City centre hotel to get boutique transformation

Princess St Hotel owner Amardeep Chima

A hotel in Manchester city centre is having a major overhaul and relaunch as a boutique destination as part of a £1.5m revamp.

The former Arora Manchester Hotel in the city centre was purchased in 2013 by Aspen Hotels Limited and has recently rebranded as the Princess St. Hotel.

So far, the four-star hotel has had its lobby and public areas refurbished and has also opened a speciality coffee shop – LAWN.

Work is now under way to refurbish the hotel’s bedrooms and meeting and event spaces, with further plans to give the hotel’s restaurant and bar, 24, a full makeover.

Amardeep Chima, managing director of Aspen Hotels, said: “Manchester has firmly established itself on the map as one of the country’s go-to cities for music, culture and entertainment – it’s proud of its home-grown talent and its hospitality portfolio should reflect its unique personality.

“The Princess St. Hotel does just this by working with up-and-coming local talent, such as the designers for the upholstery and wallpapers and the independent coffee roasters.

“Transforming the hotel into a boutique offering allows us to stand out from crowd in what can often be a saturated market and give guests – from both the UK and further afield – a more intimate service offering and taste of the surrounding area.”

The first phase of bedroom refurbs is due for completion in July, with the entire project scheduled to be finished by the end of the year.

Located in the heart of the city centre, opposite the Manchester Art Gallery, the hotel is housed in a Grade II-listed Victorian building and features 141 bedrooms across three different room categories.

Techie travellers can stay online with free high speed WIFI across the hotel, with a new on-demand system allowing Google Chromecast mirroring from mobile devices.

Amardeep added: “We want to offer guests much more than simply a stay in a city centre hotel – as Manchester has so much to offer, we’re their concierge when it comes to catching the hottest gigs, getting the best cocktails or seeing the most popular art exhibitions.

“The demand of hotel guests constantly evolves – in the past, it’s been the norm to want a branded chain, but individuality has now taken centre stage. We’ve embraced this change in mind set, ensuring we introduce new locally sourced treats and feature new photography and murals throughout the hotel regularly.

“We don’t aim to be the coolest or trendiest hotel, nor the most hi-tech; however, we do aim to be guests’ favourite by keeping it simple – the way a hotel should be. Following the rebrand, we’ve already had an incredibly positive reaction from both repeat and new guests and we’re confident that, as we further establish our new look, we’ll cement our place as one of Manchester’s landmark hotels.”

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