Hotel Brooklyn - the UK's most accessible hotel.

The world of hospitality has been turned on it’s head following the impact of Covid-19 and our thoughts are with all our hotel clients and their employees at this difficult time.

The UK has one of the strongest hospitality industries in the world and it will bounce back and provide world class food, accommodation and experiences once again.

During this time of reflection, we wanted to bring you news of a groundbreaking hotel project that Motionspot recently completed in Manchester and will reopen its doors once everyone is back moving again.

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Bringing New York flair to Manchester, Hotel Brooklyn provides an impressive 189 rooms to Portland Street set across 10 storeys with conference rooms, a restaurant and bar on the ground floor and mini cinema in the lobby.

Drawing inspiration from this lively New York borough, the hotel gives off an industrial vibe, full of exposed brickwork and polished concrete whilst the rooms feel like lofty, Big Apple apartments.

From our perspective, the most exciting feature about Hotel Brooklyn (apart from the delicious cocktails), is their commitment to accessibility. This has been central to the design and build of this hotel which has nine wheelchair accessible bedrooms – including the first hotel in Manchester with ceiling track hoists - and nine ambulant accessible bedrooms. Accessibility isn’t just limited to the bedrooms, as attention was paid to the communal spaces too, to ensure that guests with a range of physical, visual and cognitive access needs could enjoy all the hotel has to offer.

Professional photos will follow when the hotel reopens but before then we wanted to give you a taster of just some of the features that have lead to Hotel Brooklyn being described as the UK’s ‘most accessible hotel’.

Bedrooms

An accessible bedroom with ceiling track hoist

Nine wheelchair accessible bedrooms have plenty of circulation space and the ability to accommodate double beds or split into zip and link single beds.

The rooms offer a good level of lighting and the curtains are controlled from a panel by the bed alongside a brass push button call alarm system.

The small details have been considered including the location and height of the safe and mini bar positioned so that wheelchair users and guests shorter in stature and those who have difficulty bending down can reach them easily. The position of the wardrobe and clothes rail can be adjusted and the desks have all been designed to be accessible for all guests.

Two of the wheelchair accessible rooms have overhead hoists in the bedrooms that have been recessed into a ceiling track, providing support for guests with more complex disabilities without compromising on the aesthetics of the room. This detail appears to most as an impressive lighting circuit in the ceiling, but provides a much needed support for guests staying in the hotel. When not in use, the hoist motor is hidden in the wardrobe (shown on the right hand side of the image below.)

An accessible bedroom with ceiling track hoist and a view of the accessible en suite

Ensuite bathrooms

The bathrooms are fully accessible with stylish Motionspot products including; shower seats and matt black removable support rails (that can be removed when not required by the hotel, adapting each room to suit guests individual requirements), easy to operate lever taps, shower controls, pop-up waste and flush buttons and carefully selected floor and wall tiles that minimise glare and provide fully slip-resistant surfaces.

Accessible en-suite

Accessible en suite shower

Communal Spaces

A lowered reception desk provides access to wheelchair users or for any guests wishing to take a seat at check in.

Design considerations have been made throughout the public areas including accessible furniture and design of beautiful wheelchair accessible public toilets.

Hotel Brooklyn is a great example of what can be achieved when accessibility is considered from the outset of the design process. We look forward to seeing this impressive hotel flourish and provide world leading accommodation for all guests once it reopens.

The lowered desk at reception