As summer approaches and Brits start to make their travel plans for short breaks and weekend getaways, there’s a Manchester hotel in the heart of the city perfect for whether you’re catching a gig or theatre show, hitting up the shops or just soaking up some culture.
Ideally located in Manchester's city centre on the corner of Deansgate and John Dalton Street, YOTEL finds itself within walking distance of the city’s major draws, the closest of which being the John Rylands Library.
The Palace Theatre and Opera House are both nearby should you be hoping to catch one of this year’s fantastic performances - including Hamilton - with the AO Arena the other side of the Arndale for the biggest gigs of the year.
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With King Street just 100 metres away, it’s in the prime location for visiting the premium shopping destination, abundant with bars, restaurants and entertainment, so no matter what your plans are, YOTEL is in the ultimate location.
Stepping inside to check in, there’s a quote from Liam Gallagher illuminated in neon lights. It reads: “I take me shades off every now and again and have a look and the world and see some nice things.”
There are plenty of nice things to be seen at YOTEL and its in-house restaurant MOTLEY, from Manc-inspired menus and cocktails, to Molly Mae’s favourite hair curlers. I took a trip to the city centre hotel to see what it has to offer tourists and locals alike - and this is what you can expect from a visit to YOTEL, Deansgate.
Stylish rooms
My room was on the eighth floor with a window facing to the east side of the city centre. While you can see side roads and construction underway if you look down, at eye level, you get some lovely views of Manchester’s skyline.
Entering the room, the bathroom was to my left, and has been painted in a bright and modern colour palette of teal and orange, with full-size Urban Jungle toiletries and a beautiful rain shower/wet room.
As I stepped further into the room, there’s a desk, with a drawer and a good-sized safe, with space for hanging up a couple of clothing items. Behind is the large double bed with Naturalmat mattress and classic hotel white bedding. The bed is a different orientation than I’ve seen in most hotels, facing the window rather than being parallel to it, but it was a refreshing change and meant that the big flatscreen TV could be mounted to the wall, ideal for watching a movie in bed.
The rooms are spacious enough, complete with a hairdryer, fast WiFi and air conditioning, and I loved that there were plug sockets by both sides of the bed, because quite often they’re across the other side of the room - particularly in Travelodges - meaning if you have an alarm set but need to charge your phone, then you have to get out of bed to switch it off.
The lighting in the room is also beautiful, with lots of different mood light options, including reading lights on either side of the bed.
There were just a couple of things I’d have preferred, one of which is that the gap between the end of the bed and the wall that has the TV on it is quite small and it’s a bit of a squeeze if you’re sleeping on that side of the bed - it was just a bit awkward to get around, but didn’t affect the overall enjoyment of the room.
One thing I wasn’t keen on at all though was that the tea and coffee facilities were not in the room. Instead, there’s a communal self-serve galley on each floor, where you can make a cup of tea, or coffee, or borrow ironing equipment.
It looks brilliant, but for me personally, having to get up and get dressed before making myself a cup of tea a short walk from my room wasn’t as practical as being able to pop the kettle on in my room and clamber back into bed in my pyjamas with my mug. While I’ve no issues with small talk with strangers, the last thing I want to be doing first thing in the morning is queue for the single coffee machine.
Other than that, the rooms are up to date and contemporary, comfortable and clean. You can hear the water running or toilets flushing in neighbouring rooms, and the odd emergency service vehicle whizzing down Deansgate, but if you’ve got the television on, it’s not a problem.
Manchester-themed menu and cocktails
Pink velvet cushions, floral arrangements and teal accessories make the MOTLEY restaurant very social media savvy, with a Japanese-inspired Spring Terrace outside as part of a collaboration with Suntory’s Roku Gin complete with pink Sakura blossom trees, bamboo plants, moss wall art and plush outdoor seating.
Inside, the restaurant is a melting pot for locals and hotel guests alike, and was already starting to get busy when I headed down for an early evening meal around 4pm.
They have a fantastic selection of draft beers from local breweries on tap, including their very own Motley Lager, as well as a superb choice of spritzers, wines and, of course, cocktails.
The cocktail of the week was the Manchester Tart, featuring Didsbury Manchester Tart Gin with Martini Blanco, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and fruity garnish, which was as sweet and delicious as the local dessert. But if you fancy something else equally as Mancunion, why not go for a Mad Fer It Martini, or a Buzz-Bee? There’s even a Watermelon Sugar High in honour of local lad Harry Styles.
From lunch till late, the menu is filled to the brim with uncomplicated, kind to the environment and good for the soul dishes that are low-mileage, ingredient-led, homely, local and seasonal.
For me, the small plates were the most enticing and you can get three or four places for roughly the same price as a main and side. Equally you can treat them as a starter to come before a main, or tackle it as a tapas, which is exactly what I did.
I’m a big fan of the picky tea, and small plates are very much the sophisticated alternative, and again I loved how local it all felt.
