ANOTHER week, another hotel application.
They're becoming as popular as new bar openings in the Northern Quarter - only a lot more expensive.
“The City Council is astute, more astute than any other local authority in the UK in terms of guiding and controlling growth in hospitality and hotels in its ambition to be a major European destination."
The latest plan is from Aviva Investors who would like to convert the top floors of the Corn Exchange into an 86 bed boutique hotel, which seems like a fine idea for the building.
Confidential tallied up the numbers and counted 3,277 new bedrooms in 21 new hotels.
In 2006 the city centre had 4,990 hotel rooms. By 2013, this had jumped 58% to 7,860. If all the newly proposed hotels are built the number will jump again to 11,137 by the end of 2016.
To put that in perspective, the current city centre population stands at just over 20,000.
But will the new rooms get filled or will some of the lesser operators fall by the wayside?
According to STR Global, which counts these things, the occupancy rate in the city in 2013 was 77% - on one weekend in November it topped 90% thanks to rugby and the Christmas markets.
So there's definitely potential growth and scope for more interesting brands and boutique operators to offer something different.
Midland Hotel
John Lutton, from Stockport-based La Sande, specialises in the hotel and leisure market and is a regular advisor to Manchester City Council linking operators and sites.
He said: “The simple fact is that Manchester is a growing world and central European destination and as such we need to compete with other major European cities.
“Existing hotels are going to have to up their game to compete with the new players," reckons Lutton. "There is going to be a considerable improvement in the quality and stock levels in Manchester in the next three years and the products that are tired will have to watch their backs and improve.”
Even with the list of nineteen upcoming hotels, Lutton still believes there is scope for more openings at opposite ends of the market:
“InterContinental Hotels (one of the world's largest hotel companies) has not got a full service brand in the city. It has Holiday Inn but there is no five star Intercontinental brand and a major international city like Manchester is anxious to have that status. But it needs to be in the right location.
“We need to be aiming for higher-end products," says Lutton. "The economic growth projected means we need to cater for the top-end of the market, Manchester can support it but you have to have the hospitality infrastructure on top of that.
“The City Council is astute," continued Lutton, "more astute than any other local authority in the UK in terms of guiding and controlling growth in hospitality and hotels in its ambition to be a major European destination."
Hilton, Beetham Tower
So what of the new openings?
“There are some very nice products coming to the city, Indigo (Corporation Street) is going to be fabulous and Gotham Hotel (King Street) sounds great, very different, a quirky product in a good location, I’m sure it will do well."
Still, it's not purely about the 'higher-end products' for Lutton: “You have to cater for all levels though, not everyone can afford to stay in four and five star hotels. The city needs to offer the full spectrum for all ages and all budgets.
“I’d love to see a really good backpackers hostel in the city," Lutton says. "I have only seen them done well in London but it’s a concept that should be looked at for Manchester to add to the mix.”
How many of the new 21 will actually be delivered is unclear. But the fact that so many brands have the aspiration to invest in Manchester is surely a good thing. More jobs and careers available too, particularly for graduates of the planned training hotel in Oldham.
But Stephen Miles, general manager of the RadissonBlu Edwardian on Peter Street and current chair of the Manchester Hoteliers Association said: “It’s all down to signing operators and funding. Aspiration is one thing – delivery is something else.”
For Jonathan Schofield's assessment of Manchester tourism click here.
Hotel Football
List of planned city hotels:
Hotel Football, Old Trafford - 138 bedrooms
A venture by former Manchester United team mates Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs to provide footy fans with a place to eat, drink and stay within chanting distance of Old Trafford. On track to open in October 2014 and designed by AEW Architects, the £20m, ten-storey hotel will have five-a-side pitches on its roof. More here.
Premier Inn, New Bailey Development, Salford Central – 143 bedrooms
Designed by RHWL Architects and currently taking shape hard up against Irwell Street bridge. This slab of a building is part of an area on Manchester’s doorstep being re-branded as New Bailey, which together with Chapel Street makes up Salford Central. The English Cities Fund (a joint-venture between Muse Developments, Legal & General Property and the Homes and Communities Agency) wants another 250 hotel beds in the area plus 849 new homes (Vimto Gardens) and 220,000sq metres of commercial space.
Premier Inn
Yotel Manchester, Chatham Street, Piccadilly – 258 bedrooms
This twenty-storey hotel designed by Roger Stephenson and developed by MCR Property Alliance will be one of the first buildings you see walking out of Piccadilly Station. It didn’t get rave reviews at the recent MSA Awards but the brand, set up by YO! Sushi founder Simon Woodroffe, will bring something new to the city. Its capsular rooms can be booked by the hour or the night and are more usually found next to airports. The Grade II listed Union Bank building next door will house the hotel’s lounge bar, conference room, meeting rooms, kitchen and gym.
Motel One, 34 London Road, Piccadilly - 330 bedrooms
Due to open next summer with Motel One down as the operator this is the controversial redevelopment of the former Twisted Wheel site. Designed by Hodder and Partners, CGIs show a lot of glass and stone coloured smooth concrete, varying in height from seven to fourteen-storey and with 330 bedrooms this will be the largest of the new wave of hotels in the city centre.
Motel One, Cross Street - 290 bedrooms
The same German budget chain most recently got permission for an eight-storey, 290 hotel behind the facade of Commercial Buildings on Cross Street. Designed by Roger Stephenson the plans involve demolishing the 80s offices behind the facade and developing an eight-storey hotel with ground floor restaurant, shop and underground parking.
