When Stoke’s Hilton Garden Inn opened in 2020 it was the city’s first and only Hilton. Admittedly it didn’t hold that title for long (the DoubleTree in Etruria was rebranded a month or so later) but you get the sense that this was a statement opening. A terracotta titan towering over Hanley, this Hilton Garden Inn cost £20 million and is part of the wider redevelopment of Smithfield – a mixed-use quarter named after the area’s old bottle works.
Given it’s getting on for half a decade old, Stoke’s Hilton Garden Inn still looks and feels shimmeringly new. Sure, stepping into the lobby feels very much like stepping into any new-ish Hilton, anywhere, but this one is exceptionally well-kempt, making it very much a slick, shiny beacon of modern comfort.
I stayed in a ‘king room’ up on the sixth floor, a tidy and well-proportioned space with plenty of light and a bunch of amenities tidily packed in. The décor was pared back, minimalist(ish) and very much of-this-decade, and the room’s simplicity made it feel bigger. Stoke touches on the walls (images of pottery ovens and so on) reminded you where you were – as did my view, stretching out westwards towards Etruria, Burslem and Shelton.
The rest was very much as one might expect of a somewhat new Hilton. The mattress was supple, the pillows and duvet ideally sink-in-able; the shower worked as required, accompanied by fragrant Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries and the flashy touch of an anti-steam mirror. The room was well insulated for sound, too, offering calm, quiet bliss half a dozen floors above the rush of Potteries Way.
Outside the room, staff laid out ever-friendly, helpful Stoke hospitality, and the room rates are very affordable. As for the rest of Stoke’s Hilton Garden Inn? Solid – if unspectacular – on all fronts. The complimentary wi-fi worked and worked well, the breakfast buffet was of fairly typical quality but offered a sizeable spread, and the ‘fitness centre’ was well kitted-out.
Neighbourhood
This Hilton Garden Inn is in Hanley, one of Stoke-on-Trent’s six towns and a buzzy commercial and cultural centre. Just off Potteries Way, the hotel is within very easy walking distance of Hanley town centre and is under a 10-minute drive from the train station. If you’re being hyper-specific, the Hilton Garden Inn lies within Smithfield, a modern district with restaurants, bars and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.
Nearby
- The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. One of Stoke’s best museums, the museum boasts a formidable collection of art and ceramics, plus local history and geography exhibitions. The new Spitfire simulator is particularly great fun.
- Bottlecraft, a craft beer shop and bar with over 200 bottles and cans from round the world.
- Hanley Park, the edge of which is under a 10-minute walk away. A classic example of a Victorian city park, these days Hanley Park is Green Flag-awarded and has a swish restored pavilion.