Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel

QED is once again returning to the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel in central Manchester.  The Piccadilly have proved to be gracious hosts in the past, and the central location and friendly staff make them a perfect fit for QED.

We have again arranged for a limited number of rooms to be reserved for QED attendees, at the even lower discounted rate of just £73 per night.  These rooms are immune from the usual time-sensitive fluctuations of hotel pricing, and all you need to do is tell them you're booking for QED.  That said, cheaper rooms may sometimes be available online, so it is worth checking just in case.

Tel: 0844 815 9024
Web: www.mercure.com

Travel Tips

Manchester enjoys excellent transport links: the north west of England has the highest density of motorways in the UK, and the city is ringed by the only truly orbital motorway.  The beneficent government provides a useful transport direct journey planner, which can provide train and bus alternatives.  For sat nav purposes you need to go to:

Mercure Manchester Piccadilly
Portland Street
Manchester
M1 4PH

There is a limited amount of parking at the hotel, or look for nearby car parks.

Should you find yourself in the Manchester area, you can route-plan with the traveline journey planner.  A bus ride from the south of the city may carry you along what is often claimed to be Europe's busiest bus route.  There is room for skepticism over this claim.

The hotel overlooks Piccadilly Gardens where there is a tram stop and bus terminal.  Manchester Piccadilly station is less than a mile away: easy walking distance, head north up London Road and follow the road to the left as it becomes Piccadilly.  If your train journey terminates at Victoria, hop on the Metrolink tram to the Piccadilly Gardens stop.  Plan your train journey with National Rail.

Manchester Airport is less than 10 miles away, and regular trains will whisk you to Piccadilly station.  Liverpool "John Lennon" Airport is only 30 miles away, about 45 minutes transit time.  These two airports are well served by budget airlines such as Easyjet, Flybe and bmibaby.  Kayak can be useful for booking cheap flights.

Accommodation

Apart from the Piccadilly Hotel itself, there are numerous accommodation options: hostels, hotels, and even apartments which could be cost effective if shared with a group.  Laterooms.com is handy, as is Hostelbookers.com.  Value hotels close-by include The Crown and Anchor, and if peace and quiet is not a "must-have" there is the New Union in the famous gay village.

Higher-end hotels include the Britannia just over the road, and Mint Hotel on the road to the station.  Go classy at the Midland Hotel, the beautiful building where Mr Rolls and Mr Royce met.

Final Tips

The Piccadilly is right next to Chinatown, and there are numerous places to eat around Piccadilly gardens.  The Manchester Visitor Information Centre is on street level in the Mercure building, so if you have some time spare around the conference, you might want to drop in.  You might, for instance, want to take a walking tour, such as those given by New Manchester Walks.  You could explore the museums, the Museum of Science and Industry the site of the world's first railway station, or The Manchester Museum, or many others.  Or investigate the numerous space invaders parasitising buildings and structures all over the city, or locate the statue of Alan Turing, or maybe the monument to Vimto.

If you have unlimited time, you might choose to travel to the conference by canal.  Routes on British waterways can be planned on this Canal Plan AC journey planner.  The closest canal is Minshull Street Bridge on the Rochdale canal.  Although the journey may take days or weeks, if you travel by narrowboat you will at least have accommodation in a city centre location.

If you have any experiences with travel or accommodation in Manchester, we would welcome your comments and tips for other delegates.