Motel One, Cross Street
Holiday Inn, Employment Exchange, Aytoun Street - 306 bedrooms
Dominvs Hospitality got the go ahead for this in January and want it to be their flagship four star hotel with bar, restaurants, a gym and conference facilities on the ground floor. It’s due for opening in 2016. More here.
Indigo Hotel, City Buildings, Corporation Street - 178 bedrooms
Work is due to start soon on this boutique hotel, part of the Co-op’s NOMA development. Hotel developer Sanguine Hospitality has a franchise agreement with Marco Pierre White that will see one of his restaurants open on the ground floor of the thirteen-storey circular tower. The Indigo brand is part of the Intercontinental Group. More here.
Indigo
Melia International Innside Hotel, First Street - 208 bedrooms
Another hotel that is part of a bigger mixed-use masterplan. Designed by Ian Simpson for the Spanish hotel group, work is underway on this new four star which got permission back in June 2012. Due to open late this year. More here.
Gotham Hotel, Bespoke Hotels, King Street - 66 bedrooms
The most extravagant of the applications and my personal favourite for the non-corporate madness. Sitting above Jamie’s in Edward Lutyens's former Midland Bank building, Bespoke Hotels want to create 60 bedrooms with four inner sanctum suites around a courtyard, a Prohibition style bar and a roof-top members only club. According to the website work is due to start soon with an opening next year. More here.
Gotham in the old Midland Bank
Albert Sq Chop House, Albert Sq - 8 suites
Eight perfectly formed suites in this gem of a building are due to open next year. Hopefully, they will be as individual and interesting as the food and the decor in the rest of the building. More here.
Irish World Heritage Centre Hotel, Irish Town Way, Cheetham Hill - 180 bedrooms
A bit off the wall this, given the location, but having seen the quality of the rest of the Heritage Centre this will be done very well. Likely to be aimed towards the budget end of the market, it’s going to attract people heading to the Etihad on football days as well as anyone with Irish roots or wanting an edge of the city base.
Hilton Garden Inn, Airport City – 350 bedrooms
Given the go-ahead a couple of weeks ago the eight-storey three star hotel has been designed by Leach Rhodes Walker and will offer conference facilities and a fitness centre as well as a bar and restaurant split into two connecting blocks. A necessary move for Hilton which, oddly, agreed not to open another Hilton within a mile of the Hilton Tower on Deansgate when the operating licence was signed.
Airport City
Theatre Royal, Radisson Edwardian, Peter Street – 10 suites
The Edwardian Group wants to extend its offer into the theatre building to create an 800-seat ballroom, ten five star suites, and a roof top bar and restaurant. There was also talk earlier this year of a small number of apartments. Work is due to start late this year/early next year. More here.
University of Manchester, Bruntwood Booth Street West and Higher Cambridge Street - 234 bedrooms
The first phase of the redevelopment of the Business School will see a new four star hotel and conference centre. The hotel (operator to be announced) would be a base for the numerous overseas visitors to the business school. More here.
Theatre Royal, Peter Street
Hotel Future, Oldham - 120 bedrooms
The £40m development, led by Manchester Hoteliers’ Association and backed by Oldham Council, will train up to 100 apprentices a year working alongside full time experienced staff. It will run on a commercial basis with paying guests and will include include a conference centre and a hotel spa and gym with links through to Queen Elizabeth Hall. Due to open next year. More here.
Brown Brothers Building, Chapel Street, Salford – 60 bedrooms
Artisan is forging ahead with the conversion of the old Brown Brothers building into a four star boutique hotel with bar, restaurant and gym. Salford city council has recently invested in landscaping around the building as its part of the wider Chapel street regeneration. Scheduled to open this summer.
Also on the drawing board:
Stock Exchange, Norfolk Street, Manchester – 35 bedrooms
Gary Neville revealed to Confidential at MIPIM that he wants to convert the Stock Exchange into a boutique hotel with roof top bar. A planning application by his new development company, Zerum, is due in soon after discussions with Heritage experts. More here.
8-10 Booth Street, Eclectic Hotels - 40 bedrooms
Eclectic Hotels, who also run the Great John Street Hotel in the city are planning to transform one of Manchester’s most handsome office buildings from the nineteenth century into a 40 bedroom boutique hotel with ancillary bar, restaurant and conference facilities. More here.
Turner Street currently
Turner Street Hotel, Northern Quarter - 14 bedrooms
A skip over the road from Northern Quarter's Solita restaurant, the site encased by Turner Street, Red Lion Street, Catlow Lane and Union Street accommodates five buildings and will create a fourteen bed hotel with a bar lounge on the part ground floor and a restaurant and bar on the part first floor. Plans here.
Corn Exchange, Manchester – 86 bedrooms
Aviva Investors are currently spending £30m in the redevelopment of the iconic Corn Exchange building, moving out the retail to make way for more restaurants and general foodie outlets. This month they revealed they would like to top it with a hotel and are on the hunt for an operator.
Hotel La Tour, Riverside, Salford - 223 bedrooms
Bruntwood revealed plans for a fourteen-storey 223 bedroom hotel by the Riverside buildin in Salford (next to The Lowry) and confirmed in February last year that the plans were still progressing. The £24m scheme would sit close to The Bridge apartments but nothing in for planning yet.
Corn Exchange
