A new luxury four-star hotel is due to open on Manchester”s Canal Street later this year, despite local opposition. The ”3.5million Velvet hotel will occupy a prime spot above the well-established Velvet Bar and Restaurant.
Planning permission for the disputed hotel was granted in July. A spokesperson for Velvet hotels commented: ”It was all about competition. The opposition”s quietened down now. Velvet”s going ahead... it should never have been an issue in the first place. People are really excited about it because there aren”t any hotels on Canal Street and it needs hotels. There”s lots of bars, lots of restaurants, lots of clubs, but there”s nowhere for people to actually stay the night. As well as local people and tourists we”re also going to appeal to business people coming in to the city that want to stay somewhere that”s a little bit different.”
The 20-bedroom hotel will take up 8,000 sq ft of space over four floors. All bedrooms will have their own individual style, featuring en-suite facilities with baths and walk-in showers, Digital TV, complimentary Wi-Fi and i-pod docking stations as well as premium brand stocked minibars.
Despite delays on building work due to the local row, Velvet hopes to be up and running by Christmas.
”We only got planning permission a few weeks ago, but we”re now cracking on with it,” said the Velvet spokesperson. ”There”s going to be a lot of renovation work. There was a bit of a delay, but we still want to have it open for Christmas.”
Situated close to Manchester”s main shopping district, Piccadilly train station , the property will have panoramic views of the Manchester canal and the Gay Village. One of a cluster of boutique style hotels in the city, the property”s concept will focus on Rococo furniture and artwork.
Owner Mark Cain said: ”Our vision is to create a truly unique hotel that can”t be compared to anything else in the city, and one that really reflects the heart and soul of the village. It will serve the diverse needs of locals and visitors to the city, who want to stay somewhere that reflects Manchester”s cosmopolitan feel and cutting edge style.”