Russell at the double with hotel handovers

Main contractor Russell WBHO has completed work on a £50m contract at Manchester’s 3 St Peter’s Square for Motel One and Staycity.

Motel One, already present in the city at London Road and Cross Street, will operate a 328-bedroom hotel on the lower eight floors of the 20-storey building.

Sitting above that are 256 studio and one-bedroom apartments from Staycity which will be Manchester’s first Wilde Aparthotel.

The St Peter’s Square scheme was developed by Property Alliance Group, funded by Royal London Asset Management, with Baker Hollingworth acting as employer’s agent.

Designed by Stephenson Studio, Leach Rhodes Walker is the delivery architect. Building services were provided by CE2, with WSP responsible for structural design.

The contract was delivered following a 186-week programme which started with the controlled demolition of the Peterloo House office block in March 2018.

Gareth Russell, joint managing director of Russell WBHO, said: “We’re pleased to handover 3 St Peter’s Square to Motel One and Staycity, and mark completion of another successful project despite the complexities of balancing requirements for two different operators within the same building, alongside the challenges of the site’s location and the Covid pandemic.

“It is testament to the collaborative efforts of the architects, engineers, sub-contractors, clients’ representatives, developer, funder and the Russell WBHO team who have, together, delivered another excellent addition to Manchester’s visitor offering.”

Russell also delivered German operator Motel One’s Piccadilly and Royal Exchange sites, the former completing in 2015 and the latter two years later, replacing the 37,000 sq ft Commercial Buildings.

Area manager Sean McFall said: “We’re thrilled with the hotel, it’s stunning and we’re very excited to start welcoming customers through the doors. Demand for rooms within Manchester has returned and this trend is expected to continue throughout the year, so the addition of Motel One St Peter’s Square couldn’t come at a better time.”

Staycity’s facility includes 24-hour reception, gym and lounge areas and expands Staycity’s existing 400+ room portfolio in the city – it also has operations at Piccadilly and in New Cross, the latter opening in summer 2021. Dublin-hedquartered Staycity had previously surrendered its lease on a site at Laystall Street.

Property Alliance Group director Ella Magill added: “The potential for a hotel development in this site was clear and it is very satisfying to see not one but two operators shared that view.

“We have to thank RLAM for their vision in funding the scheme, and the contractor for delivering this superb building despite all of the challenges of the last two years.”

Design Fire Consultants provided the fire engineering services on the project.