The Manchester Weekender takes place over 48 hours at the start of October 2010 and is a series of events in Manchester that wraps up the best of what the city has to offer in terms of culture. Of course, local neighbour Liverpool made such a success as the European Capital of Culture in 2008, but Manchester is approaching events such as this in a slightly different manner. Visit Manchester in the autumn and you are sure to have a great time. OK, the weather is never great in Manchester, but at least you won’t be expecting the sun to be cracking the flags in October, and if it is, then what a bonus!

The Manchester weekender features street dance, boat parties, interactive art displays, film screenings at Midnight and performace art to name just a few of the things that will be taking place across the city. One of the key highlights being Jonathan Franzen reading from his latest novel at the Whitworth Gallery.

If you are an art lover and are considering a UK city break booked with Serviced City Pads, have you thought of a stay in Manchester? This is a city that has undergone a renaissance over the last 20 years and is a terrific city to take a short holiday in the UK. Perhaps a less obvious place to visit than Edinburgh, London or Liverpool, but a city that is rich in industrial heritage and a thriving cultural landscape. A short stay in Manchester would be a great thing to do with your family. If you do decide that you are going to visit Manchester, then you should also put some thought into which type of accommodation you are going to stay in. There are a large number of hotels in Manchester, with all of the big brands such as Hilton, Novotel and Crowne Plaza having hotels in Manchester. There is also the Lowry hotel which is probably the most luxurious hotel in Manchester. Serviced Apartments are becoming seen as a great alternative to staying in a hotel across the UK, and this is no different in Manchester, which has a thriving serviced apartment industry – great news for a family visiting the city – with a number of different providers including Blue Rainbow serviced apartments, STAY Manchester serviced apartments, Bachers of Manchester and City Stop Apart-hotel. There is a great choice, and perhaps a spacious apartment could be just the thing for your family to relax after a day taking in all of the culture on offer at the Manchester weekender.

Serviced City Pads is an accommodation booking company based in the North West of England with a strong local knowledge of Manchester. You can book hotels in Manchester with Serviced City Pads as well as Manchester serviced apartments. We have a wide range of accommodation options to suit families and individuals who wish to stay in Manchester, whether that trip is for business or pleasure.

Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club who play at the City of Manchester Stadium. Serviced City Pads have a range of Serviced Apartments near the ground and are a great alternative to hotels with more space and can work out better value. Please contact Serviced City Pads on 0844 335 8866

City was founded in 1880 when the side was known as St Mark’s and changed it’s name to Manchester City in 1894. The clubs most successful period was in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when they won the League Championship, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup under the management team of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison and with players including Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and Francis Lee. Serviced City Pads supply Serviced Apartment Accommodation.

Since winning the League Cup in 1976, the club has failed to win any major honours. The clubs decline led to a relegation twice in three years in the 1990’s, spending the 1998-99 season in the third tier of English Football. The club has since regained top flight status, the level at which they have spent the majority of their history. Serviced City Pads are a Web based serviced apartment booking agent with 100’s of serviced apartments within the city centre of Manchester please contact the reservations team on 0844 335 8866.

In August 2008 the club was purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group. The takeover was immediatley followed by a flurry of bids for high profile players; the club broke the British  transfer record by signing Brazilian international Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.50 million. City reached tenth, and also reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup. During the summer of 2009 the club took transfer spending to an unprecendented level, with an outlay of over £100 million on players Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Joleon Lescott. On December 2009 it was announced that Mark Hughes had been replaced as manager by Roberto Mancini. City finished the season in fifth position in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on a place in the Champions League, and compete in the Europa League in season 2010-11.

The current club crest was adopted in 1997, a result of the previous crest being ineligible for the registration as a trademark. The badge was based on the arms of the city of Manchester, and consists of a shield in front of a golden eagle. The shield features a ship on its upper half representing the Manchester Ship Canal, and three diagonal stripes in the lower half, for the city’s three rivers. The bottom of the badge bears the motto Superbia in Proelio, which translates as Pride in Battle in Latin. Above the eagle the shield are three stars, which are purely decortative. Serviced City Pads have a reservations team who will send through a range of serviced apartments, please contact the team on 0844 335 8866.

I was recently in a taxi after a business meeting in Manchester city centre. The driver happened to be a staunch Manchester United fan. He was sure that the rise and eventual dominance of Manchester City was nothing more than inevitable due to the club being bankrolled by the oil rich arabs from the UAE. It is a view shared by many, not just disgruntled anti Glazer campaigning Manchester cabbies. 

There is no doubt that Manchester is a city that is passionate about football. It is also fair to suggest that City have lived in the shadows of their illustrious neighbours from Old Trafford. While Alex Ferguson has been piling trophies high, Man City have spent years being relegated and then promoted to and from the English Premier League.

It may well be that the tide is turning. Manchester City are now buying top class players like there is no tomorrow. They are improving every year and it would be no surprise to see the club qualifying from for the European Champions League in 2011 and challenging for homours after that. Success is never guaranteed but the arabs will not tolerate failure.

