It used to be a very common practice that people would be dropped off in the car park at the Radisson Blu to avoid the terminal charges. It was then a lift up to the hotel lobby and then out on to the Skywalk.

Understandably, the Radisson Blu have got rather fed up of this and so the door staff on the ground floor are fairly robust at ensuring that only hotel guests are coming in to the hotel. At this hotel the lobby isn't on the ground floor where the car park is, it's up at Skywalk level. If you are standing around waiting for a pickup and you haven't been staying at the hotel you will also be fairly robustly invited to leave.

As someone who has pays good money to stay at that hotel, I am very very comfortable with the hotel security throwing people out if they aren't guests.

There are now signs in the Radisson Blu car park saying you will be charged unless you are a hotel patron (IIRC it is £5 for 15 minutes) but when I have used Uber the driver hasn't paid in the hotel and I've not had a £5 charge added to my bill after. Whether the driver was charged, I don't know. I have only used Uber to or from the Radisson Blu when I have been a hotel guest staying at the Radisson Blu. I wouldn't recommend using it now unless you are a guest at the hotel.

My preference for drop-off is just to pay the £5 airport tax; in the context of how much my airfares cost, a fiver isn't even worth quibbling over. On pick-up I will often aim to be collected at Wythenshawe Town Centre tram stop. The reason for this is that the pick-up fees ramp up incredibly quickly if there is any sort of delay- even if the plane is on time, if the bags are slow for instance. £1.30 on the tram or £25 in the airport becomes a more obvious choice, especially as the person picking me up after their drive is able to get out and stretch their legs whilst waiting for me.