Intro to Manchester

 I'm a technologist, not a luddite, but this hotel in Manchester has gone over the top.

Rare sight of Wetherstone bar empty (8:30am)

Checked out of the Birmingham hotel and didn't want to get to the Mancunian hotel before check-in time, 2pm, so spent a relaxing hour or so in the fist class lounge watching much of Trooping the Colour.

BHM first class lounge

The 12:01 to Manchester was on time and very busy. The tannoy system on these XC trains is very bad. I can understand one word in five if I'm lucky. Today there was some sort of excuse concerning the number of cruise ships in Southampton. This train came via Southampton. Also, while I'm having a niggle, the onboard information displays can only be read when in a tunnel they're so dim. This all adds up to passengers not knowing where they are without any means of finding out (remember I mentioned before there's no GPS available because of the metalised windows).

According to the timetables this train was supposed to have a trolley service but it didn't materialise. A couple of hungry passengers walked through to standard class and bought food.

Initially I got a backwards facing seat but after a couple of stops someone vacated my 'ideal' seat so I oved there for about the last hour.

I was still too early to check-in because I'd read somewhere that this hotel charges £20.hr for early/late check-ins and -outs. So I found the first class lounge and had a croisant and a cake. Then off to the hotel. En route I couldn't help noticing the very different fashion in Manchester, it seems to be back to the micro-skirts of the '60s. Not so in London, Taunton or Birmingham. 

Checked in the Malmaison Hotel and was told something about my keycard and the lift. Eventually discovered you can call the lift like any other with a button press but to get it moving once inside you have to hold the keycard over a black panel and simultaneously press the button for your floor. Took me several attempts to get this right because I assumed keycard on panel first then press button, but it has to be simultaneous. In other words you can't be carrying or wheeling anything, they have to be parked first. Aren't most people in hotels carrying or wheeling luggage?

The room is decent size but the window is rather small, as are the other rooms. there's a coffee machine with no instructions. there are four capsules, three of which are decaff. Tiny espresso cups. There's a standard lamp in a rather dark corner but it doesn't seem to work and has an old 5A plug on it. They were discontinued it the '60s weren't they? I've got it - it's '60s fashion again!

Had a glance at the menu. The A La Carte menu includes steaks they proudly sat they get fromDonald Russell, as I do, but they are charging £53.50 for a ribeye, plus 12.5% service making it over £60. I can get 4 of their finest ribeye steaks delivered for that.

I think this evening I might try the bar food...

This seared tuna salad was excellent and a free bowl of nuts comes with the pint too. I will have this again another evening too. 

While enjoying this I noticed the Formula 1 final practise was on TV just beyond a couple sitting opposite me. Subtitles were on too. I think the young woman was a bit uneasy about me staring at her. Actually I was trying to look past her left shoulder at the TV screen, not at her. I was very pleased when they left as I could then see the whole screen without embarrassing anyone.