The local economy of Manchester is fuelled by many foreign supporters of Manchester United FC who visit Manchester from Scandanavia, Ireland and Iceland to watch their team. Many of these visitors will spend the weekend in Manchester (beer is much cheaper in the UK than in Denmark!) and stay in Manchester serviced apartments or hotels in Manchester. The hotel room is a great option if you there are a couple of you and you can make a reservation for a twin bedroom. The serviced apartment in Manchester city centre option offers something slightly different, something that a hotel room can’t; and that is all about accommodating a group of 6,7 or even 8 people who are visiting manchester together and want to stay togeher in the same apartment. Staying in a serviced apartment option mean that the group will be able to socialise and relax together as a group in a spacious living room, cook a meal together and watch tv together. This relaxing atmosphere isn’t something that the formal surroundings of a hotel – even if it is a Budget hotel in Manchester – can offer.

A large group staying in a serviced apartment in Manchester city centre will often find that they will also save money (per person) versus booking multiple hotel rooms. A group of 6 will have to book at least 3 rooms and who is to say that they will be next to eachother?

Anyway, with the emergence of manchester City as a force once again, we expect that more foreign Manchester City supporters will be looking to come and stay in manchester when their team plays at home - particularly supporters from the United Arab Emirates. We suggest that these visitors should consider staying in a short stay apartment and that one in the heart of Manchester city centre is the best option.

Take a look at www.servicedcitypads.com for a wide range of good value apartments for your holiday in Manchester.

Serviced City Pads is delighted to announce that it has added Stay City’s fantastic new serviced apartment development, Laystall serviced apartments which is situated in the heart of Manchester city centre.

This 84 apartment development is made up of a selection of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom short stay apartments and is within a short walk of Manchester Piccadilly train station, as well as a wide selection of bars and restaurants.

Laystall serviced apartments are the perfect alternative to staying in a hotel in Manchester whether you are working in Manchester or simply visiting for a city break. You might even be planning to visit Manchester to watch one of your favourite football teams – Manchester United or Manchester City.

Chris Rose, Managing Director at Serviced City Pads commented, “We already work closely with Stay City – particuarly in Liverpool, where their Lever Court development is one of the most popular developments in the city centre. If the Laystall apartments prove to be as successful as Lever Court then this will surely be a great addition for the Manchester serviced apartment industry.

Manchester is becoming more and more important as a destination city for Serviced City Pads as we speak to more and more companies that have reason to stay in Manchester. It’s a more corporate city than Liverpool, but still has a great leisure pull – particularly with football supporters travelling from afar. We are delighted to be able to expand our portfolio of listings in Manchester and to widen our range of options to our customer.

Stay City booked through Serviced City Pads offer great quality accommodation at great proces – from as little as £55 per night for longer corporate stays.

The spacious Laystall serviced apartments in Manchester open at the end of May.

For more information about booking serviced apartments as an alternative to staying in a hotel in Manchester, why not call Serviced City Pads on 0844 335 8866.

British World Heavyweight boxing champion David Haye is to defend his WBA title against John “Quiet Man” Ruiz at the MEN Arena, Manchester on Saturday 3rd April 2010. This is Haye’s first mandatory defence of the title that he won from Russian giant Nikolay Valuev in 2009. It is the first time that David Haye will fight at the MEN Arena in Manchester city centre. Infact, it is a decade since any British world heavyweight champion fought in the Britain.

The MEN Arena has become something of a mecca in recent times with boxers such as Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe and Amire Khan having fought there.

Easter weekend is always a busy time for people visiting and staying in Manchester and this Easter now looks to be a particularly busy weekend in Manchester. If you are planning to buy tickets for the Haye fight in Manchester, we suggest that you book your accommodation in Manchestester as soon as possible whether you would like to stay in a Manchester hotel or prefer to stay in serviced apartment (as well as the boxing contest, Manchester United are due to play Chelsea at Old Trafford earlier in the day – this could be a great opportunity to watch two fantastic sporting fixtures during the same weekend).

Serviced City Pads, the independent serviced apartment booking, has a range of serviced apartments in Manchester city centre as well as apartments in Salford Quays (particularly close to Old Trafford, home of Manchester United FC). We have many apartment options within walking distance of the MEN Arena. If you book an apartment in Manchester through Serviced City Pads you can be within a 5 walk of watching David Haye fight. You will also find yourself near to a number of restaurants and bars in Manchester city centre, of which there is a great choice to the Manchester visitor.

A weekend in Manchester can be a great experience that can be enhanced by booking a spacious serviced apartment, which are now seen as credible alternatives to staying in a hotel in Manchester. If you stay in Manchester over Easter weekend, and are lucky enough to purchase tickets to watch David Gaye, you are sure to have a fantastic visit.

Why not have a look at our website www.servicedcitypads.com or call the Reservations Team on 0844 335 8866. They have a great local knowledge of Manchester and this is what stands them apart from other apartment booking companies.