We know Manchester (we lived there for several years) and love The Principal hotel. IHG acquired it (along with 13 others) last year in an effort to bolster the Kimpton brand. In January, the Kimpton Clocktower will launch where service and style excels.
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IHG Purchased Starwood Capital Group Hotels, The Principal Rebrands
In May 2018, IHG purchased a boutique brand of 14 luxury hotels owned by Starwood Capital Group. That’s not to be confused with Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG); the SPG hotel business was famously merged with Marriott to create the least desirable loyalty program name ever.
The Starwood Capital Group’s Principal brand spread its properties throughout the UK. Some were thought to eventually transition to Intercontinental hotels or Kimpton. About 18 months after joining IHG, The Principal Manchester will become the Kimpton Clocktower.
As with most of the Kimpton properties, Clocktower leans on its historical heritage as one of the most iconic buildings in Manchester. Kimpton Clocktower should be a lasting name for the property, its third in 26 months after being originally converted to the Palace hotel in 1996.
Service Shines
As with our previous experiences at the property, the service was absolutely extraordinary. We were welcomed with my Spire status and given an upgrade to a suite.
One of the things I really appreciate about Kimpton is their personal attention to detail. They work to get to know their guests and they did so last year and remembered us this year. Most of all, they remembered Lucy and that made all the difference to us. They had left some coloring books in the room and a child’s robe. She loved it so much that Mohammed decided to gift it to her. The brand empowers employees to spoil guests on occasion, something every customer service company should.
If You Haven’t Visited Manchester, GO!
Every year we return to Manchester around Thanksgiving for the Christmas Markets but the city just keeps getting better. This year we found they’ve added a Michelin-starred restaurant in addition to the many food markets around the city. We also love Noho, Cooper Hall, Dusk ‘Til Pawn, and Wood and Co. (the latter two are modern speakeasies) though we are certainly biased.
If you haven’t been to Manchester (we hadn’t before we moved there) it really should make your list. We find it’s easier to go in late November as the city is lit up for the holidays than try to plan for the week of summer.
Conclusion
The Kimpton Clocktower is a great property that builds on their culture of personality and customer service. It’s our favorite property in the city, the most luxurious by far, and that comes not from casual visitors rather from former residents. If you have the opportunity to visit, please do so and when you do, I recommend the Kimpton Clocktower.
Have you stayed here? Have you been to Manchester? What do you think?
My wife is from Blackpool and we used to love going to Manchester in the winter for the Xmas markets. Living in the US at the moment, we won’t get over there this year. We are working on getting my wife her green card and she can’t leave the country until she gets her travel waiver. There’s always next year…..
Manchester has the best chip butties (..maybe not served in this joint)…ultimate comfort food.