Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel

Close to most tourist sights

Mar 14th, 2020

We stopped at the Marriott for a night, staff were very friendly and welcoming. We raised a couple of issues with staff and it was resolved instantly. Hotel was clean and saw staff constantly cleaning the doors which was reassuring. I really liked the wooden beams and brick walls that were visible in the rooms and throughout the hotel. Breakfast they had decent options. TRIPADVISOR.COM USER 

Excellent hotel

Mar 14th, 2020

Stayed on a Friday night. Valet parking; £17 but very convenient. Staff helpful and reception area clean and modern. The room was large with a big comfy bed; it was full of character with original beams and stanchions; makes a change from the usual standard decor. Breakfast was excellent with a lot of choice. Only 4 stars purely for the view. Lots of construction going on so outlook is a bit bleak and the river quite dirty but that’s not the hotel’s fault. Would highly recommend staying here. TRIPADVISOR.COM USER 

Delightful Afternoon Tea

Mar 9th, 2020

On February 26th my friend and I had a splendid afternoon tea with a cocktail included. The tea was a birthday gift sent from a good friend via wowcher. It was assuredly excellent value. We were amazed however at the customer care bestowed on us from the moment we arrived. We were treated like royalty and were made to feel very valued. In particular I feel I must give special recognition to Bruno as he certainly went the extra mile to ensure that our visit went perfectly. Well done indeed!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 TRIPADVISOR.COM USER 

From 4 Star to 1 Star in a Year!

Mar 5th, 2020

This was my third visit to the Manchester Marriott for afternoon tea. After my first visit a year ago, I reviewed my experience and awarded the hotel four stars. We visited again about six months later, food wasn't quite as good but overall still a lovely afternoon tea. I was very much looking forward to my recent visit but how wrong could I be! Everything began well, we were greeted by a lovely lady at the bar, who showed us to our table. Within seconds we were pounced on by a male member of staff wanting to take our drinks order. We explained that we had just sat down, in fact we hadn't even had the chance to remove our coats let alone look over the cocktail menu. He agreed to give us a few minutes, sure enough, he was true to his world as he returned probably about two minutes later, again asking for our drinks choice. Feeling under pressure we hurriedly ordered two cocktails. Within minutes of the waiter taking our cocktail order he was back, once again asking if we wanted any drinks? We explained that we had just placed an order with him. He then raised his voice and shouted "hot drinks, hot drinks, do you want one?" Not the most professional service but anyhow we ordered two teas, one green tea and a peppermint tea. Usually the tea that accompanies an afternoon tea is served in a tea pot, my husband and I always order different teas, therefore we should have been served two teapots. Not at The Marriott however, their idea of good service is to give the diner a giant teapot, so full of hot water it was difficult to lift, with two tea bags thrown down on the table by the waiter At this point we had a feeling that things were probably going to go downhill, unfortunately we were correct! Having dined at The Marriott on two previous occasions for afternoon tea I was expecting my vegan afternoon tea to be served on a separate stand. This is standard procedure in most establishments from small cafes to five star hotels. Any decent chef will never serve a vegetarian or vegan food choice alongside meat or fish on the same plate. I was amazed when the very same waiter appeared with only one stand containing both my vegan afternoon tea and my husbands traditional afternoon tea. I asked him what was in my vegan sandwiches, his response was to shrug and state that he didn't know. He then went on to point out what was in my husbands meat and fish selection. Thinking that he may have misheard me, as he was foreign and his English wasn't great, I once again asked what was in the vegan sandwiches. Rather irritated he responded that he'd already told me that he didn't know. He then proceeded to poke at the cakes with his finger, pushing my selection towards me! I had ordered a vegan afternoon tea, which at The Marriott is a stand alone choice, I do not expect to be given a smaller selection because of my dietary requirements. In the past The Marriott have offered an amazing vegan afternoon tea but this was substandard. My three finger sandwiches consisted of what looked to be two humus on bread, one sliced avocado on bread and a tiny vegetable wrap. Unfortunately I couldn't eat the wrap as it had be placed on top of my husband's salmon sandwich, the salmon was now all over the side of the wrap. No explanation was given as to why my husband was given six mini cakes and two scones, yet I was only given one scone and four tiny cakes two of which were of the same kind! Likewise, one of the vegan cakes I was unable to eat as the chocolate from my husband's profiterole had melted all over the side of it! When the waiter returned a little later to ask if everything was okay. I advised that I hadn't been very happy with the presentation of my afternoon tea and that under no circumstances should a vegan selection be served alongside a meat and fish selection. He did ask if I would like some more sandwiches, this I declined. I asked him to pass my feedback to the kitchen staff. Within minutes the water was back with a plate of the very same unimaginative sandwiches, four more of the cakes and rather surprisingly two cakes that the same waiter had claimed only half an hour previously were part of my husbands selection as they were not dairy free! However now the same cakes had become vegan! By this point I had little faith in anything the waiter had to say to me so I decided to leave all of the replacement food and promptly leave the restaurant. My question to the Marriott is why has your service gone so massively downhill in only one year? At one point you had an imaginative chef who could make beautiful dairy free cakes, sandwiches with imaginative fillings and light fluffy scones. Now you have a chef who thinks that hummus spread on bread constitutes a sandwich! Under no circumstances should I have been served a quarter of the amount of food served to my husband for his traditional afternoon tea. I am more than willing to share images of all three afternoon teas with the hotel if they are in any doubt regarding my complaint. I was left feeling extremely disappointed and let down by The Marriott. To have gone from arguably the best vegan afternoon tea in Manchester to probably the worst in the space of twelve months is shocking! Obviously I will not be returning! TRIPADVISOR.COM USER 

Excellent Stay

Mar 4th, 2020

First visit to this hotel loved the history of the hotel and the quirky interior with original features. The canal side location was great. Yes there is building development on the roadside of the hotel but we had a canal view room and did not experience any noise at all from inside the hotel or outside. The hotel is very clean the service at check in was quick. Late night drinks at the bar were great and again service with a smile. The breakfast was excellent. A huge choice and tea/coffee brought to the table along with the offer of poached or fried eggs or omelettes. Full English buffet breakfast with scrambled eggs is offered along with a vast continental breakfast buffet including fresh fruits, yoghurts, pastries and a range of fresh breads. A good range of fruit juices and cereals too. Would definitely recommend this hotel and would stay again. TRIPADVISOR.COM USER