GENERAL POSITIONING
The Radisson Blu at Manchester Airport can be positioned as an authentic meeting venue and, of course, as a location for leisure travellers using the airport. The overall impression of the venue, upon entering the main entrance on the ground level, is that of a meetings product, as the main meeting room is located here and can be self-contained for a day or evening meeting without visiting any other parts of the hotel. Architecturally the Radisson is an impressive building, large in size, with a glass façade sitting alone with views to the airport and runway to one side and the airport complex and city of Manchester in the distance to the other.  With a number of levels to the property there can be impressive views from bedrooms on the higher floors. The hotel reflects the Radisson brand in that it takes meetings seriously and has a range of space with which to do that, from small advisory boards, larger scale product launches even small to mid-sized exhibitions and the use of the Brain Box meeting rooms for events requiring advanced technology skills to deliver meeting topics. Décor is contemporary and the venue will stand out from its competitors in this area as, although not luxurious, the colour schemes and furnishings are of a high standard.  One would not add the label luxurious.

SALES AND MARKETING
On and offline marketing present the Airport location and uses attractive images showing off the venue’s décor and styling with its capabilities for meetings and events as an integral part of that effort.  Marketing at a brand level delivers a stylish view of a meeting using a Radisson Blu hotel, with concept food, including refreshment breaks and a special environment created for a meeting. Marketing at the meetings and events level is factual, clean and presents the truth of the venue when seen in a face to face way honestly. The hotel does not depart from its position as a high level 4-star hotel with a flexible and credible position in the meetings and leisure markets.

LOCATION
As stated the Radisson is located in the centre of the Manchester Airport complex, with access directly via a walkway to the terminals. For international meetings this would minimise travel time effectively. For national meetings the nearby motorway networks makes access from the north west and further field effective.

There is parking on site however this is limited and needs to be top of the planning list from a logistical perspective.

FIT FOR PURPOSE
We believe that the Radisson is an appropriate location for any healthcare sector meeting as its marketing positioning, space and location benefits present it as a credible meeting hotel and likely to be acceptable to most organisations and individuals assessing its suitability.

FACILITIES
The Radisson is a good size property with a range of facilities to support a meeting. The main meeting room is situated on the ground floor with other mid and smaller sized rooms on other floors.

Executive Lounge: refurbished in 2013, the Executive lounge on the 9th floor has a panoramic view of the airport and runway and provides a beautifully designed and appointed space for those using the Executive class rooms and suites, and those granted access for attending meetings in the hotel. There is a bar serving alcoholic drinks and some food service at key times. The lounge is not open to the general public.

Meetings:  The décor is comfortable and compared to some of the public areas, which were refurbished in 2013, less contemporary and more traditional perhaps even functional in terms of their décor. There are 27 meeting rooms located over 3 floors of varying sizes, including that rare mid-sized breakout room to ensure that most event types, certainly where workshops are required, are catered for.

The main meeting room located on level 1 (which is actually the ground level), the Manchester suite, can accommodate 400 persons theatre style with back projection.  It also has the benefit of a large reception area for registration and small to mid-sized exhibitions.  The majority of the additional meeting rooms are located on this floor and the 2nd floor. There are two rooms located on the 9th floor benefiting from panoramic views of the city of Manchester in the distance and located next to the business lounge. With the size and flexibility of space a number of meetings can be held here at the same time with little or no cross over to effect confidentiality.

The Brain Box room is a Radisson initiative that aims to change the dynamic of the traditional meeting environment they provide. These rooms include a high standard of décor, coloured walls, blackboards and individual tables and chairs provided with a range of inbuilt devices to sync laptops and tablets, thus providing for those meetings where audience feedback is integral, an environment to complement that. Small advisory boards and particularly technical meetings might benefit from the use of this space. 

Radisson as a brand aims to elevate the food offering for meetings.  This can result in food such as luxurious cake services and concept driven options that could be considered to be less appropriate for an individual attending a healthcare sector meeting.  However, it is possible to simplify food service to align tighter to the perception of the word appropriate for the sector.

Bedrooms: there are 360 bedrooms in three classifications; standard, executive and suites.  Standard rooms are decorated to a business level and were not refurbished in 2013 as were the business areas. We feel that the Executive class rooms though not matching the description “lavish and deluxe” still could be perceived as being an unnecessary upgrade particularly as using these rooms would provide access to the Executive lounge which may be considered inappropriate for a healthcare sector meeting.

Restaurants: The Collage restaurant is often used for groups as it can be split into semi-private sections, with yet more panoramic views of the runway and airport.  The restaurant, as it explains in its marketing material, has spectacular views, the décor is contemporary, you could say chic, with a buffet service this is a practical space for lunches or dinners, even with the spectacular view.

Bar: the bar Little M located next to the restaurant is a trendy looking spot high on décor and image. There is sky sports played regularly and on occasion has had live music though this has been discontinued at the time of assessment.

SERVICE

The hotel does not have a doorman however there is a concierge level on the 1st floor (ground level). The guest to staff ratio is within the limits required to service the business and leisure travellers that use the hotel.

We are working on a compliance summary for this venue. You will see a range of data relevant to our capabilities for healthcare sector meetings and events on this page.

Please contact our Healthcare Champion by clicking on the email icon above or talk to the team at Healthcare Venues for more information.