The Arch, London

Opened in December 2009, The Arch, is a new contemporary hotel, just a stone's throw from Marble Arch. Nestling in Great Cumberland Place, it's close enough to the action to feel part of it, but also being on a side street, so the road noise levels are very low.

Set in a row of Georgian townhouses, let me say from the start, that they are getting it right. Great location (close to Hyde Park and Oxford St), beautiful decoration in the public areas, hearty welcome on reception and a really nice feel about the place. It has the wow appeal and you know it's going to be a great stay.

Rooms are really comfortable, with a real attention to detail. Bed linen is of a really high quality, the furniture of a high quality, TV in the bathroom, big fluffy towels (which were replaced during my stay), Sky HD, free wireless internet (that's worth £15 a night), free soft drinks in the mini-bar.

The market for hotels is competitive in London, finding a hotel where you're not just part of the crowd is becoming more difficult. The Arch have struck a really nice balance between attentiveness and anonymity. Rooms can be booked for around £229 a night including breakfast until April, breakfast is of a really high quality with plenty of choice. If your budget runs to this hotel, I'd highly recommend you give it a try.

I'd only have one thing to improve, that was the bar closed at mid-night. Having got back from a function, it's always nice to have a night cap, so you'll need to pop futher down Great Cumberland place for that.

Official Rating - Unknown.

My Rating 5p.

Roomzzz, Manchester

Aparthotel Roomzzz has now opened in Manchester, occupying the building previously known as the Yang Sing Oriental Boutique Hotel which went bust earlier in 2009 (I previously reviewed it here). Roomzzz is in essence an "Aparthotel", that is, it caters more for the traveller that wants to be self-sufficient during their stay, for example, by cooking their own meals. In my view, that tends to be the family market, which this hotel - by nature of it's design/decoration - isn't suited to. As with the previous Yang Sing, reception is located in the basement and if you're dropping bags off in your car, it is difficult with the hotel being located by a major set of traffic lights with double yellow lines on and no pull in bay of any kind. Reception is nicely decorated, very contemporary and gives a good opening account of the hotel along with the pleasant reception staff. Rooms are spread across five floors, we stayed in room 406 (a Grande Studio) on the fourth floor overlooking Princess Street, with the advantage being it's a bit quieter for the traffic noise, which can be substantial given the hotels location. The room was well laid out, had a lovely bathroom (albeit with leaking bath and a shower curtain - rather than screen) with an integrated TV which you could watch whilst having a soak in the bath . With the hotel previously being a top of the range boutique hotel, you quickly notice that some of the fixtures and fittings are of top quality (like the bath TV) and others aren't, with the new owners re-fitting it to their spec which is more cost conscious (desks and wardrobes). Also worthy of note is that most rooms only have a shower, bath's are by special request. Each room has it's own mini-kitchen, which did feel rather strange in a boutique style hotel and the units looked quite out of place in the rooms. Nevertheless, if you want to cook your own food, you'll find they have everything you need. For the business traveller, you get free wireless, a work station (which was too small in my view) and i-mac in each room, a couple of bottles of small mineral water I think would be a good addition. The LG LCD TV took some figuring out, only by having the same model at home was I able to get some channels going, so I'm sure this will mean quite a few calls to reception by guests staying. Staying on the subject of being a business traveller, for me, when I stay at a hotel on business I generally like to sit in a bar during the evening and do a bit of work or eat in the hotel restaurant in order to feel not quite as isolated. Roomzzz has neither, so if you prefer that things yourself, Roomzzz won't be for you. They sell food at reception, but not alcohol if you fancy a beer in your room whilst working, which seems really strange. Breakfast is a concept called "grab and go" which basically means some croissants, fruit and pastries in reception with a coffee machine (pastries I grabbed were stale). It won't suit everyone, especially if you need to set yourself up for the day and it was missing some carry bags or other method - other than a napkin - of getting it back to your room. I think they'd be better to just deliver this to the room in bags hung on your door, like other hotels I've stayed in. Bed was comfortable. The room had a free safe (albeit it was right at the bottom of the wardrobe, which means hands and feet to lock it) and the quality of the room overall was to expectation with high ceilings and some exposed beams, which makes it stand out from the lifeless chain hotels that you often stay in. The standard rooms called Smart Studios seemed comfortable, although some seemed quite basic and a little cold. One other thing not to forget is that you will be charged car parking, the closest car park is the Q-park a couple of streets up from Roomzzz, overnight will cost you around £18, so it's important to factor this into your budget, they do offer at 25% discount at NCP but the staff seemed a little unsure on how to get this. On the plus side, most other hotels in Manchester don't have parking and the wireless internet is free, which you can offset the parking cost against. The key thing to remember is that it is more about renting an apartment for the night and there are very few "hotel facilities", so if you want a bar and a restaurant, stay somewhere else such as The Radisson Edwardian. I would always pay the difference and go for a Grande Studio if it were me which you can get for around £99 per night, midweek. The hotel doesn't have an official star rating, so I'd put the rooms around 4P and the facilities at 3P, given that they don't really offer much. Overall, I think the Roomzzz aparthotel will be good value if you can get the right rate, breakfast is unimportant and you're eating out or don't mind preparing your own food.

