Historic boutique hotel The Ainscow, located in the heart of Manchester, has joined Best Western GB’s BW Premier Collection.
Starting life as a brewery, The Ainscow is a fully restored 4-star hotel situated in Manchester’s historic Chapel Street area. Authentic features – such as timbered ceilings, steel beams and exposed brickwork – have been retained to capture the character of the original building and create a unique, contemporary atmosphere.
With 73 individually designed bedrooms and suites to suit the needs of every traveller – including kitchenettes, Mezzanine levels and deluxe doubles with large living areas – The Ainscow Hotel also features a roof terrace offering unrivalled views of both Manchester and Salford.
With a legacy dating back to 1878, the building has a colourful history and has played a crucial role in the lives of the people of Manchester and Salford over the last century. It was initially home to the Watson & Woodhead Brewery before becoming a jam factory in 1927. In 1957 the building was occupied by the iconic Brown Brothers Auto Parts, who remained there until 1986.
The Ainscow Hotel is Best Western GB’s 13th hotel activation of the year. It reflects the hotel group’s shift towards the high street and seizing opportunities to expand its 260-strong portfolio to 500 sites by 2022.
Rob Paterson, CEO at Best Western GB, said: “We are thrilled to welcome The Ainscow Hotel into the Best Western GB family. It is perfectly suited to both consumer and corporate markets, with the restaurants and bars of Spinningfields less than 2 minutes away and the addition of a roof terrace commanding panoramic views over both Manchester and Salford.
“Hotels can be the anchors of regeneration and, despite the challenging conditions of the British high street, we are seizing the opportunity to help revive struggling towns and cities across the country. The activation of The Ainscow is another step towards achieving our ambitious goal of 500 hotels in the next three years and, with our unique offering continuing to disrupt and capture the market, we are actively looking towards city centres for this continued expansion.”
Upon joining the Best Western GB brand, hotels gain access to a range of tools and expertise to help drive tourism to the local area. With the support of global partnerships, sales teams, rewards platform and state-of-art technologies, members are helped to maximise revenue, reduce operating costs and enable the hotel to remain proudly independently operated.
Paul Wadsworth, General Manager of The Ainscow Hotel, said: “We’re delighted to join the Best Western portfolio and look forward to reaping the benefits that come from being part of a global brand. Manchester is increasingly gaining popularity as a key destination with leisure and business travellers alike, and we’re confident that this partnership with Best Western will help us to capitalise on these opportunities and boost our business performance.”
