Sleep in a treehouse themed room at this eccentric UK hotel
WHAT’S THE VIBE?
Posh hotels are far too often cloaked in beige in order to appeal to as many people as possible while offending very few. Beige is the Toyota Corolla of luxury hotel design: boring but reliable. If you’re like me and are excited by the prospect of colour and personality, head immediately to the Treehouse Hotel in Manchester.
Bringing playful energy to the UK hotel scene, the first Treehouse Hotel launched in London in 2019. The Manchester outpost opened last year and amps up the zaniness. Rooms are designed like actual treehouses, with bird boxes on the walls doubling as alarm clocks, timber walls crafted to make you feel as if you’re in a treehouse, and handwritten welcome notes thanking you for “climbing on up” to your room. The child-like fun reminds me of those family-oriented hotels in Las Vegas with volcanoes, Eiffel Towers and Venetian canals.
It’s fun, funky and totally different. At the same time, it feels like a rather damning indictment of the UK hotel industry that turning a bedroom into a treehouse is as exciting as things get, but I suppose this can be an alarm call to future hoteliers. Treehouse is the accessibly priced arm of Starwood Hotels, the hospitality group who also own the 1 Hotels sustainable brand, and the design focus on flora feels similar at both properties.
THE ROOMS AT THE TREEHOUSE HOTEL, MANCHESTER
The rooms are cozy with a sense of whimsy. Patchwork quilts and colourful cushions are scattered everywhere and a sofa made from imperfect scraps of wood folds into a second bed (perhaps we should lean in and call them ‘nests’). Warm autumnal hues mirror nature, from pillows to throws and an impossibly plump bed. Standard rooms like the one I checked into are fitted with a decent rainforest shower, but the purge of bathtubs from modern hotels continues (this is a call to arms: bring back the bathtub!).
There were, however, a few design challenges in retrofitting this former 1970s office block: when I checked in, a staff member confessed I’ll need to boil the kettle on the floor, four metres away from where it’s stored, to make a cup of tea, because that’s where the only plug is. Still, I suppose that’s the challenge you’d face in a real treehouse.
FOOD & DRINK
The ground floor all-day restaurant is a throwback to my childhood days spent at the Rainforest Cafe. Plants hanging from the ceiling are plastic but those at eye-level are real. Impressive mood lighting and a playlist that veers from daytime samba to nighttime underground techno – the sorts of sounds you’d hear at 5am on a dancefloor at a music festival – create an ambience that supposedly mirrors the atmosphere of a forest, and it feels genuinely transportative (who knew techno could scream late-night in the jungle? Well, it can). A rooftop bar is opening later this year.
THINGS TO DO
The gym at The Treehouse Hotel is painted neon green and is called ‘The Playground,’ which is fun. There’s also a screening room with complimentary films that can be hired for corporate events, and in the foyer you’ll find a box of little wooden blocks to write memories on, which are hung in hotel corridors. Located in the Deansgate area of Manchester, all the city’s attractions are walkable.