Glee show sets hotel record
The cast of Glee's two-night residency at the MEN Arena helped Manchester secure its highest ever hotel occupancy level for June, claims Visit Manchester.
The tourism board said that on the nights the American musical was in town the city's hotels reached 98% capacity. Performances by Take That at the then City of Manchester Stadium sold almost as many hotel bedrooms, with the city 97% full.
These events helped make June 2011 the highest June for hotel occupancy since records began 11 years ago.
Paul Simpson, managing director of Visit Manchester, said: "The Greater Manchester Tourism Strategy clearly identifies major events as a key driver of the local economy.
"Given the average price of a hotel room per night in the city centre, these occupancy levels translate to around £12.4m in terms of spend in the city. This supports not only our hotel industry but also bars, restaurants and transport providers.
"The MEN Arena and the Etihad Stadium, as well as venues like the O2 Apollo and Manchester Academy, are incredible assets for the city and the occupancy levels for June show the tangible benefits they bring."
The MEN Arena is owned by Development Securities and Patron Capital Partners.
Nonsense – it was the Manchester International Festival Cast and Crew that caused the excellent occupancy. Glee didn’t affect us one iota and Take That only marginally. MIF was a far bigger player in the Hotel Accommodation stakes, esp at the middle end of the market whereas the Take That Hordes were downmarket Travelodge and Premier Inn.
By Anon
Manchester – don’t stop believing!!
By Will Schuester