There was a party going on when I arrived at the City Inn. Dance music thumped in the 13th-floor Sky Lounge as revellers in designer gear milled about drinking cocktails and bottled beers. Almost every seat was taken, but I found a purple leather booth and watched the impromptu Friday night celebrations unfold.

Bouncers in suits and wearing earpieces stood sentry by the balcony, which had cityscape views across to distant rolling hills. The bell on the lift rang out as yet more drinkers entered. A woman in black next to me was in need of more refreshment. “Bring me some drinks, Jackson!” she yelled extravagantly to a waiter, also dressed in black. “You’re a good man, Jackson!” she shouted a few minutes later, when the drinks arrived.

The City Inn, part of a chain that opened this summer, with other properties in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester, has been discovered by the Leeds style crowd ... or at least its Sky Lounge bar has. The rest of the hotel is pretty good, too. My room, which cost £69, with breakfast, was first rate.

The decor was minimalist but relaxed, with a purple sofa beyond a low-slung bed, magnolia curtains, designer lamps and a view through ceiling-to-floor windows across the Leeds-Manchester canal. Below, past a building site, security staff in fluorescent jackets were stationed by a bridge leading to the Granary Wharf development, where the hotel stands. Security seemed to be a big deal around City Inn.

Four High Petergate & Bistro, York

A trim hotel in a Georgian town house nudging one of four medieval gateways

• The Royal York, York

BACKGROUND

• Guy Fawkes Inn, York

• The Royal York, York

• Hotel du Vin, The Mount, York

• Four High Petergate & Bistro, York

BACKGROUND

• Feversham Arms, Helmsley, North Yorkshire

• The Blue Lion, East Witton, North Yorkshire

• 17 Burgate, Pickering, North Yorkshire

• Yorke Arms Hotel, Ramsgill-in-Nidderdale, North Yorkshire

BACKGROUND

• Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire

• Roomzzz Central, Burley Road, Leeds

• The Weavers Shed, Golcar, West Yorkshire

• Hellaby Hall Hotel, Rotherham, South Yorkshire

• Great Victoria Hotel, Bradford, West Yorkshire

Technology is a big deal, too. The room had two flatscreen iMac computers, with lengthy instructions for using iTunes, wi-fi, Skype, Firefox and Safari, as well as watching DVDs, listening to CDs and viewing satellite sports channels. There was also a large desk with a chair and angled desk lamp. The small shower- room had expensive toiletries. My only complaint was the lack of a bath.

Service in the downstairs restaurant was on the ball. I ate crab spring rolls and an excellent rib-eye steak in a sedate atmosphere with no noisy music. My stay coincided with the death of the Leed — born writer Keith Waterhouse, and as I gazed over the city from my room I wondered what the author of Billy Liar would have made of the hotel. One thing is for sure: he would have liked the Sky Lounge bar.

City Inn, Leeds (01132 438885, www.cityinn.com), Granary Wharf, 2 Wharf Approach, Leeds LS1 4BR.

Mystery Guest paid £69 for a B&B double.

Room 9.5 out of 10

Service 7

Food 7

Value 9

Score 8.13

Do you agree with the Guest? Suggest hotels or get in touch:mysteryguest@thetimes.co.uk

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