WIRED magazine’s Innovations in Travel “Best Travel Influencer” award. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been named “One of the World’s Best Travel Blogs” and “Best Luxury Travel Blog” by The Telegraph.
Did you like this article?
Receive similar content directly to your inbox.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to submit the form
