Written by Carrie-Ann Lightley, July 9, 2022
Manchester always feels like my ‘home’ city. It’s one of my favorite places to visit, just an hour away from where I live in the Lake District, so perfect for an overnight stay. So, when I was invited to stay at Hotel Brooklyn, Manchester’s newest accessible hotel, I couldn’t wait to check it out. I’m now excited to share my review of Hotel Brooklyn Manchester after staying in one of its wheelchair accessible hotel rooms.
Disclaimer: Hotel Brooklyn provided accommodation and meals on a complimentary basis for the purposes of this review. This is an honest review and my opinions, as always, are entirely my own. This review is entirely based on my personal experience of staying at Hotel Brooklyn, as a manual wheelchair user who is able to transfer, and is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to accessibility at the hotel.
Hotel Brooklyn – Manchester’s Most Accessible Hotel
Hotel Brooklyn first opened in early 2020, bringing New York flare to Manchester, and quickly began to win awards. I first became aware of the hotel in my role as a judge for the Catey Accessibility Award, which Hotel Brooklyn won in 2021. My first thought when I read their award submission was, ‘I can’t wait to stay there!’.
Hotel Brookyln strives to be a leader in accessibility for all. It’s the first hotel in Manchester to have ceiling track hoists available in two of its accessible rooms, in fact one of only 11 hotels in the UK which have ceiling track hoists. Award-winning inclusive design specialists Motionspot worked with the hotel to create a stylish and beautiful space, without compromising on accessibility.
The hotel has 18 adapted bedrooms – 9 wheelchair accessible and 9 ambulant accessible. Two of the wheelchair accessible rooms have ceiling track hoists. The ceiling track has been designed to hoist guests from the bed into a mobile shower chair which can then access all areas of the bathroom (toilet, basin and shower). Please note that there is not a ceiling track hoist in the bathroom although this is being reviewed for future Brooklyn hotel projects.
It’s important to note that the accessible rooms with ceiling track hoists, aka Liberty Suites, are sold at a higher price point than the standard accessible rooms. However, the hotel is committed to providing an equal service to all, and will upgrade any ceiling track hoist user to the Liberty Suite free of charge, subject to availability. Mobile hoists are also available for guests to borrow. For any hoist option, guests are required to bring their own hoist slings.