Manchester’s £25m Treehouse hotel opens its doors
Part of a £210m regeneration at the end of Deansgate, the 224-bed hotel has been delivered by Property Alliance Group and Starwood Capital.
Manchester’s Treehouse hotel, which cost around £25m to develop, has opened to the public today [Wednesday] with rooms available from £199 a night. The ground-floor restaurant Pip by Mary-Ellen McTague, former sous chef under Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck, opens today, too.
While more than 200 hotel rooms have now been released for booking, other elements of the scheme, including an Asian restaurant, 14th floor bar, and a selection of suites, are due to open later this year.
The hotel, part of SH Hotels & Resorts, is the second Treehouse branded venture to open. The other is in London and a third in California is aiming for a 2025 launch.
Previously a four-star Renaissance hotel, the Manchester building the now hosts Treehouse closed permanently on 15 July 2020 with the operators citing weak demand compounded by the pandemic.
Eyebrows were raised when the developers revealed they would repurpose the hotel building rather than demolish it, as many commentators consider it an eyesore. However, others applauded the joint venture for its sustainable approach to the site’s redevelopment.
Progress on the wider masterplan, which features a 50,000 sq ft office and a residential element offering 300 apartments has been impacted by the uncertain economic climate of recent years.
- Credit: Simon Brown Photography
- Credit: Simon Brown Photography
Genuinely one of the most dreadful redevelopment in Manchester. It still looks like an absolute eyesore we’re now all stuck with. It should have been demolished.
Shame on those involved!
By Byronic
All very interesting – a £25m tart up of a hotel.
What is actually happening with the other £185m of long promised “regeneration” on this important site? Starwood not up for that?
By Anonymous
The interior looks like a Jungle Jim’s kids playcentre.
Should have been demolished and a quality development built on this prime site.
A ‘sustainable approach’ is now an excuse for doing it on the cheap.
By Dom
If im honest it still doesn’t look great from the outside. Not sure having a tent Infront of it helps either. massive missed opportunity to make something special on this site
By Jon P
This building is an insult to trees never mind Manchester.
By mcleod
They have done such a great job.. inside. It’s a shame the outside still looks so dirty, grey and old.
By Anonymous
The interior looks ok but the exterior is a disaster, one of the worst construction projects in Manchester. They could have at least tried putting some artificial wood cladding and ivy on the outside to make it look nature themed.
By Anonymous
“However, others applauded the joint venture for its sustainable approach to the site’s redevelopment.”
Hmm not sure that’s the case. I’ve only ever seen the developers trying to make a virtue of retaining the existing structure (the subtext being that it’s simply less profitable to demolish and redevelop the building currently – accidental sustainability).
By Fake sustainability Watch
I just can’t help thinking what could have been …
By MrP
Still doesn’t look very nice
By We're just Normal men
take it the £25m has all been spent internally ? its an absolute eyesore is that building. £199 a night as well, thats a bit steep to stay in a building site when premier inn and roomz are a stones throw away. Fat Duck ………Duck That.
By WindyMcWindface
Just what is the point of this? Does anyone here think this will be operating as the same business in, say, 24 months time?
By Sam
I know there is is an awful lot to be done on this site yet and an awful lot of money to be spent but it’s taking almost as long as the site next to the hotel was left vacant and abandoned. I shall reserve judgement until then..if I live that long.
By Anonymous
Always fun to compare concept images of the exterior to… this
By Anonymous
It’s looks horrendous..
By Jeff Blair
A bit of glitter sprinkled; you can never polish a building like that.
By Sows Ear
This has to be one of Manchester’s most disappointing developments. Very underwhelming and lacking in any ambition.
By Anonymous
Why is this the result, after such a long time? Very poor effort.
By Elephant
An uninspiring eye sore. Do the council seriously not care about the aesthetic of the city centre?
By Liam