Blackburn Arena

Interesting building and good value for money

We love this quirky hotel for its proximity to Manchester Airport. It's our first stop in the UK when we arrive on vacation, so that first night is very important for us to catch up on sleep after an overnight flight. Unfortunately, we arrived at the start of a heat dome and this property was unprepared. The air conditioning in the rooms wasn't working so they were unbearably hot, too hot to get a good night's sleep which made for a very long night. We had one table fan for two rooms. The hotel was full so there weren't any extra fans. The output of the tiny fans that staff found under the stairs was inadequate, to say the least. Fans are inexpensive! There should be at least one working fan for every room. Also, the lock on the door to the room was broken which had to be fixed (loudly) while our child tried to sleep. Thankfully, we got some relief in the cool dining room and bar area. The staff were great and did what they could to help which was appreciated.