Cow Hollow Hotel opened in January 2018 in a restored turn-of-the-century textile warehouse at 57 Newton Street, in Manchester's Northern Quarter. It is owner-run by Mujtaba and Amelia Rana and has 16 bedrooms. The building had never been a hotel before.
The essentials
Group Independent (Mujtaba and Amelia Rana)
Opening January 2018
Rooms & suites 16 rooms
Segment Boutique
Designer NC
Entry rate From £100 Learn more → The place The hotel sits on Newton Street (M1 1ET) in the Northern Quarter, roughly 500 metres from Manchester Piccadilly station on foot. The area's bars, independent restaurants and vintage shops start at the door. It suits a short city break or a night before a train, less so a stay built around the big shopping streets or the Etihad.
The concept The warehouse was restored rather than rebuilt. Exposed oak beams, marble fireplaces, sash windows and high ceilings stayed, and a Guardian review also picked out exposed brick, metal staircases and neo-Moorish tiling. Artwork by local artists was added.
The hotel describes its 16 bedrooms as rather outstanding. Standard rooms start at £99 a night, deluxe rooms cost £30 more, and weekend rates begin around £149. Each room carries a signature sandalwood scent, and guests are handed a guide to local restaurants sorted by cuisine, price and best dishes on arrival.
Dining & wellness The lobby has a cocktail bar that the hotel says keeps one of the best spirits and wine lists in town. Guests receive complimentary prosecco and antipasti trays each evening. A café is also listed among the features, though without detail. There is no full restaurant, which is why the local dining guide matters.
Our take At 16 rooms, Cow Hollow is among the smallest hotels this guide tracks in Manchester, and one of the few that is genuinely owner-run rather than part of a group. The trade-off is simple: character and a bar downstairs, but no restaurant and no spa.
Google guest reviews 4.5/5 · 428 reviews
This is not a review I wished to publish but as the hotel have chosen to not respond I feel its a fair and honest overview of our stay.
This is the email I sent when they originally asked for feedback:
Firstly, what a beautiful place you have. A hotel on my wish list for quite some time and I booked as treat for my daughter on her birthday.
Communication was spot on. Advising on the best room etc which we booked. I really like your manner via communications.
Check in was smooth and staff are absolutely lovely whilst upholding a genuine, warm professionalism. The little prosecco treat was well received too.
Sigh, the bit I didn't want to write.
We specifically asked for a quieter room, room 4 was booked. Whilst we had absolutely no one passing our room the noise travelling down from the room above was too much. We heard their every step (did you request they wear the heaviest footwear possible) we heard the toilet flush and water rush downwards at a ridiculous rate, the shower, their shouting, laughing and every word of their conversations which started at 1am and then again at 6.30am
The bar adjacent to the window in our room was actually quieter. We have no issue with external noise, you're in the city centre and to be expected.
My daughter asked for me to not say anything during the stay as it would spoil her stay, but this would be enough to stop me revisiting sadly.
We love your concept, and appreciate you can't govern what happens in rooms to a certain extent but we left feeling absolutely knackered
Also, plant based milk for a morning latte would have been gratefully received...we went elsewhere to get a decent brew.
There are things to like about this hotel. The building itself has character, the Northern Quarter location is excellent, some of the communal areas are attractive, and the bed was comfortable.
Unfortunately, my experience of the room itself was disappointing, particularly given the price paid (£270 for one night) and the fact it was sold as a Deluxe Room.
On arrival I was allocated a basement room with only a small skylight-style window at ground level. The room had a noticeable damp smell, there were visible damp marks on the bathroom ceiling above the shower, the toilet roll was wet, and the sink tap was loose. The room also felt much smaller and less premium than I would expect from a room described as “Deluxe”.
I raised these concerns immediately with reception and was told that maintenance would be informed and that a manager would contact me. No manager contacted me during my stay. I subsequently followed up through both the hotel and Hotels.com, including a written complaint, but received no response whatsoever.
Had the hotel simply acknowledged the concerns and engaged constructively, my impression would have been a little different.
Manchester has many excellent hotels, and while Cow Hollow clearly has some potential, I do not feel the room I was given represented good value for money. At this price point, I believe there are better options available elsewhere in the city. I definitely won’t stay again and you probably would not be happy paying more than £100 if you decide to stay.
Top shelf welcome from the five-star staff! Really like the decor and look of this place. The artwork is really cool, and the vibe was very warm. The friendly, congenial staff offered us hot drinks and cocktails upon arrival and again whenever we found ourselves lounging in the lobby/bar.
The place is noticeably small with no lift. Take this into account when packing your bag(s). The bedroom area of our room was snug but had very high ceilings and a roomy restroom which prevented any feelings of claustrophobia. Unfortunately the window blinds didn't work, so we weren't able to get as much natural light as we would've liked. Again, the size of the room was small, but the bed was large. This was helpful when finding places to settle, but I didn't like that we were forced to use the bed to place our luggage and the breakfast trays. That said, the reasonable cost might make the cramped feeling of the room more bearable for most.
The breakfast options were limited and the portions small, but as a free perk, provided a nice start to each day. The staff delivered the breakfast to our room each morning promptly at the time of our choosing. We tried most of the breakfast dishes--the avocado toast, cheese omelet and chocolate/banana waffle--with the savory options out favorites of the available choices.
One evening our hot water went out and remained out until the next day. We reported the issue and had a technician on site in the room with [literally] five minutes of raising the issue. Incredible! The engineer fixed the problem and showed us how to reset the breaker ourselves which I had to do once other time. This could be helpful to leave on a welcome card for future guests.
The WiFi Internet availability was pretty poor. While the signal was ok everywhere we went in the hotel, the ability to connect was terrible. We were only able to connect 2 of our 7 devices, and only 1 of those devices was actually able to reach the Internet. I had to use my own mobile phone's hotspot for Internet access for the duration of our 3-night stay.
Enjoyed my stay at Cow Hollow. Pros: excellent service/friendly & attentive staff, beautifully done boutique space, complimentary treats/drinks and great location. Cons: no lift, small rooms & inconsistent Wi-Fi.
Lovely hotel with beautiful decor and great ambience. Rooms are small but nicely done. Bed was a good size with comfy bedding. Bathroom was fine as well for the rooms being on the tighter side. Location is walkable with access to lots of good eats. Staff were really kind and super helpful. Couldn't have asked for nicer staff really.
As the rooms are quite small, there is no place other than the bed to situate your suitcase if you're needing to get into it. This was fine for a short stay but would reconsider if you’re planning a stay that’s longer than a few days. Had an issue with the hot water which was attended fairly quickly (again staff is top-notch!) but unfortunately it seemed like an ongoing problem so may need to be addressed in a more permanent manner. Wi-Fi was an issue – was only able to connect one of my devices and only for a couple of hours. Ended up tethering to our mobiles and using data which is less than ideal.
All in all would recommend for a short stay.
A perfect little weekend getaway at Cow Hollow Hotel! From the moment we arrived, everything felt cosy, stylish, and so welcoming. The rooms were beautifully designed, the bed was incredibly comfortable, and all the little touches made the stay feel extra special. The location is ideal for exploring Manchester, yet the hotel still feels like a peaceful escape from the city. Couldn’t have asked for a better stay, already looking forward to coming back!