From the small plates, I picked the chorizo and mozzarella arancini, sun blushed tomato focaccia, ‘Grandads’ sausage chipolatas and the sweet and sour pork bao buns, which were priced between £4 and £7 each.
I was tempted to give the Manchester Egg a go, made with local Bury black pudding, but I’m not a huge fan, so instead went for the chipolatas - locally made with whole grain mustard honey which really packed quite a kick.
The arancini came as a portion of three served with a tangy chilli jam. With a crisp outer and smokey centre, it was a gorgeous juxtaposition against the sweet and sour pulled pork baos, with its crunchy kimchi and Asian coleslaw.
Though it was the focaccia that stole the show for me, served up with a creamy beef butter. I mean, real butter on fancy bread is already dreamy, but the beef flavours were a seriously mouth-watering combination - I’d have happily sat and eaten it all day.
The best part about small plates is that they’re perfect for sharing and you get to give all of the flavours and textures a go for an affordable price point. I’d say between three and four is the optimum number to order per person, 6-8 if sharing.
The main menu also retains a Manchester feel, with Northern classic suet pudding and a Mancunian twist on a South African ‘bunny chow’ - or a Tandoori sea bass inspired by Rusholme’s curry mile.
If you can squeeze in a dessert, they’re just as delightful, featuring an iconic Manchester Tart, cheesecake or sundae - but it was the Strawberry Mousse that enticed my sweet tooth. Made with meringue and shortbread biscuits, it was light, fluffy and reminded me of when I used to devour Angel Delight as a kid.
As for the cocktails, the menu is fun and offers a lot of variety, with a separate menu for the Gin Terrace too. Each priced at £11, the7 are all inspired by Roku Gin. The Sakura Martini included Creme De Peche, lemon juice, sugar syrup with bitters and raspberries, finished off with a MOTLEY floating image which is fully edible.
Attention to detail just felt really prevalent throughout the whole dining experience which was really enjoyable and was probably my favourite part of the whole experience. What’s even better is that you don’t have to be a guest at the hotel to dine there, so anyone can make a booking to enjoy their menu.
Boujee boutique gym
Downstairs guests can find the in-house boutique gym, TRIB3, which is a class based centre with a focus on HIIT training. The gym offers 45-minute high-intensity classes where visitors can train across treadmills, resistance and intensity, burning up to 1,000 calories per session.
I’m not usually one to use a gym when enjoying a relaxing trip away, but TRIB3 is so boujee, I could be tempted.
The next-level boutique fitness studio is super sleek and modern. As you descend the stairs, there’s a wall of polaroid pictures of gym-goers celebrating their first time at the centre.
When I arrived to take a look around, there was already a class on, taking part in a dark room with dimly lit neon lights, which is something I can definitely get on board with.
But the other feature that could otherwise convince me to get my steps in during a getaway is the fact that the gym has its own beauty stations where guests can get ready after their workout.
As well as stylish individual shower blocks, there are three huge mirrors each with their own Beauty Works styling tools - including a hair dryer, and a curling iron loved by Molly Mae Hague. Some of the girls I spotted leaving the gym looked so glam with perfect blow-outs, I’d have thought they’d just left the salon, not the fitness centre.
If there were one thing I’d change about the gym, it would be nice to have a few pieces of equipment to use without the need to be part of a class. While I appreciate it’s a class-based gym, this can be quite daunting for some people who may just want to, for example, use the treadmill for half an hour.
Self-selection breakfast
Like most hotel breakfasts, YOTEL offers a continental and hot cooked self-selection breakfast in the Instagrammable MOTLEY setting.
Starting at the hot counter, you can make your way around the 360 degree bar to grab a range of full English staples like sausage, bacon and hash browns, with a few other additions like Turkish eggs, which makes you feel like you’re at a posh brunch.
Across the next section of the bar you’ll find a range of fresh juices, pastries and vegan muffins, as well as fresh fruit if that’s how you’d prefer to start your day, with deli meats and cheeses on the next stretch of bar.
Set out on a table is a toaster, a variety of breads, and a choice of cereal, meaning whatever you wake up and fancy, you’ll be able to find. There’s even a build your own waffle/pancake section for those with a sweeter tooth.
I enjoyed a fresh croissant alongside some of the options from the hot counter, including delicious herby sausages, cooked bacon and crisp hash browns, but my favourite had to be the Shakshuka style dish, featuring poached eggs on a bed of roasted red peppers. It was a really elevated hotel breakfast and the food rotation was speedy, so nothing ever ran out while I was there.
Overall I really enjoyed my time at YOTEL. The rooms are cosy and the lighting is stunning, but I didn't like that it didn't have individual hot drink facilities in the rooms. The gym is super sophisticated, matching the vibe of the beautiful restaurant, serving up equally as gorgeous food and cocktails. The location is ideal no matter what your plans while visiting the city, and if booking on a Tuesday, like I did, you can expect to pay around £115 for the night, which I thought was quite reasonable too.
If you would like to find out more about YOTEL, or book your own stay, you can do so here.
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