The Lowry Hotel – Manchester
One Hotel, Five Projects
A celebrity and VIP haunt, The Lowry Hotel, Manchester is a five-star establishment with a restaurant, bar, spa and Presidential Suites.
Krol Corlett has worked with the hotel on previous high-end, high-profile refurbishment and remodeling projects.
This time is was five regular suites, a Presidential Suite, the lobby and reception, the restaurant and bar, and multiple washrooms that needed our skills.
Deadlines were tight and we had to find innovative ways to work around and avoid disturbing guests.
Lobby and Reception
There’s no way a hotel can function without a reception area, so the first thing we had to do was create a temporary space. And since it’s the lobby that gives guests their first impression of the inside of the hotel, the refurbishment had to be of the highest spec.
The project was heavily reliant on tailored design and build. The reception desk was created with bespoke joinery, the lights were custom-made, and the walls and floor were specially finished.
We put up acoustic hoardings while the work was carried out. This shielded guests from construction noise and enabled us to have a ‘big reveal’ at the end of the project.
Suites
The programme involved stripping out and refurbishment of five suites, but these were completed in a staggered way in order to return the rooms to service as soon as possible. There was careful management of noise and working patterns so as not to disturb guests in nearby rooms. Bespoke joinery, sanitary wares and light fittings all helped us meet the luxury spec the hotel is known for.
This included the 300m2 Presidential Suite is the jewel in The Lowry’s crown and as such had to be refurbished and remodelled to the highest possible specs. We extended the suite’s master bathroom and dressing room, fitted smart tech installations and the latest audio-visual equipment, and constructed a steam shower on-site.
A £10,000 designer bath was imported from Italy and the builds, fixings and finishes were all bespoke. We worked with the hotel’s management team to overcome operational restrictions and minimise disruption to guests. We did it all in just nine weeks.
Highlights
This full strip-out, remodel and fit-out had to be completed in just eight weeks. A fresh aesthetic with a high-end look and feel had to be applied across front-of-house food prep areas and waiter stations as well as the main bar and restaurant spaces.
The bespoke joinery, banquette seating, engineered timber floors and sumptuous wall finishes work in harmony with the designer lighting to produce a welcoming but exclusive ambience.
Upgrades
The first and second floor washrooms for guests and visitors using the conferencing facilities had to be delivered in just six weeks. And since they needed new sanitary ware, taps and hand driers, as well as decorative finishing, we had to plan meticulously and co-ordinate seamlessly.
Most of the work was done during the night and temporary partitions were put up during the day so that the bathrooms were still usable and health and safety compliant. Plumbing and electrical work was always carried out at the start of the night shifts so that everything would be functioning again in time for the next day’s events.
