Manchester, United KingdomCity Centre
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel
Victorian terracotta landmark
City Centre Manchester, United Kingdom
Renovated
2016
Price
$$
Rated for
Heritage Design SocialOutside the door
The house
IHGVictorian terracotta landmark
The former Refuge Assurance headquarters trades Victorian corporate solemnity for warm hospitality, filling its vaulted banking halls with diners and drinkers.
What it’s good at
Remarkable
Alfred Waterhouse designed this red-brick insurance headquarters, now marked by a 66-metre clocktower.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
UK Readers' Choice Awards – The best hotels in the rest of the UK
Condé Nast Traveler
2025
A stately Victorian office building dating back to 1890 is the setting for the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, a fine example of the American-born brand’s affinity for British heritage buildings.
Right in the middle
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Oxford Road station sits directly across the street, putting the Palace Theatre and central Manchester within easy walking distance.
The rooms
Bedrooms retain soaring Victorian ceilings and tall windows, finished with banker's lamps and tailored leather seating.
The gym
The basement gym holds Peloton bikes and Concept2 rowers, and Technogym benches can be delivered to guest rooms.
Dogs stay too.
Restaurant
The Refuge Dining Room
Glazed tiles and marble columns line the dining room, which serves small sharing plates beside a festoon-lit courtyard terrace.
At the table
The Refuge Public Bar pours craft ales and cocktails from a curved counter beneath a copper brewery canopy.
How it began
Built as headquarters for the Refuge Assurance Company, the tower's clock faces still carry Manchester's symbolic worker bee.
Good to know
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Kimpton Clocktower Hotel
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Manchester
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.