Six proper Stokie things I found in the Hilton Garden Inn, Hanley

The Hilton Garden Inn Stoke-on-Trent, in Hanley, opened in October 2020, and was the first Hilton branded hotel in the city, boasting 140 rooms and a beautiful restaurant. The £20 million project, in the heart of the Smithfield development, is centrally located for anyone wanting to explore Stoke-on-Trent, with numerous attractions nearby, like the Potteries Museum, Waterworld, Monkey Forest, Trentham Estate and World of Wedgwood.

As part of the development, Hilton roped in several local and independent businesses to bring the vision to life, leaving a proper Potteries stamp on the chic and modern hotel. Director of sales Steve Alty said: “Throughout this whole process it has been really important to us to be able to promote and showcase the city’s heritage.” And as a result, you’ll see trails of Staffordshire woven through the fabric of the fantastic accomodation – some more obviously Stokie than others.

Furniture by LiDR

LiDR Contract Furniture, on Campbell Road, Stoke, were a huge part of bringing the vision of the Hilton Garden Inn, Hanley, to life. With it being the first Hilton to be built in the city, they wanted local features and history integrated throughout with references to the city’s expertise in ceramics and connection to the Spitfire.

The £20m project was LiDR work alongside the interior designers and Hilton to develop guestroom furniture which was in line with the brand guidelines. Their work can be seen throughout the 140 rooms, such as metal mesh side panels to the wardrobes, leather detailing at the desks and also the vanity units in the bathrooms.

Moreover, LiDR were involved in bringing together the furniture for Restaurant Six, the Hilton’s in-house dining space – and they’ve done a really fantastic job at keeping the clean, modern style associated with Hilton Garden Inns.

Tiles by Johnson Tiles

Johnsons, based in Tunstall, has worked on world-wide projects, providing tiles for the London Underground to Hilton’s in Hawaii, to Indigo Hotel in Hong Kong. The Staffordshire hotel required an elegant aesthetic worthy of its brand, and used the Subway range from Johnsons to create the front panel of the main reception desk.

Johnsons said: “Fitted in the Caffeine Station, the Subway brings a splash of playfulness and energy, providing cohesion for the entry area.”

The Reception area also features a ceramic map of Stoke-on-Trent with Johnsons’ ‘Prismatic’ tiles providing the backdrop to highlight the statement piece, tying together local heritage with local manufacturing. These tiles can also be found in the hotel bathrooms, offering a simple yet stunning statement, creating a clean, modern look.

Staffordshire brewers and distillers in the bar

Restaurant Six has an extensive drinks menu which features local brewers and distillers among other popular brands. On the ale list you’ll find a selection from Titanic Brewery, which was founded in Burslem back in the 80s. The company now produce more than four million pints a year and employ around 250 local people.

The company – founded by Keith and Dave Bott – brew over 20 beers and have a solid local following, so it’s great to see their name on the menu, alongside the likes of Six Towns Gin.

Made by Bros Distillery, the exact recipe for Six Towns gin will forever remain under lock and key, but I can tell you that it’s pretty delicious. The brands name comes from the amalgamation of Stoke-on-Trent’s six towns in 1910, which saw Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall become a polycentric city. And staying true to its celebration of the industrial city, the bottles in which Six Towns Gin is sold in are made by the iconic Wade Ceramics, another fantastic local business.

Read more: Staffordshire’s Sixtowns Gin comes with keepsake ceramic bottle

Born in Latvia, brothers Vitalijs and Alex watched their grandparents distill grain, who’d watched their parents before them, resulting in a tried and tested, successful recipe. In the late 90s, the siblings decided to bring their expertise and secret family knowledge over to Staffordshire. They’re certainly a welcome addition to the tipples on offer at Restaurant Six.

Adding to the city theme, there’s also a fun cocktail menu, featuring six cocktails, each named after one of the six towns, such as Longton Iced Tea, Burslem Belini and Stoke Sunrise.

Plates by Steelite International

You’ll spot a Stokie when they turn their plate upside down to check for a Staffordshire backstamp, and you can usually tell a Steelite piece of crockery before upturning it – they’re highly recognisable and stylish, used in Four Seasons hotels, London’s The Savoy and worldwide Hilton’s too. But there’s something that feels really special about them being used at Restaurant Six.

During my own stay, Jake’s steak was served on a light reactive glaze plate which I believe is from Steelite’s craft range. Inspired by hand-crafted, simple country wares made by generations of potters over hundreds of years, the collection ’embodies the beauty of rich, lustrous glazes applied by hand, and celebrates chance effects and reactions which occur naturally in the kiln’.

Pottery is a major part of Staffordshire’s heritage, so it’s beautiful to see it celebrated in a functional way in Restaurant Six, bringing much joy to backstampers.

Art that celebrate Staffordshire icons

Throughout the Hilton Garden Inn, you’ll notice little – and sometimes quite large – nods to local people and industry through artwork. In the reception, there’s the map featuring Johnsons Tiles, while in the room, I spotted a print of a map of Hanley, as well as one of a bottle kiln and another of the Spitfire, designed by Tunstall’s son, Reginald Mitchell.

In the lobby, there are pottery moulds sitting among books and vases in a shelving cabinet, with famous faces like Sir Stanley Matthews and Josiah Wedgwood in corridor pieces.

The view from every window

Nothing quite says ‘welcome to Stoke-on-Trent, duck’, than looking out of the window to the old Smithfield Pottery bottle kiln. The Grade II listed structure was named after the Smithfield Cattle Market nearby and was built in 1880 on land owned by rope manufacturer, Thomas Hinde. There’s a beautiful view of the potbank from the sixth floor as you step out of the elevator.

Another great photo opportunity is from the other side of the hotel, past room 630, where you can look down on the colourful glass Smithfield One. Rooms on this side of the hotel also overlook the Smithfield development – a community space often used for open-air events like cinema nights and a free ‘beach’.