One of Manchester’s most iconic hotel addresses is entering a new era. Hotel Gotham reopens on 23rd April as The Rex, part of the Leonardo Limited Edition Hotels collection, bringing a bolder identity to its celebrated King Street home. With a reimagined private members’ club, a refreshed restaurant and bar, and a remarkable underground events space within the building’s original bank vaults, The Rex is set to become one of the most talked-about openings in the city this year.

Hotel Gotham has held a special place in Manchester for years, and on 23rd April it opens its doors again with a new name and a renewed sense of purpose. The Rex, as it will now be known, sits on King Street in the heart of the city within a former bank building whose Art Deco grandeur and sense of quiet history set it apart from the moment you step inside.

Part of the Leonardo Limited Edition Hotels collection, The Rex is a refined boutique hotel and private members’ retreat built around discretion, warmth and considered luxury. The things that made Hotel Gotham so well loved are all still here: the character of the building, the quality of the service, the sense that the hotel genuinely looks after its guests. What has changed is that everything has been taken up a level.

Spanning seven floors with 60 beautifully appointed bedrooms, striking city views and spaces that range from a rooftop members’ club to a candlelit underground vault, The Rex is a hotel with real personality and a lot to discover.

A building with a story to tell

The King Street building has quietly played host to some of Manchester’s most influential figures for decades, and its origins as a bank give it a character that no amount of interior design can manufacture. The original Art Deco architecture has been meticulously preserved and thoughtfully updated, with interiors that feel warm, layered and quietly luxurious throughout.

As part of the rebrand, key spaces have been refreshed with new furniture and refined detailing, giving the hotel a cleaner, more polished feel without disturbing the atmosphere that makes it so appealing. Much like the safety deposit boxes that once lined its vaults, a stay at The Rex feels like something kept just for you.

Members Only Access

Reserve, the private members’ club at The Rex, is one of Manchester’s most exclusive and sought-after spaces. Discreetly located on the seventh floor behind striking vault-like doors, it offers a refined setting high above the city, accessible to a select circle of members and hotel guests. Three rooftop terraces with panoramic skyline views provide a dramatic backdrop for everything from productive daytime working and relaxed afternoon drinks to private parties and sunset soirees.

Exceptional small plates, a delightful drinks menu and impeccable service complete the picture. Reserve is the kind of place that is hard to leave, and the rebrand has placed it firmly at the centre of what makes The Rex so special. Few spaces anywhere in the north of England offer this combination of setting, intimacy and quality.

The hotel’s best kept secret

Descend below street level and The Rex reveals one of its most extraordinary spaces. Treasury, the hotel’s secret events venue, is housed within the building’s original bank vaults and delivers an atmosphere that simply cannot be replicated. Stone walls, vaulted ceilings and the deep quiet of a room built to last centuries combine to create something genuinely unforgettable.

At the heart of Treasury is the Strong Room, a private dining space designed for intimate, high-profile gatherings where the setting does as much work as the menu. Together with Reserve, Treasury cements The Rex’s reputation as a place for those who value discretion and privacy as much as they value a great experience.

One of Manchester’s best tables

Reign, the hotel’s two AA Rosette restaurant, has been given a handsome refresh as part of the wider rebrand. New furniture and updated detailing bring the room in line with The Rex’s refined new look, while the kitchen continues to deliver the kind of food that earns those rosettes. A five-course tasting menu sits at the heart of the offering, alongside indulgent afternoon teas, private dining and live entertainment that gives the room a lovely energy on the right evening.

The bar has had the same careful attention. Warm, well-stocked and always welcoming, it is the kind of place that works just as well for a quiet drink before dinner as it does for a long, sociable evening with no particular plan. It is the social soul of The Rex, and it wears that role effortlessly.

“While our name has evolved, the hotel our guests know and love remains very much the same. This rebrand is an expressive upgrade, retaining the character, comfort, and connection people cherish, while introducing a more modern, sophisticated expression of who we are today. It reflects our commitment to our guests, our team, and the community we’re proud to be part of, while honouring the history that has shaped us.”

Jenny Oh, General Manager, The Rex

Sixty rooms, one remarkable address

The Rex’s 60 bedrooms are beautifully appointed and deeply comfortable, with the upper floors offering views across the Manchester skyline that are well worth requesting at check-in. The proportions and Art Deco detailing of the original building give each room a warmth and solidity that make a stay here feel genuinely special, far removed from the predictable sameness of most city centre hotels.

As part of the Leonardo Limited Edition Hotels collection, The Rex joins a carefully chosen group of properties united by strong individual character and a deep sense of place. With its King Street address, its banking heritage, its rooftop members’ club and its vault events space, it is one of the most distinctive and rewarding hotel experiences available in the UK right now.