Luxury hotel coming to Manchester
Five-star brand W Hotels is close to agreeing a deal that will see it open at Gary Neville’s St Michael’s scheme, according to sources close to the project.
Part of Marriott Group, W Hotels is understood to be eyeing up the high-profile Manchester project to be the site of its third UK venue.
The 191-bedroom hotel would be located within the 40-storey tower element of St Michael’s, which is to be delivered in partnership by Salboy and Gary Neville’s development company Relentless.
This part of the scheme, designed by Hodder + Partners, would also feature around 180 apartments.
Main contractor Bowmer + Kirkland began work on the first phase, which includes 185,000 sq ft of offices and a rooftop restaurant, last year. The first phase, which Relentless is delivering in partnership with KKR, is expected to complete in 2024.
Should the deal complete, Manchester would join an illustrious list of cities that currently boast a W Hotel.
These include New York, Los Angeles, Barcelona, Istanbul, Osaka, and Kuala Lumpur, among others.
W’s Manchester hotel would come more than a decade after the brand launched its first UK site in London, located in Leicester Square.
A W Hotel in Edinburgh is due to launch later this year.
From the outset, the team behind St Michael’s has sought a five-star hotel operator for the scheme in order to address a lack of high-end hotel options in Manchester.
“Very few established global cities have such limited supply of five-star hotel bed spaces and facilities,” according to a planning statement by Zerum.
“Manchester is competing against other cities it is important to minimise perceived weaknesses in its offering.”
Relentless and W Hotel declined to comment on the negotiations when approached by Place North West.
W Hotel has been linked with Manchester before.
In 2008, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which became a subsidiary of Marriott in 2016, announced that W would be coming to Manchester in 2010.
The proposed site was located on the corner of Whitworth Street and Princess Street and was owned by West Property at the time.
However, the scheme did not progress and the plot was sold to Morgan Stanley in 2011 as part of the disposal of £216m of West’s owner Donal Mulryan’s assets by the Irish Government’s National Asset Management Agency.
Urban & Civic acquired the site in 2014 and redeveloped it into a 351-apartment scheme.
Excellent news. A real boost to Manchester!
By Steve
I have to say I much prefer the very original design (a few planning applications ago), but really glad it is now being built.
By Another Manc
@Another Manc really? The previous proposals were so bad, this one has more interesting facade
By Michael
Will be amazing when completed and having another 5 star right by the civic quarter is going to really improve that corner, especially when the Town hall and Albert square open again in a couple of years.
By Anon e mouse
Should be an impressive addition to the hotel stock and another 5 star.
By Anonymous
Much needed there should be more than two 5 star hotels in Manchester.
By Anonymous
They should be building this in a part of Manchester that needs it, this area doesn’t, they could’ve made use of the existing buildings and bought and developed one of the many run down areas of the city.
By Dan
Needs to be at least 50 more stories on that tower
By Giant Skyscraper Fan
@Another Manc. Please tell me you’re not talking of the 2 black towers of Mordor that got scapped
By Tomo
This does need to be taller. It is impressive but Manchester needs a super scraper,in a more central location.
By Elephant
Oh Dan really ? Do you know how development works? Build a 5 star hotel in a run down area that needs it? Where do you suggest they build it ? Miles platting? the back streets of Eccles?, You work on the business case and let Gary Neville know. He’ll kick himself for missing that one.
By Desperate Dan
Good news if it happens. I like the design. However, I think the building is too tall in its location. I very much prefer that tall buildings cluster together and not randomly sprout up from nowhere.
By Chris
Yet again, Dan trolling PNW. Zzzzz
By Anonymous
There aren’t many suitable sites for a 5 star hotel, hardly going to out one in Oxford Road or the Northern Quarter are they alongside bookies and 2nd hand shops?
By DH
Good to know That the Gotham, The Radisson and The Lowry will have some new 5 star competition nearby. There must be a demand with all of these offices being built all over the place.
By Anonymous
Source: “trust me bro” #mipimlads
By InsiderMCR
Not correct, but it did make me chuckle.
By Julia Hatmaker
Great news, and an amazing location, so many 4 star and boutique hotels in Manchester now it’s good to add to some of the large 5 stars. Let’s face it with all those civil servants moving here their bosses won’t be staying in Premier inns.
By HD
Amazing news!! So glad about the improvement of Manchester recently. Finally a luxury hotel is seen to be opening and hoping this is the start of many. Manchester keep it up!!
By Anonymous
Interested
By Victoria