2015-12-29



After an impressive £4million refurbishment, the landmark five-star Lowry Hotel Manchester now presents an enhanced resident experience for all guests, through the introduction of new SMART TVs and Wi-Fi, alongside fresh curtains, carpets, fabrics and colour palettes throughout the bedrooms and public areas.

Featuring 165 guest rooms, a complete overhaul was carried out on The Lowry Hotel over the past year, since September 2014. Healthy financial results in 2015 have provided the foundations for the refurbishment, which will be followed by a programme in 2016 to refurbish the spa and the banqueting suites.

Ten new, interesting large-scale photographs have also been placed on each floor by published and exhibited photographer Allan Grainger, from the Isle of Man, of familiar Manchester locations. This new commission of, in Grainger’s words, “tableaux that capture the rhythms and atmosphere of the city, and its historical past,” are displayed in the corridor and lift areas of the guest floors.



The prestigious Lowry Hotel also boasts an innovative changing art gallery in the bar, by Comme Ca Art, altering every six weeks and complementing existing work in the hotel including a striking hanging installation by David Begbie and works by contemporary Northern landscape painter Liam Spencer.

General Manager Adrian Ellis, commented:

“We are the only hotel in the city centre named after an artist, and we are proud to celebrate not only LS Lowry, renowned for his depictions of Salford, but also by displaying contemporary artists and photographers.

“Our investment in art reflects our distinctive customer experience. A visit to The Lowry Hotel is a stimulating and rewarding experience as well as a high-quality one. The refurbishment is also a vote of confidence in the future of Manchester as a leading business and visitor destination.”



Staying true to its heritage, Manchester’s rock history is a key part of The Lowry Hotel changes, as evident by the purchase of iconic rock images by legendary Salfordian photographer Kevin Cummins, including four large format images which greet guests in the lobby.

Premier Hospitality spoke with Joanna Knight, Director at Joanna Knight Interiors, to find out some key information on the hotel refurbishment. Joanna said:

“I worked with the new owners of the hotel and the project management team, designing the interior of The Lowry Hotel. My brief was to help the owners to source new products, put everything together and refresh the 165 rooms in the hotel.

“The management wanted to keep certain elements of the rooms that worked within the hotel and that the clients liked, but they also wanted to jazz it up a bit and make it more contemporary and funky, with a cool and fresh vibe. So we made them more luxurious without changing the feel of the room too much, but ensuring that visually they made more of an impact.”

Cliq Designs, of Manchester, supplied the guest room soft furnishings, with RHA Furniture producing most of the re-upholstery work in their Nottingham factory. Northern Lights of Chesterfield also supplied stunning lighting features for some guestrooms.

Mike Godfrey, Partner at property and construction consultants John Rowan Partners – whom acted as Project and Cost Managers – said:

“We thought it fitting that The Lowry Hotel, based in what was once the heartland of manufacturing and industry should be able to contribute to the local manufacturing economy. We managed to do this without compromising on quality and have been able to select beautiful products that look as though they have been sourced from the far corners of the globe.”

Joanna commented:

“The biggest challenge was finding different items that met the brief whilst retaining the existing furnishings, because you have to work with the existing colours and style, but also push the boundaries a bit.

“It’s hugely important for me to be involved in this project; it is a fabulous hotel that is very well known – pretty much the number one hotel in Manchester in fact, so it’s an incredibly prestigious project to work on. When I say my team has worked on The Lowry Hotel in Manchester, everyone knows it – so it’s fantastic.”

Cliq Designs

Cliq Designs specialise in the manufacture of made-to-order quilted bed sashes and throws, along with valances, cushions and curtains for use within the hospitality industry. Cliq Designs recently launched quilted acoustic panels – art with function – and next year celebrates 30 years of manufacturing products in Lancashire.

Over the past three decades, Cliq Designs has worked with many 4* and 5* groups, including the Marriott Hotel Group – including the Marriott V&A Manchester – as well as Park Inn Manchester, numerous Holiday Inns and Holiday Inn Express properties throughout the UK. At present, Cliq Designs is working on Champneys and Celtic Manor Resort and the company has recently been involved with the first Clarins Spa, as well as The Lowry Hotel refurbishment project.

For The Lowry Hotel, Cliq Designs produced the quilted bed throws and traditional blanket stitch edged cushions from the company’s own range of washable wool. Cliq Designs worked on a number of quilting options with their client before finalising the bespoke chevron design.

Liz Bolton of Cliq Designs, said:

“As the only 5* hotel in Manchester we were keen to show that we could compete with the best – and put Lancashire craftsmanship on the map! We also love working with wool, so we were pleased that the designer Jo Knight chose our wool for this project, having completed a project in London at the 5* Threadneedles hotel using the washable wool successfully.”

Liz added:

“We are Cliq. We quilt. It’s what we do and we do it brilliantly. We’ve been supplying major hotel groups for nearly 30 years and whatever the order, products will be made to our rigorous standards right here in Lancashire.

“Call us biased, but we believe that everyone loves the way the quilted fabric makes you feel. What we do transforms material; it’s goodbye to flat, lifeless cloth and hello to a new-super tactile 3D textured quiltscape.”

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