Sleepless in Manchester? Apparently not

Dinah Hatch didn’t expect a peaceful night in a hotel bang in the centre of Manchester, but how wrong she was..

We stood, the four of us, stock still and stared hard at our surroundings. Approximately 15 young women, one sporting a wedding veil and three a head of curlers, were talking animatedly at the bar and discussing the night ahead.

My husband, two children and I had arrived at the Travelodge Manchester Piccadilly, in the beating heart of the city, smack bang opposite Piccadilly Gardens and the Wheel of Manchester, on a night’s stop over en route from Glasgow to Brighton and we were hoping for a reasonably decent refuelling stop at the restaurant and then a peaceful night’s sleep before the rest of the journey in the morning. But things, as my weary husband pronounced as we stood spellbound by the cacophony of noise, were not looking good.

We checked in (very swiftly), took our card keys a little mournfully and went off down the labyrinth of smartly decorated corridors to discover our room, all the while debating how thick the walls might or might not be.

Our family room, right at the end of the corridor, was large, spotlessly clean and functional (although a bit sparsely furnished) with a wall-mounted flat screen so that we could watch Britain’s Got Talent in bed. The bathroom was small but perfectly formed with a little bath, powerful shower and fresh fluffy towels. Top marks for the view too – a full-on vista of the wheel and square. Yet despite our plum city centre location, there was no traffic noise and our corner position meant no passing guests walking past our room either. Things were looking up.

We headed downstairs to the bar and restaurant. The hens in curlers had transformed into swans, the glamorous group now busily necking shorts and ordering taxis with the fabulously patient and faultlessly polite reception staff on hand to help. The duty manager ushered us to a table where we happily sat and munched on burgers and chips and watched the comings and goings which culminated in a flurry of handbag grabbing and a swift departure for the Hula Tiki Lounge.

We kind of missed the chaos when they’d gone. We sat and finished off our meal (by the way, prices here are very reasonable indeed and the house wine not bad at all) and wandered back to our room to gaze at the parades of revellers making their way from pub to restaurant to club below us after putting the children to bed.

The next morning, I woke up in my king-size Dreamer Bed thinking: "Hang on, no one woke me up shouting and giggling past my room last night." At breakfast (plenty of choice, your option to go British fry up or healthier continental) we asked the manager how come it was so quiet. It seems hotel staff patrol the corridors at night to make sure no one gets too rowdy and to keep the peace. Now, that’s what I call service.

I can’t fault this place. You can book a double room on a saver (non-flexible) rate for just £29 which is buying you an overnight stop in the very centre of this lively, culturally diverse, fascinating city. The rooms are squeaky clean, the staff genuinely try and make your stay as pleasant as they can and the F&B is right there, if you don’t want to head out. Highly recommended.