Motel One plans Cross Street hotel

GERMAN budget hotel operator Motel One is planning its second venue in central Manchester.

Contractors are already on site building a 330-bed hotel for the chain in Whitworth Street, and now plans have been submitted for a 290-bed budget hotel in Cross Street.

The developments are part of an expansion plan that will see the group build 1,400 hotel beds in the UK over the next two years.

Motel One already has a network of 45 hotels in Germany, Austria and Belgium, and opened its first UK hotel in Edinburgh in 2012. As well as the two in Manchester it is planning another in Edinburgh, one in Glasgow and one in London.

According to a planning statement it wants to knock down the 37,000 sq ft Commercial Buildings next to Boots at 11-15 Cross Street, retaining the facade for an eight-storey block.

The building was sold for £5.1m in March by Aberdeen Asset Management but the identity of the buyer was never revealed.

A planning statement filed with Manchester City Council by HOW Planning does not name the developer but describes the project as a budget hotel. Motel One identified Cross Street as its next location in December and a CGI has been published showing the Commercial Buildings’ facade with the group’s branding.

It states: “This proposed hotel would fall within the budget category, increasing this supply by 3%, based on those currently operating the overall supply would still be below that of four-star hotels.”

It says there are 15 budget and two-star hotels in the city centre accounting for 31% of all hotels. There is an equal number of three-star venues, while there are 17 classed as four-star, representing 35%. The Radisson is the only five-star. The Lowry is also five-star but sits on the other side of the River Irwell in Salford.

Trafford-based Russells Construction is the contractor and Stephenson: ISA Studio is the architect.