Something that I have always wanted to do is to play tourist in my home city, and until recently I had never had the opportunity to do so. When Malmaison got in touch and asked if I'd like to review their restaurant with a show around their hotel, I asked if it would be possible for me to review an overnight stay instead. I didn't feel that I would be able to give a truly fair and honest review of the hotel with a show around; there are so many factors that make up a good hotel, most of which I believe can be observed with an overnight stay. To my delight, they said yes and as such, here is the review! Whether you are from Leeds, like me and are looking to treat yourself for a night, or you are visiting the city and are looking for somewhere special, Malmaison Leeds will fit the bill perfectly.




First impressions count for a lot these days, especially with hotels and I can say that the foyer and reception of Malmaison Leeds impressed me. I had taken a look at the hotel online prior to our stay, and could see the sort of vibe that they go for (dark, moody and dare I say sexy?), but in all honesty I didn't know how this would translate to reality. I didn't manage to get a decent picture of the outside of the building, but it is very impressive and sophisticated, with elegant light fittings and ornate stone carvings - presumably original. The foyer was actually surprisingly bright and very sleek; think plush velvet, rich shades of purple and dark, polished wood. To the right hand side there is the reception desk, of course, as well as the "meet and greet" area that you can see pictured above, complete with newspapers for you to browse whilst you wait. Down the stairs to the left is the restaurant, where me and Martin enjoyed our evening meal; I will be reviewing our experience and the meal in my next post.




After a hassle-free check in, we were given a Mal Club room for our stay, up on the fourth floor. Before I go into the room, however, I just wanted to mention how dark the corridors were! I understand the need for moody lighting, but in truth it was difficult to believe that it was still daytime outside. The lack of windows didn't help! This was rectified when we entered our room, which was filled with natural daylight from the large windows on the far side of the room. The only major downside about our room was the view; we were hoping for a riverside view, but instead we had the car park - I guess you can't have it all, eh! To be honest, we weren't there for the view, so in reality it was of very little importance. The room was a really good size, and had everything you needed and more for a night of luxury. The Queen size bed was plush and looked very inviting, and the decor was very tasteful. We especially liked the black and white photographs on the walls, which helped to enhance the overall sophisticated feel of the hotel.





Martin didn't even manage to set his bag down properly before he was whizzing over to the Lavazza coffee machine - I have never seen him so excited about one! I don't know a thing about coffee as I don't drink it myself, but he was in his element by prodding and poking it to find out how it worked. It wasn't long before he was making himself a fancy coffee, whilst I watched on in bemusement! This coffee machine is included in all Mal Club rooms, and if you couldn't already tell it was very much appreciated by Martin. An item like this is what sets superiors rooms apart from the standard, and wouldn't have gone amiss from the suite we stayed in at Ox Pasture Hall. As well as this all singing, all dancing coffee machine was tea and coffee making facilities in one of the cupboards, with complimentary biscuits and a good range of tea and coffee. Below this was the mini fridge, which we were delighted to find. It was fully stocked with alcohol and soft drinks, but we decided to give them a miss and enjoy a drink of our own.





Talking of items that were available in our room, it wasn't just the mini fridge that was there to tempt us. There were several snacks that we could have indulged in, such as Yorkshire Crisps and Proper Corn, but for us were far too expensive. It's the only thing that I dislike about staying in hotels - and I hasten to say that it is in pretty much every one we have stayed in - hotels do like to charge a fortune for food and drink in your room! As it turned out, we were far too full from our evening meal to even think about having a snack, but if we had wanted any, we would have brought our own. There were also two bottles of wine, suitably Malmaison branded and with the prices clearly available to see. This "Mal" branding was clear throughout the room, with a restaurant menu underneath the glass on the dressing table, and the logo on the door sign, cups/mugs and even on the toiletries. Let's put it this way, you certainly couldn't forget that you are staying in a Malmaison hotel! It's not something that bothered me personally, but it was a little excessive; as you will see in my next blog post, it carried on into the restaurant too.





Other touches to the room included two soft and fluffy dressing gowns, a Samsung flat screen TV, and complimentary fruit, chocolates and water. There was also a thank you card from the team at Malmaison Leeds wishing me and Martin a pleasant stay, which was really lovely to find in our room. Also to use in the room were two telephones; one by the bed and one on the dressing table, and a pad of paper and pencil should you need to make any important notes. It had the feel of a business room but the comfort of a luxury, and it manages to hit that balance quite well. As for the star of the show, the bed, it was as every bit as comfortable as it appeared. The mattress felt like we were sleeping on a cloud, it was that soft! My only complaint - and it is only my personal preference - is that the pillows were far too soft for me. I prefer firm pillows (otherwise I wake up with a sore neck and shoulders!), and I ended up having to use one of the cushions to prop myself up a bit at night. Martin didn't have a problem with these, but it would have been nice to see Malmaison offering options.




The bathroom was quite a surprise; given the decor of the room, I wasn't expecting it to be almost entirely black and white! It was extremely clean, just like the room but I noticed that the seals on the tiles could do with a refresh, as they were a little discoloured. The black marble tops looked very swish indeed, and worked well with the checkered floor and white tiles. A large mirror took up one of the walls, and this was well lit; although a bit too far away for me to do my make up at in the morning. As mentioned previously there was a selection of toiletries, and I was actually really impressed with these. Normally, hotel toiletries are nothing special and are often quite bland, but these are scented with fig and olive and they smelt divine! I also had a giggle at the little poem on the back of the soap (picture below); it tickled me so much that I had to put a picture of it on Instagram! Me and Martin were pleased to see that Malmaison have opted for a shower screen instead of a curtain, and it made having a shower much more pleasant that it could have been. The shower itself had a good water pressure, but was a bit fiddly to get to the right temperature. However, the storage space available was excellent, with plenty of room available at the end of the bath for all manner of bath products - essential for someone like me!



I had wondered about the traffic noise that could be heard from our hotel room, but I can say that we didn't hear a thing either through the night or even the next morning. I think this was helped by our room being high up and at the back of the hotel, but we were still on a busy main road in Leeds, so this was quite impressive. We had a great nights sleep and enjoyed a relaxing evening of having a couple of drinks and watching a film; it was wonderful to just relax in a luxurious and comfortable room. We didn't even have to worry about getting up too early, as Malmaison have a later check out time of 12pm as standard, which I really wished more hotels had! If I was looking to stay in Leeds city centre again, I would definitely consider Malmaison for a second time; the room was lovely, the food we had in the restaurant was fantastic (spoiler for you there!), and the location is excellent for hitting up the bars in town. I wouldn't personally recommend it for families, but for couples or a group of friends, this hotel is an excellent choice and I highly recommend it. Keep an eye out for my next post, where I review the Brasserie!

Disclaimer: Our stay at Malmaison Leeds, including dinner in the restaurant, was complimentary,
in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own and Martin's.