Travelled with young son from Scotland and stayed on 4th february for Man City game.Found the hotel to be clean, staff efficient and the hotel very well placed for train ( Oxford St train station )and bus connections to piccadilly.
Multi story car park just round the corner and the hotel will validate the ticket for a discount.Overall a good clean friendly convienient place to stay when in Manchester

Came down from Scotland for James Morrison concert. On arrival reception asked if we would like a room near the top which we gratefully accepted.
Floor length windows & great views of bustling street below.
Fab breakfast which was included of overall price of £70.
Staff were just so kind & obliging. We asked if we could have a late check-out, no problem & free.
Also asked if we could make a fresh coffee after breakfast & take it back up to our room with our complimentary newspaper - of course she said with a smile.
The room itself was excellent, spacious, very clean & modern facilities. And the double shower with ledge for wine glass an extra bonus :-)
Overall an excellent experience

My wife and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Oxford Road when we went up to see Peter Kay at the MEN in October 2011. We were looking for somewhere fairly cheap and in reasonably close proximity to the MEN Arena. We plumped for the Holiday Inn Express as it was a good price and as we are usually happy whenever we stay at a Holiday Inn.

The hotel is in a lively area with lots going on, and is pretty much opposite the BBC Manchester building on Oxford Road (so a good place to stay if you are planning on a stint as a DJ). Parking was fairly easy, with (as I recall) subsidised spaces in the NCP around the corner.

The hotel reception is located at a lower level than the street, which can be accessed by stairs or lift. When we checked in and I was asked for my name (which is 'Washer') I was met by the comical riposte, 'dryer!' by the guy on reception. As hilarious as this was, both my wife and I were slightly taken aback (we didn't expect the comedy to begin until the show that evening). On the one hand, this could be brushed off as 'jovial Mancunian banter'; on the other hand however, it could be called unprofessional and flippant. You decide.

The room was perfectly fine (we always feel that Holiday Inn rooms are more 4 than 3 star), with a really nice view of the BBC building and Oxford Road, and the bed was comfortable.

We did have to take a cab to the MEN, what with my wife being pregnant, but it is only about a mile's walk and ordinarily we would have covered that distance on foot with no problem. Therefore I would say that the hotel is pretty well placed for most of downtown Manchester's highlights.

The following morning we experienced probably the worst part of our stay: the breakfast. Put it this way - if you are looking for a delicious breakfast with lots of choice and tasty, fresh, cooked food, do not choose this hotel! The breakfast experience is, at best, comparable to a canteen, with processed meat aplenty and a woefully poor choice of options. I suppose you get what you pay for, but let's be fair about this - even though this is an 'Express,' it is still a Holiday Inn; therefore, I think that the standard of breakfast fare should be considerably better.

Overall, a slightly mixed bag kind of experience. Certainly not the worst hotel in the world, but definitely not the best either. Probably wouldn't stay there again next time we go to Manchester.

Stayed here for just one night a few weeks ago - booked it as we saved 35% on the price thanks to a voucher code which made it very good value for money. It really was just being used as a crash pad for a night out - but it served its purpose well.

Rooms are well laid out, have enough space to hang your clothes and move around - the room had a double bed plus a sofa and desk so plenty of space for two people. Bathroom was very modern with a large shower cubicle. Everything was clean and tidy. The hotel is well located, and made a great base for shopping and then heading out for the night. Oxford Road and Piccadilly train stations are within walking distance so it’s very easy to get to. I didn’t sample the breakfast or room service so I can’t comment on those.

I would definitely use the hotel again if it were just a case of somewhere to sleep rather than a luxury weekend or big occasion - It makes an ideal crash pad.