Members of The University of Manchester and Alliance Manchester Business School, M&L Hospitality, Bruntwood, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Cycas Hospitality gathered last week to celebrate the ‘Topping out’ of a new mixed-use development at the Manchester Oxford Road Campus.
The landmark 19-storey building, which will feature a dual branded 328-room hotel, with meeting facilities, forms part of the University’s £1billion masterplan to transform the campus.
Designed by architects BDP and Leach Rhodes Walker, the development will introduce two new hotels for the city; a 212-room Crowne Plaza and 116-room Staybridge Suites. Both hotels will operate under a franchise agreement with owner partner M&L Hospitality and Cycas Hospitality, the hotel management company specialising in extended-stay hotels in the UK and Europe.
Professor Fiona Devine, Head of Alliance Manchester Business School said, “This is a major milestone for this landmark development and we look forward to offering a flexible choice of accommodation for visitors to the University, the business school and the wider city.”
Neil Maxwell, CEO of M&L Hospitality said, “Manchester is maturing as an international destination for corporate businesses. There has been a growing number of investments made by foreign firms over the past five years and recent talks by Manchester International Airport to introduce new airline routes to the city. We are confident that our new development will cater to the growing number of corporate business travellers and their demands for quality accommodation.”
Chris Roberts, Bruntwood Development Director said, “We are delighted to see the hotel reach this milestone. When complete, the hotel and education centre will provide the perfect base from which to enjoy the abundance of quality cultural assets along Oxford Road and further cement 'Corridor Manchester' as a place where talented people can come to learn, socialise and re-energise.”
John Wagner, founding partner of Cycas Hospitality said, “This marks the progress of our second dual branded concept for the UK, a model which has already proven successful for us in London Stratford City. Manchester has become a thriving digital hub and we look forward to welcoming the UK’s new entrepreneurs, leisure visitors, as well as long-stay corporate business clients.”
The project, scheduled for overall completion early next year is being undertaken by Bruntwood Construction as part of Bruntwood’s wider redevelopment of Alliance MBS for The University of Manchester on Booth Street West and will adjoin its new two-storey Executive Education Centre, providing a new home for the School’s corporate leadership and management programmes.
