Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester
The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is a striking landmark in the heart of Manchester, famous for its magnificent clock tower and terracotta-clad exterior. Originally built between 1891 and 1932 as the headquarters for the Refuge Assurance Company, this Grade II listed building is a masterpiece of Victorian design by the renowned architect Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed London’s Natural History Museum.
Inside, the hotel is a treasure trove of historical detail. You’ll find stunning stained glass, glazed brickwork, and marble staircases that reflect its grand past as a corporate palace. A unique focal point in the lobby is a massive three-metre-tall bronze horse sculpture created by Sophie Dickens, the great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Fans of architectural curiosities might also notice the glass dome in the reception area, which was salvaged from an old Scottish railway station.
The building is as famous for its “Refuge” bar and dining room as it is for its rooms. With its high ceilings, towering pillars, and a massive 30-foot granite bar, it has become a destination in its own right for locals and visitors alike. If you are feeling particularly adventurous, some say the hotel is even home to a ghost of a grieving war widow who haunts the staircases.
Its central location makes it a perfect starting point for exploring. The iconic Palace Theatre is located immediately next door, and you are just a short walk away from the city’s best cultural spots, galleries, and the vibrant atmosphere of the Northern Quarter.
Expert reviews
“The Clocktower Hotel offers contemporary comfort and boutique-hotel chic for history buffs. After a renovation costing more than 25 million pounds, the Clocktower has kept intact the lovely period faience in hallways, and the glass-domed ceiling in the spacious lobby, while converting former clerks’ offices into wood-paneled bedrooms with soaring ceilings and sleek subway-tile bathrooms.”
Featured in New York Times’ 36 hours in Manchester.
“In an imposing terracotta Victorian building, with ornate original features and one of Manchester’s most popular bars, the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel combines classic good looks with a cool streak. And, despite its grand public areas, it’s warm and welcoming, with thoughtful extras for all guests, from families to dogs.”
What guests liked
- Top location
- Friendly staff
- Great breakfast
- Comfortable beds
- Free Wifi
Location
Recent guest reviews
25 June 2026
Absolutley stunning hotel, staff and all services were amazing. Clean rooms. Air con was a treat in the heatwave! Will d
The property was in an ideal location for where we needed to be. Staff were helpful and friendly. Clean room, quiet. Deffo recommend!
25 June 2026
Gorgeous hotel! Unique architecture and nice staff
Amazing breakfast, really good service from staff, room was very nice and clean, decent location
No major issues at all
24 June 2026
Classy, I’m spoiled…can’t stay anywhere else now
Everything
Nothing
21 June 2026
Verry clean and tidy, polite and welcoming staff, great breakfast and overall a very nice stay
Loved the decor of the building and all the staff was very polite and professional
As a certified fire door installer as a profession and joiner/ carpenter I found that many of the fire rated door sets to be below the minimum standard required and I believe that this issue needs to be addressed. We stayed in room 434 and the gap under the main door into our room was well above the minimum requirements which was a concern.
I understand that the building is of a certain age and this adds to the charm of the hotel but there is no excuse for safety and I feel that this matter requires looking into.
21 June 2026
Lovely. Comfortable and faultless
The traditional building, lovingly restored to make a luxury hotel
The restaurant on the Saturday night was very loud. The food and service was wonderful, but the loud thumping DJ in the bar filtered into the restaurant and was intrusive and, in our opinion, unwelcome and out of keeping with the general atmosphere
21 June 2026
Amazing, will return soon.
Beautiful building, amazing staff. Perfect location.
Shame about the scaffolding, although necessary.
15 June 2026
Wonderful historic building ideally situated for shopping and theatre
Amazing Building. Great staff. Great location. Great food.
A little more thought could have gone into the design of the room from a practical sense. A dressing table with a mirror would have been helpful. The bathroom could have done with somewhere to put your things - such as some shelving next to the sink perhaps.
14 June 2026
Amazing building, amazing attention to detail, exceptional hote!
Amazing building, fantastic attention to detail. Room snacks, social hour, plants everywhere, amazing staff, handyman chatted to us about the building pointing out historical areas of interest. Bar and waiting on staff were really helpful.
Loved it all. Would love to visit again with my husband and children. I came on a girls’ night away.
11 June 2026
highly recommend this hotel
the staff were absolutely fantastic from Patrick on the desk to Josie in the breakfast/restaurant area who could not do enough for our party
Nothing
10 June 2026
A really fantastic stay . Staff were helpful and hotel was clean
Its character and location!
N/a
10 June 2026
Simply phenomenal hotel
Beautiful building, fantastic staff, fabulous comfy bed
Nothing to dislike!
8 June 2026
Well worth the money. Fab breakfast.
Perfect location for our visit to the Palace Theater across the road. Big well appointed room with everything we needed. The snacks were a nice touch.
The bed was too firm for me. It was hard for me to get in and out of the shower which was in the bath.
7 June 2026
Excellent location and a beautiful building. Friendly helpful staff and free drinks on arrival. Excellent one night stay
Beautiful period building with lovely room features and an exceptionally comfortable bed.
