Hilton Garden Inn, Stoke-on-Trent

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

1. 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.
2. Bottlecraft, a craft beer shop and bar with over 200 bottles and cans from round the world.
3. 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.