An affiliate of Hyatt Hotels Corp. has entered into a management agreement with Ewart Manchester Properties Ltd., a majority-owned subsidiary of M&L Hospitality, to open a dual-brand property: a 212-room Hyatt Regency Manchester Oxford Road and a 116-room Hyatt House Manchester/Oxford Road.
The hotel will be a reflagging of the existing Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites in the city's Lume building, which opened about a year ago. The rebranded hotels are expected to open in 2020, and will help bring the number of Hyatt-branded hotels in the U.K. to 11 by 2022.
Felicity Black-Roberts, VP/development-Europe, Hyatt, said the company has been focused on growing its brand presence in the U.K. "With Manchester being one of the U.K.’s most important commercial centers, this is a milestone," she said. "Manchester is also a destination that is increasingly gaining popularity with leisure travelers. The location by the university will allow the Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House brands to capitalize on two very different, but important, market segments."
The Hyatt Regency Manchester Oxford Road will include a 120-seat restaurant, bar, club lounge and a 24-hour fitness center. Seven meeting rooms can cater to more than 200 delegates. The Hyatt House will have apartment-style rooms.
The hotels will be located in the University Quarter, a 10-minute walk from the city center and close to the Manchester Oxford Road railway station, which links the city to the rest of northern England. Manchester has been a key part of the “Northern Powerhouse” strategy aimed at driving both major corporations and start-ups to the city, and receives over one million international visitors per year.