6 June 2026
Fab hotel with lots of history. The room was clean and the bed was comfortable & we would definitely stay again
It’s a beautiful building with so much history attached to it. Very atmospheric
We have stayed a few times and always been on higher floors but we were lower ground floor and it was really noisy as it was closer to street level
6 June 2026
Comfortable yet room tiny compared to last time for same price
Beautiful hotel
The time I stayed before this time I paid the same amount for a from which was 3 times the size of the one we got
5 June 2026
LOVELY HOTEL IN A CENTRAL POSTION
LOVELY ROOMS, GREAT STAFF, GREAT BREAKFAST
NOTHING
4 June 2026
Beautiful hotel. We really enjoyed our stay there. A beautifully restored historic building.
Lovely spacious room , beautifully decorated
Nothing. Everything was great
4 June 2026
Fantastic! Would come again in an instant!
Lovely staff, beautiful airy room with lovely facilities and snacks, comfy bed and a great stay.
3 June 2026
Everything was fab
Everything
Room was spacious
Amazing
Nothing
3 June 2026
Fabulous hotel and staff
Fabulous clean hotel with amazing staff and facilities and rooms are massive
Beautiful hotel with great sized rooms
2 June 2026
Lovely hotel, great staff
The hotel is so lovely and the staff cant do enough for you and so friendly.
The bed was too hard, breakfast on 1st day was cold but was offered hot food to compensate but had to be somewhere. Cleaner didn't come to room until 5pm ish which is when we were back in room to get changed etc so turned her away.
31 May 2026
Without doubt the best hotel in Manchester. Fantastic renovation of a Manchester institution.
The breakfast was superb. Lots of choice and very attentive staff. Location was fantastic.
Nothing really.
31 May 2026
A truly wonderful stay!
What a lovely hotel. The location is great, the hotel itself is beautiful and the staff are very helpful and friendly. Our new Manchester go to! Thank you Kimpton
Nothing!
30 May 2026
Night away in Manchester to watch Puressence.
We always use this hotel when we come to Manchester, location is great for most music venues and the theatre. The bar is just superb, lovely laid back atmosphere with great music and the breakfast is great. The rooms are really nice and the staff always helpful, professional and polite.
Nothing, all good.
30 May 2026
It’s a good hotel to stay in Manchester
Location is good and hotel interior is grand. Room was spacious
The shower was stuck, too many knobs 🫠
29 May 2026
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back! Overall, it was a perfect mix of luxury, comfort, and outsta
We had an absolutely wonderful stay at the Kimpton Clocktower in Manchester city centre. The building itself is incredible — so full of history and character, and honestly one of the most beautiful hotels we’ve stayed in. From the moment you walk in, the architecture and atmosphere are just amazing.
Our room was fantastic: spacious, comfortable, and finished to a really high standard. The hotel facilities were excellent throughout, and every member of staff we encountered was super helpful, friendly, and welcoming.
The location was perfect for exploring Manchester, and parking nearby was easy to find which made everything really convenient. Breakfast was also extremely good with plenty of choice and high-quality food.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back!
There was nothing to not like, it was super.
29 May 2026
Best stay at an awesome hotel.
Beautiful hotel. Friendly, polite staff. Had a very enjoyable stay. Location to the train station was ideal. 100% happy with my stay. Will book again. Xx❤️
There was nothing I didn't like.
27 May 2026
Beautiful Hotel, we had a lovely stay
What a beautiful hotel, the lobby is absolutely stunning. Lady at check in was lovely. Our room was great, comfortable bed and lovely bath. We appreciated the little extras in our room. The room was also nive and quiet and nuce cool air con too. Great drinks at the bar although we didn't eat there. Would definitely stay here again as the location was great.
Nothings, we had a lovely stay.
26 May 2026
Brilliant … would stay there again
High ceilings, fantastic staff , great restaurant experience
26 May 2026
We had a great time! We had a gig in the area and because it’s been on my list of places to stay for years I thought I’d
Loved everything! Patrick checked us in, he was great, informative and friendly. We had a great time staying.
Nothing!
25 May 2026
Excellent staff throughly enjoyed our visit
Central to where we needed to be
Nothing
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Breakfast in the room
- - Snack bar
- - Kids' meals
- - Coffee house on site
General
- - Room service
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Family rooms
- - Lift
- - Safety deposit box
- - Packed lunches
- - Heating
- - Allergy-free room
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
- - Designated smoking area
- - Minimarket on site
- - Pet basket
- - Pet bowls
Business facilities
- - Meeting/banquet facilities (additional charge)
- - Business centre
- - Fax/photocopying (additional charge)
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Express check-in/check-out
- - Currency exchange
- - Luggage storage
- - Concierge service
- - Invoice provided
Activities
- - Fitness centre
- - Games room
- - Nightclub/DJ
- - Fitness
- - Bicycle rental
Cleaning services
- - Laundry (additional charge)
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Ironing service (additional charge)
- - Daily housekeeping
Entertainment & family services
- - Board games/puzzles
Parking
- - Parking garage
Accessibility
- - Wheelchair accessible
- - Toilet with grab rails
- - Lower bathroom sink
- - Emergency cord in bathroom
Outdoors
- - Outdoor furniture
Miscellaneous
- - 24-hour security
- - Key card access
- - Smoke alarms
- - CCTV in common areas
- - CCTV outside property
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Breakfast takeaway containers
- - Delivered food is securely covered
- - Access to health care professionals
- - Thermometers for guests provided by property
- - Face masks for guests available

More photos

26 June 2026
Would definitely stay again