Why it’s good for business

If you’re meeting colleagues for an informal drink, you can suggest your hotel bar without fear of meeting in a soulless room with more staff than customers. The Mal bar is, like the rest of the hotel, dark, Gothic and fun with low lighting, sultry velvet sofas, funky music and a buzzing atmosphere. The hotel makes a pleasant departure from the sterile chain hotel look, thanks to the striking six-storey Grade II listed façade of the former warehouse, teamed with the bold black, red and white colour scheme inside. Additionally, the hotel is just five minute’s walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station, so convenient for those arriving by train.

The room

The 167 rooms continue with the bold décor from the lobby and bar, with pieces of furniture and soft furnishing in bright raspberry or violet shades. The lighting is effective, with main, side and bedside lights that have plenty of switches so you’re not fumbling for the light switch in the dark. Rooms have CD and DVD players, cable television and free broadband internet access. The toiletries are Malmaison-branded and come in generous bottles that you’re encouraged to take home, plus there’s a good power shower in every room.

A place to meet

There are five modern meeting rooms, all air conditioned and with natural daylight, and a private dining room. Office furniture is attractive and ergonomic and the hotel can provide audio-visual equipment. For informal meetings there is the afore-mentioned bar, or the brasserie, and the area around the lobby and lifts has plenty of secluded seating areas where you can order a coffee or snacks.

Technology credentials

All meeting rooms and communal areas in the hotel, including the lobby and bar, offer complimentary wireless internet access, and when I asked the member of staff on the reception desk how it worked, they offered a clear explanation.

Fed and watered

The brasserie has a Moulin Rouge look, with more sumptuous fabrics, low lighting, private dining booths and waiting staff who are well briefed on the more complex dishes, plus a sommelier who is keen to recommend wine (and doesn’t always pick a very expensive bottle). The menu has a good range of light and more substantial offerings including sautéed chicken livers or sweet potato and leek soup to start, then seared scallops or the Mal burger to follow, plus there are four vegetarian options most days. It costs around £27 for three courses, without wine, and it’s worth saving room for pudding – summer pudding and cheesecake are among the options. Additionally, there’s a three-course £14.50 set lunch menu that includes a bottle of wine to share, and is served swiftly, with businesspeople in mind. Breakfast is £9.95 for continental and £12.75 for Full English, which is good value, and there’s plenty of healthy options as well as tasty fresh coffee for a kick-start. The bar next door is open until 1am.

In the know

Breakfast in bed is worth it – the spread includes freshly squeezed orange juice, pastries, a yoghurt-blended fruit drink and cereal, and comes beautifully presented in a seagrass picnic hamper – like so much in this hotel, it’s the attention to detail that appeals.

Business class – business farce

Business class: a swanky hotel that will make a demanding business trip more enjoyable

Business farce: the desks in the rooms are not spacious, with room for a laptop, but not enough space to spread out some papers.

The bottom line

Rooms cost from £135 weeknights and £99 at the weekends.

Need to know

Malmaison Manchester, Piccadilly, M1 3AQ, tel: 0161 278 1000, www.malmaison-manchester.com, manchester@malmaison.com