Manchester welcomes new design-led hotel, The Alan

Designed by Red Deer, The Alan is the latest in a string of new hotel openings in the bourgeoning ‘Capital of the North’. Spread across 6 storeys within a stately Grade II* listed building, the property features an open plan kitchen, bar and pop-up event space, and aims to tell a story of the city through its interiors and programming.

Echoing Manchester’s industrial sensibility, many of the building’s existing materials and features have been carefully uncovered to reveal its past, while also refreshed to create new focal points. The dramatic lobby floor is made from a collage of fragmented and discarded marble pieces and exposed brick walls and double height ceilings are found throughout. In many ways then, the project is also a treatise on waste, advocating for materials that may otherwise be classed as useless or defective.

The hotel’s 137 guestrooms range in size, from the Standard and Midi categories to larger ‘Master’ rooms with lounging areas for longer stays. The corner Alan Suites offer impressive city views and an abundance of natural light throughout the day.

The building’s previous guestrooms were generous but lacking in many of their original proportions, with the ceilings having been lowered, large amounts of boxing in and cluttered with furniture. These have since been opened up to expose their history, with a particular focus on heritage features such as the pitted stonework and the classically tall proportions.