The Lowry Hotel in Manchester is the UK city’s go-to haunt for A-listers, with everyone from the footballer Frank Lampard to Lady Gaga staying there.
But it is now rolling out the red carpet for a different type of guest: visitors from the Arabian Gulf. And that includes the business traveller.
Tourists from the UAE and Saudi Arabia are known to flock to London, 320 kilometres south, with the wealthiest shipping their Lamborghinis and Bugattis over for the summer “supercar season”.
But Manchester, famed for its football teams United and the Abu Dhabi-owned City, is also making a play for this lucrative crowd. The northern city – served by direct Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways flights – attracted more than 14,700 UAE visitors in 2013, double the number in 2010.
The Lowry Hotel doesn’t want to miss out and has launched special packages for Middle East guests, including an offer of four nights for the price of three. Staff are receiving Arabic training, while there’s halal food, prayer mats, and even a “supercar valeting service” on hand.
Sandwiched between an inner-city train line and the River Irwell, its urban location will not be for everyone: if you are after genteel English architecture, look elsewhere. Likewise, while there is a spa, there’s no pool.
However, the hotel is very geared up for the business traveller. Rooms have a desk, decent Wi-Fi and a trouser press; one gripe, however, was that there was no iron in the room for those last-minute shirts, although there is a laundry service. Meeting facilities are available for a 10-delegate boardroom meeting to a reception for 600.
As one of only a handful of five-star hotels in Manchester – this isn’t the UAE, after all – there aren’t too many choices for executives heading to the north of England. But decent-sized rooms, attentive service and a fantastic restaurant – the steak, cooked in a super-hot Josper Grill, is to die for – make this a home-from-home for Gulf guests.
Weekday rooms booked in late April start at £164 (Dh914), so it is affordable – although booking the luxurious penthouse suite at peak times doesn’t come cheap. It’ll set you back £4,000.
q&a high-octane guests in mind
Adrian Ellis, general manager of The Lowry Hotel, Manchester, tells Ben Flanagan more about the establishment:
How many guests from the Arabian Gulf did you have last year?
We had nearly 900 room nights last year, over the summer period, from that region. And we’re hoping to double it this year.
What is driving more UAE guests to come to Manchester?
Abu Dhabi buying Manchester City definitely raised the profile. And I think Manchester has got a higher billing: you’ve got two amazing, very popular football clubs, but it’s also got a good reputation for festivals and other things going on. Maybe people have been coming for successive years to London, so coming to Manchester will be an attractive alternative.
Have you had Arab-owned supercars parked outside your hotel?
We’ve had them here. If they don’t bring their own cars we have good connections with the car [rental] companies. I think it’s part of the culture.
You have a supercar valet and clean service – how is that different?
It’s a bit more luxurious. It’s a special service, designed for the higher-end cars. It’s to make sure that everything is done to the full spec, so when the car comes back it’s in mint condition.
The hotel has a reputation for attracting high-profile guests. Can you name names?
We can’t list the people, because that’s part of the attraction – its confidentiality. But we do get A-list celebrities here.
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