Newly opened in Manchester, The Alan Hotel is the place to stay if architecture and design is your jam.
Situated opposite the Manchester Art Gallery, in the heart of the city, it’s just a short walk from Chinatown and the central shopping district. A six-storey building, it offers 137 bedrooms, ground floor cafe and bar, plus a pop-up multipurpose area. Architectural design is by Red Deer.
We want to challenge conventions, says Red Deer lead designer, Ciarán O’Brien: “The hotel industry is saturated with ‘brand guidelines’ – many of which are over the top or antiquated. True luxury to our generation is space and quiet and considered pieces that inspire or make someone smile. We believe the hotel brand book needs to be rewritten to incorporate courage to do things differently, in a world where we’ve all seen everything before.”
Reflecting this philosophy, the building’s cotton warehouse origins are a cause for celebration, its historic brickwork and pitted stonework exposed; the original plasterboard and lowered ceilings have all been removed, something of a signature move on all Red Deer projects.
The ‘living’ functions of the guest rooms have also been accentuated through the use of a long terrazzo shelf, made by Robin Grasby. Mika Kaski has supplied light fittings for the Ground Floor public areas and the swivel and alabaster lights for the bedrooms.
“True luxury to our generation is space and quiet and considered pieces that inspire or make someone smile.”
“Art always inspires me in every project I take on,” says O’Brien. “I seek to make usable art pieces that are interacted with and help people rethink their relationship with the spaces around them.”
As many original materials have been reused as possible. The ground floor terrazzo collage comprises fragmented and discarded marble pieces, crafted in collaboration with Int. Marble.
“I had always been acutely aware of how wasteful the construction industry is,” says O’Brien, “and decided to celebrate the inherent value still found in these marble pieces, despite typically being considered as offcuts or ‘defective’. When viewed individually they seem to be useless fragments, but make sense in the space when they flow together as one. Subtly this refers to how we’re all made up of a collage of our personal stories, some good, some bad but all have a part in who we are.”
To book your stay at The Alan click here, prices start at £94 a night. Photography by Adam Firman.
Barcelona is preparing to celebrate a major milestone in the long history of the Sagrada Família, with the completion of its central towers, including the Tower of Jesus Christ. The project fulfils a key part of Antoni Gaudí’s original vision and establishes the basilica as the tallest of its kind in the world. The occasion…
It’s dusk on the western coast of Mauritius, and I’m standing on my private villa terrace watching something extraordinary unfold above me. Huge fruit bats, with wingspans wider than you’d ever imagine, are gliding silently from the trees as darkness settles across the gardens, cutting shapes against the sky. I haven’t moved for fifteen minutes.…
One of Italy’s most legendary wine dynasties is taking over a Belgravia pub for one night only – and the menu sounds outrageously good. On Thursday 4 June, Prince Arthur will partner with iconic Italian wine producer Marchesi Antinori for an intimate tasting dinner pairing some of Tuscany’s most celebrated wines with a decadent Basque-inspired…
The Luxe Review 
Newly opened in Manchester, The Alan Hotel is the place to stay if architecture and design is your jam.
Situated opposite the Manchester Art Gallery, in the heart of the city, it’s just a short walk from Chinatown and the central shopping district. A six-storey building, it offers 137 bedrooms, ground floor cafe and bar, plus a pop-up multipurpose area. Architectural design is by Red Deer.
We want to challenge conventions, says Red Deer lead designer, Ciarán O’Brien: “The hotel industry is saturated with ‘brand guidelines’ – many of which are over the top or antiquated. True luxury to our generation is space and quiet and considered pieces that inspire or make someone smile. We believe the hotel brand book needs to be rewritten to incorporate courage to do things differently, in a world where we’ve all seen everything before.”
Reflecting this philosophy, the building’s cotton warehouse origins are a cause for celebration, its historic brickwork and pitted stonework exposed; the original plasterboard and lowered ceilings have all been removed, something of a signature move on all Red Deer projects.
The ‘living’ functions of the guest rooms have also been accentuated through the use of a long terrazzo shelf, made by Robin Grasby. Mika Kaski has supplied light fittings for the Ground Floor public areas and the swivel and alabaster lights for the bedrooms.
“Art always inspires me in every project I take on,” says O’Brien. “I seek to make usable art pieces that are interacted with and help people rethink their relationship with the spaces around them.”
As many original materials have been reused as possible. The ground floor terrazzo collage comprises fragmented and discarded marble pieces, crafted in collaboration with Int. Marble.
“I had always been acutely aware of how wasteful the construction industry is,” says O’Brien, “and decided to celebrate the inherent value still found in these marble pieces, despite typically being considered as offcuts or ‘defective’. When viewed individually they seem to be useless fragments, but make sense in the space when they flow together as one. Subtly this refers to how we’re all made up of a collage of our personal stories, some good, some bad but all have a part in who we are.”
To book your stay at The Alan click here, prices start at £94 a night. Photography by Adam Firman.
This luxury Barcelona hotel is the place to stay for the Sagrada Família Tower opening
Barcelona is preparing to celebrate a major milestone in the long history of the Sagrada Família, with the completion of its central towers, including the Tower of Jesus Christ. The project fulfils a key part of Antoni Gaudí’s original vision and establishes the basilica as the tallest of its kind in the world. The occasion…
Maradiva Villas, Mauritius review: I checked into the most luxurious private resort in Mauritius – where privacy, giant bats and the finest food on the island await
It’s dusk on the western coast of Mauritius, and I’m standing on my private villa terrace watching something extraordinary unfold above me. Huge fruit bats, with wingspans wider than you’d ever imagine, are gliding silently from the trees as darkness settles across the gardens, cutting shapes against the sky. I haven’t moved for fifteen minutes.…
This Belgravia pub is serving a £200 Antinori wine feast – and it sounds worth every sip
One of Italy’s most legendary wine dynasties is taking over a Belgravia pub for one night only – and the menu sounds outrageously good. On Thursday 4 June, Prince Arthur will partner with iconic Italian wine producer Marchesi Antinori for an intimate tasting dinner pairing some of Tuscany’s most celebrated wines with a decadent Basque-inspired…
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