While I could have spent days exploring every last alleyway of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the reality is that it was pretty darn hard for me to get out of my room each morning. Why? Well, for one, it looked like this:

Tell me you’d have an easy time waking up, if you were staying in this cushy, cozy lounge of a sanctuary.

The rooms at Hotel Gotham

The 60 rooms at  Hotel Gotham ooze sass and style. As an Art Deco lover, I couldn’t help but be hypnotized by the patterns found around every corner, from the carpet on the floor to the texture on the walls (peacock paper in the bathrooms? I want it!).

And hey, I even blended right in! Hotel Gotham and I were clearly meant to be.

The origins of Hotel Gotham

But let’s back up and talk about the building’s origins. Originally a bank, this 1920 edifice was shuttered decades ago, and Bespoke Hotels swooped in to return the building to her former glory and open a boutique hotel work of art that still maintained all its original charm. Or, as they put it: “a fun, witty destination and a little bit naughty. We want it to be the sexiest hotel in Europe.” I’d say you succeeded, guys.

Playing up the grandeur of King Street and its Midtown locale, Gotham adopts New York’s fictional alter ego and stays true to its 20’s Manhattan theme. The banking details are prevalent in every room of the hotel—if you have the means, check out the five interior Inner Sanctum suites with leather walls and their own Wonderwall (a projector airing old black-and-white footage)—and it never breaks character. Just take a cue from me and be sure and take the stairs at least once to get an idea of what the building once looked like.

Everything about the branding—right down to the decanters as light fixtures and the newspaper bags that conceal the hairdryers—is on point. I loved every second of exploring the seven floors, and soaked up all these fun, easy-to-miss details.

Eating and drinking at Hotel Gotham

Due to the layout of the bank—and the fact that Jamie Oliver’s restaurant shares space on the ground level—the hotel is laid out in reverse, with the reception area on the sixth floor and Club Brass a floor above there at the very top of the building.

Club Brass is spectacular. It’s a VIP, members-only club where corporate entities like Hugo Boss often do events and get the hotel to create them a custom menu, like courses infused with Hugo’s scents. It’s also open to all hotel guests, so you better believe I took advantage of that (and the fact that Brass stocks the same delicious champagne as they serve at the Oscars!).

Not to mention, there’s a balcony area on each side of Brass with some pretty killer panoramas of all of Manchester.

After drinks with the hotel’s sales directors—I’m not always drinking alone, I promise—I headed downstairs to Honey Restaurant, where this time I was dining solo and holed up in a two-top with a view.

I ordered three courses—because no one was there to judge me, ha—a cocktail (OK, three) and then it was off to bed.

The next day, however, I brought my friend Lina back to Honey for afternoon tea.

I’m sure you would agree with me that it would be a travesty to visit England not have at least one high tea service, right? Glad we’re on the same page there.

And I can’t talk about Gotham without mentioning the very best part of all: the martini trolley.

That’s right: Every afternoon, the bartender at Brass wheels a cart with all the fixings to make a strong cocktail around the hotel, popping in to visit those who have requested his service.

Free martinis? You know I’d never say no to that!

To be honest, I’m not usually much for martinis, but really how can you say no in this situation? And I will say, it was the best martini I’d ever had!

I had three glorious nights at Gotham, and for once, I was actually in the hotel more often than not (in part, thanks to jet lag and deadlines). It was nice to have such a comfortable place to stay and really get to soak up the environment for a change.

Looking for more travel tips for England? Start here:

• Love at First Sight: Falling in Love with Liverpool
• Albert Dock in Liverpool: The Story of a Waterfront Renaissance
• Food, Spirits & Sculptures: The Many Faces of Art in Liverpool
• It Turns Out Hogwarts Does Exist — at John Rylands Library
• Up in the Clouds: The View from Manchester’s Sky Bar
• Wit & Whimsy: Art in Manchester, England’s Cultural Hub
• Art & Design in the Vibrant Northern Quarter of Manchester

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