Hall's well at one of City's most luxurious Hotels

JON ROBINSON talks to the general manager of The Edwardian Manchester about competition and the cost of living crisis

- JON ROBINSON

ONE of Manchester's most luxurious hotels is emphasising the "two jewels in our crown" to entice guests away from its closest rivals to help it tackle the impact of the cost of living crisis.

The boss of The Edwardian Manchester, A Radisson Collection Hotel, has also revealed how it went from "pure survival mode" at the start of the pandemic to coping with a "tsunami of guests" once restrictions started to be lifted.

General manager Kumar Mishra also told the Manchester Evening News how the hotel has bounced back after being forced to cut around 40% of its workforce in order to survive but that now it is feeling the pinch due to the current cost of living crisis.

HISTORY

The hotel is partly set inside the Grade II*-listed Free Trade Hall in Peter Street which was built in the mid-19th century on the site of the Peterloo Massacre.

The hall was constructed to mark the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846.

The building was owned by the Manchester Corporation and was bombed during the Manchester Blitz in 1940.

It was the main concert venue in the city until the Bridgewater Hall was constructed in 1996. It also served as the main home of the Halle Orchestra Over the years the likes of Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, the Sex Pistols and The Smiths all appeared at the venue.

The hall was closed by Manchester City Council and sold in 1997 ahead of the opening of the hotel in 2004. The Edwardian now features 263 bedrooms and is home to Peter Street Kitchen which serves Japanese and Mexican food.

A £12M REIMAGINATION

Kumar Mishra took up his role as general manager at the hotel in July 2018, having previously held the same position at The Hampshire Hotel in London. Before that, he was general manager at the Vanderbilt Hotel in the capital.