Hoxton Hotel, London E1.

Sat in the heart of Hoxton, the uber cool area of E1, the Hoxton Hotel has been open around 3 years. It was my first stay. Public areas are lovely, really cool, nicely designed and a real feeling of spaciousness. At night, it came alive with lots of diners, people having drinks and talking. Checking in, I felt the front desk could have done better, all my attempts at starting a conversation were cut pretty well dead. It felt very cold and matter of fact, one of the basics that so many hotels get wrong. Everyone is dressed very casually, part of the overall "image" of the hotel and that contributes to the look/feel the hotel is trying to create. My room (number 624) was at the end of a corridor and looked out onto the back of an office block where they could see right into the room (I pulled the curtains over most of the time). Overall it was comfortable enough, however I felt it lacked a bit of character. Classic concrete coloured wall, wenge coloured furniture and fittings. Bathroom was modern, with shower (no bath) and Aveda toiletries, my shower leaked which flooded the bathroom floor (I reported it the following morning, so will no doubt be sorted). Plus points are free wireless, free safe and the cute breakfast bag that you hang outside your door for the morning. I hired a meeting room too, which I found to be really good. No noise. Good facilities and plenty of refreshments on hand whenever you want them. Parking is a bit of a challenge, outside the hotel is a red zone, so you'll need to go round the back if dropping off. Tube wise, Old Street is only a short walk away. There are plenty of nice restaurants around the hotel, I booked a table at The Rivington Grill round the corner, which was really nice, no real complaints other than the "non personality" staff, that's London for you. Overall the Hoxton Hotel is a nice hotel, they've thought through conceptually what they stand for, the public areas are lovely and the rooms comfortable. I liked their quirky signs in the room, the bills that said "here's the damage" at the top. If they sort the welcome out, I'd go back.

Official Rating 5*

My Rating 4P

The Radisson Edwardian, Manchester City Centre

Occupying what was the Free Trade Hall, the Radisson Edwardian is one of Manchesters best placed hotels.

It's centrally located, close to G-Mex, Deansgate and the Town Hall. The hotel itself is modern inside, with comfortable, contemporary design rooms.

The bedrooms are comfortable, with all the refinements you need including flat screen television, decent showers and beds.

The Lowry probably has the edge over it in terms of service, however I wouldn't let that stop you from staying here. I've stayed here many times and also recommended it to international visitors, no-ones been disappointed.

Only major drawback is the parking, that is, the hotel doesn't have any. You'll have to park at the nearby G-mex and then walk to the hotel, which is fine, unless its raining. If you ring ahead, the concierge will park your car for you. However, there can be a wait during busy times.

Overall summary, good value for money, comfortable and well located.

Dinner Recommendations - Gaucho Grill, Bar and Grill, The Grill on the Alley, Numero at Manchester235 Casino which are all within walking distance.

Official Rating - 5*
My Rating - 5P's

The Lowry Hotel, Manchester

When you eventually find it, you'll like The Lowry. They've got it right in terms of service, rooms and comfort. Restaurant is very good, breakfast outstanding, however you might consider it expensive relative to other hotels in the City. The bar is busy during the day and evening and a good place to meet contacts. There is a lack of power points in public areas. if you need to use your laptop. Rooms are modern, clean and comfortable. Big tip is to ask for a disabled room if there are two of you, this means you get a room with two bathrooms.

Location wise, it's not as central as many of the other hotels, however you are within reach of all the major restaurants within two or three minutes by walking over the bridge, so it shouldn't stop you staying there.

My major niggle is the parking. OK if you're a guest, but if you are asking a contact to meet you there, they may be refused entry if the hotel is busy. The NCP isn't that close and can take ten minutes each way to locate, park and get back to the hotel.

Official Rating 5*

My Rating - 5P (if you can get over the issue with the parking).