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Manchester · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near SNHU Arena

Katarina Novak

Katarina Novak Britain and Ireland

Updated 1 September 2026 · 9 Manchester hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Manchester, out of the 9 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.4 down to 4.3.

All five are inside 1.2 km of SNHU Arena, so you can walk it.

DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown

Highest rated of the five

DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown

★★★★★4.4 from 1,536 reviews

DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.4 from 1,536 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 4 star property, found under poi and around $194 a night on the dates we checked.

9 hotels in Manchester qualified for this list and five made it. Residence Inn by Marriott Manchester Downtown is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Bara drink without going back out
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze

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All five, ranked

  1. DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown1

    DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown

    ★★★★★4.4 from 1,536 reviews

    300 m from SNHU Arena, about a 4 minute walk

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly

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  2. Residence Inn by Marriott Manchester Downtown2

    Residence Inn by Marriott Manchester Downtown

    ★★★★★4.5 from 391 reviews

    under 200 m from SNHU Arena, about a 1 minute walk

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

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  3. Unit 422: a Boho Paradise3

    Unit 422: a Boho Paradise

    ★★★★★4.83 from 199 reviews

    1.0 km from SNHU Arena, about a 12 minute walk

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    • Ash Street Inn4

      Ash Street Inn

      ★★★★★4.9 from 110 reviews

      1.2 km from SNHU Arena, about a 15 minute walk

      • Parking
      • Air conditioning

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    • Hilton Garden Inn Manchester Downtown5

      Hilton Garden Inn Manchester Downtown

      ★★★★★4.3 from 1,077 reviews

      600 m from SNHU Arena, about a 8 minute walk

      • Pool
      • Spa
      • Gym
      • Restaurant
      • Bar
      • Parking

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    How this list was put together

    9 Manchester hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating first and on how close they are to SNHU Arena second, then took the top five.

    Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

    The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

    What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

    Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

    Katarina Novak

    Katarina Novak Britain and Ireland

    Works long ward rotations, then blocks four days off and disappears. Specialises in short trips done well, mostly cities within three hours' flight. Twenty-two logged so far.

    Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.