The opening of the Hotel Indigo Manchester-Victoria Station marks the IHG brand’s debut in a city that already is attracting significant attention from developers.
“The hotel is situated in a prime location for those visiting Manchester and who wish to see and appreciate the city’s artistic side," James McDevitt, GM of the Hotel Indigo Manchester-Victoria Station, said in a statement. "Working with local designers, the interiors reflect the creative personality of the area.”
The exterior of the 187-room hotel is a restored Grade II-listed building with a contemporary tower.
Manchester, the third-most visited city in the UK after London and Edinburgh, has seen a major uptick in deals over the past two years. Manchester was second only to London in terms of investment volumes in the UK last year, Savills reported, and that has yield-seeking investors chasing deals in the city. Nine deals totaling £178.55 million were signed last year, more than double Manchester’s £83.1 million total in 2016.
As noted in October, Manchester holds the highest total of new rooms in the pipeline after London, with 2,895 expected. And that new supply is meeting demand: In 2017, Manchester Airport served approximately 28 million passengers, and is reportedly the third-busiest in the UK and the largest outside the London region. The city saw a 10-percent increase in international visitors in 2017 with 1,319,000 tourists compared to 1,191,000 the previous year. These visitors brought nearly £670 million to the city's economy last year, an increase of £193 million from 2016.
There are currently 27 Hotel Indigo properties in Europe with another 17 due to open in the next three to five years.