Behind the scenes: Holiday Inn at Manchester Airport

How smart thinking and flexible service have transformed an airport hotel into a dining destination in its own right

Guests travelling miles to your hotel just for dinner and drinks is probably not that unusual. Unless, that is, you’re located in the very heart of the UK’s second busiest airport handling 75,000 passengers every day – and with parking not coming cheap. So when customers started arriving for a night out at Andrei Alexandru’s venue, a two-minute walk from Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2, he knew the word was out. By blending a relaxed and informal open-plan bar area with a cuisine hard to find nearby, the Holiday Inn team hit upon a formula that has seen visitor figures take off.

Unique selling point

“There was nowhere else in the area serving high quality modern Turkish food, so we launched Firin and it’s been
a huge hit,” says Food and Beverage Manager Andrei.

A modern vision of the traditional Istanbul salon, it’s shaped around an open front kitchen where the dough-shaping of the famous balloon and pide breads adds theatre.

The design is important. It’s all informal, warm and bright so families wanting pizza can sit wherever they want.

Versatility and value

The hotel opened three years ago, and its versatility in offering different menus for different types of customers
is one of its strengths.

Andrei adds: “Most people stay the night before they fly and because kids stay and eat free from their own menu, it’s like the family is starting their holiday a day earlier.

“But when we also noticed people were coming just for the Turkish food and the bar, we knew we’d got it right on both counts.”

Visitors park free if they eat, with around 25% of all diners choosing from Executive Head Chef Lawrence Vernon’s speciality Firin menu featuring chicken shish, lamb adana, grilled sucuk or baked halloumi.

Change it up, keep it exciting

Lawrence, who skilfully deploys side dishes and accompaniments to complement the core elements across the menus, has even created an Express lunch Firin menu for guests who fancy something lighter.

He says: “We tweak the menus once a month so our six cooking staff can develop their skills with new dishes. Guests love it when there’s something new too.

“We listen to what customers tell us because every single piece of feedback is crucial. That’s why you’ll always see Andrei respond to reviews online and wherever possible, adapt things.”

Move with the seasons

That attention to detail ensures occupancy is above 95% every day in summer and hits a maximum of 70% in November, thanks to the team’s focus on marketing.

Andrei, who previously ran the food and drink operations at a Manchester city centre hotel, adds: “We needed special offers there because of the competition, so I’m trying some of them here. Some work, some don’t but if you don’t try them, you’ll never know.

“In the end if we hit on something that makes people want to come back every time they fly, and they tell their friends, we’re doing our job well.”

Relaxed holiday atmosphere

The open plan bar area has the kind of convivial, upbeat vibe you’d expect from people off on their holidays, and regularly attracts around 300 people between 5pm and 11pm.

But it’s the flexibility to cater for all guests, and not just residents, that’s making it a destination for diners from the nearby affluent town of Wilmslow and beyond.

“We always say ‘yes’, find them a table even when we’re busy and let them sit where they like and order from whatever menu they like. Flexibility is such an important selling point,” says Andrei.

“We’re known for being next to the departure building but it’s also essential that we have a strong food and drink proposition outside the main holiday season.”

A menu for all hours

That’s evident in the fact there are nine time- and item-varied menus, designed to ensure guests arriving or departing are looked after almost around the clock.

Hot Grab & Go breakfasts for travellers on those early flights we love to hate start at 3am, while a scaled-down offering is ready and waiting for late arrivals between 10 and 11pm.

Apart from Firin’s unique offering, the All Day Dining menu is popular with families seeking staples of burgers, steak or pizzas.

Make it impossible to look elsewhere

One of the hotel’s best-selling deals is a one-night all-inclusive package with four nights’ airport parking and two, two-hour Sip & Save sessions when drinks are 30% off.

Andrei says: “Our reception team are incentivised to book guests in for any offers, but there’s never a hard sell because we let the smells and sights speak for themselves.”

“The launch kitchen staff are still here so staff retention is very good. We’re one family and we celebrate birthdays, hold staff appreciation days every three months and are flexible in terms of days off – because a happy team means happy customers.”

Look after your regulars

The hotel is also a magnet for around 100 flight attendants and pilots from Emirates, Tui, Jet2 and IndiGo, but a bid to lure contractors working on the airport in for an early breakfast is still a work in progress.

Andrei jokes: “We offered an all you can eat deal for £18 and they polished everything and more off, so we might have to tweak that deal slightly! They went away happy though – which is what we want with all our customers.”

Keep mixing it up

A mixologist is the newest addition to the team, after Andrei returned to his cruise ship cocktail roots to test demand for the pre-holiday treat.

“We have a great relationship with our supplier Primo,” he says. “They’re always messaging me with great offers so when they mentioned their range of syrups and lemon and lime juices, I thought ‘let’s give it a try’.”

After drafting a menu of 10 best-sellers – including vegan friendly aquafaba options – the Clover Club of gin, lemon, raspberry syrup, lemon juice and foaming bitter is proving a hit with the pre-holiday crowd.

“It’s all about making our hotel the first step on people’s holiday. We have great beers like Efes from Turkey, Estrella and Poretti so wherever our guests are travelling to, we can help them get in the mood.”