Introduction

In Manchester I’m staying at the Radisson Blu Manchester Airport. My flight from London to Manchester terminates at Terminal 3. There are no signs from here to get you to the hotel. My recommendation would be to follow the signs for Terminal 1. Once you get there, take the lift up to the seventh floor to access the SkyWalk that connects Terminal 1 to the railway station. From there, follow the signs to the Radisson Blu.

Check-In

The check-in is effortless and quick. The lady at reception confirms my booking for a Executive Class room with breakfast and, more importantly, an airport view. The Executive Class rooms are located on floor 9, which is also where the Executive Lounge is.

Executive Class Room with Airport View

My room is located at the far end of the building, so it’s nice and quiet.

The bed is large and spacious. More importantly, it’s quite hard, which is heaven for my damaged back. It has excellent support!

By the window are an armchair and coffee table, which are ideal for plane watching, even if the traffic is a bit monotonous in the evenings.

Opposite the bed is a desk with British standard issue electrical sockets and USB ports.

Amenities

In the Executive Class rooms, guests have complimentary bathrobes and slippers. In addition, there’s a kettle as well as a Nespresso machine.

The Bathroom

The bathroom has a walk-in shower. The cosmetics are branded by Radisson Blu. The smell is nice, but I couldn’t tell if it’s what Goji berry and sea salt really smell like. Sometimes you really wonder where them marketing folks come up with this nonsense.

In any case, the walk-in shower passes the Knight of Malta shower test effortlessly – no flooding reported after a long shower with good pressure. I approve.

The Airport View

The view outside the room is good. You’re quite close to aircraft parked on stand at Terminal 2. The two runways are quite far away, though.

Dining

The restaurant is located on the third floor, which is also where reception is. I only have breakfast at the hotel, and they do a really nice spread, with an extensive buffet.

Conclusion

As far as airport hotels are concerned, the Radisson Blu at Manchester airport is not bad. The room was well maintained and looked like it had been recently renovated. The very hard mattress was definitely a bonus. As for the airport view, what can I say? If you’re into planes, the view is definitely good. However, I think it lies in the nature of an airport hotel that travellers arrive late in the evening or leave early in the morning – so it may not be worth it to pay the extra for an airport view.