THING OF THE WEEK
TEN, NINE, EIGHT… The countdown to the reopening of hotels is nearing zero and staff at the Beetham Tower’s Hilton Hotel have been getting a little excited. Since last Friday, they have been darting between bedrooms turning lights on and off to remind the people of Manchester just how long they have to wait before they are able to sleep in a bed that isn’t theirs again. Cynics might lambast the Hilton for its laissez faire attitude towards energy consumption but considering hotels have been closed for most of the past 14 months, I think we can let them off.
Kay Ryan, chief commercial officer at Loganair, is banking on a bumper staycation season
FANCY FLIGHT… Expanding Scottish airline Loganair is ready to make hay while the sun tries its very best to shine here in the UK. The firm has unveiled new routes for the winter season which include Liverpool to Derry and Manchester to Newquay. Surf’s up! Get booking.
a bit of food at one of our previous projects @DucieStMCR with colleagues
Can’t beat al fresco dining in Manchester 😅 pic.twitter.com/lWickf9mxl
— Tim Heatley (@MrTimHeatley) May 11, 2021
WASHOUT… As the old saying goes, you don’t find out how much you love being in a restaurant until your lunch has been obliterated by golf ball-sized hailstones. Just ask Capital & Centric director Tim Heatley, whose friendly get-together at Ducie Street Warehouse was rudely interrupted by Mother Nature. Thankfully, pubs reopen indoors on Monday and we can all go back to overtly loathing the cold and rain instead of trying to ignore it and pretend everything is fine.
HOT WATER… Balconies can boost the value of a property by up to 18%. That is what urbanbubble’s Mick Howard told delegates at Place North West’s recent North West PRS update. If that is true for a standard balcony on a city centre apartment then just imagine how much these bad boys above are worth. The £10m refurbishment of the Lakes Hotel & Spa in Bowness-on-Windermere has completed and this inviting-looking façade of steam and bubbles is the pièce de résistance. I know what you’re thinking, hotel hot tubs, while undoubtedly enticing, must be a breeding ground for all sorts of nasty microorganisms. Enter hotel owner Richard Barry to assuage your fears: “We have installed a new water system throughout the hotel which allows us to empty all 42 hot tubs when guests leave at 11am and refill the water that is already heated to 38 degrees by 3pm for when new guests arrive.”
Orange wants to buy the stadium from Peel L&P and Salford City Council
ORANGE ORDER… Sale Sharks owner Simon Orange is determined for his team to have a home to call their own. His bid to build a new one at Crossford Bridge attracted the ire of local residents but he now has his sights set on taking ownership of the AJ Bell Stadium, which Sale currently shares with Salford Red Devils and rents from a joint Salford City Council and Peel L&P vehicle. Wherever Orange eventually cuts the ribbon, he promised fans on Twitter this week that they will not have to settle for the kind of watered-down lager synonymous with sports venues, a cunning move to get fans on board with his stadium plans.
Pour forth: Atomeca
BAR NONE… Manchester’s most striking new skyscrapers, Deansgate Square, are to welcome two restaurant and bars in the coming weeks. Coffee and brunch specialist, Mule, and self-styled ‘European Drinkery’, ATOMECA, will be the next commercial partners to open their doors at the scheme located at the southern end of Deansgate, following the announcement of Deansgate Square General Store in March. The new venues will animate the project’s riverside square, where each will boast floor-to-ceiling glass windows and outdoor seating. Developer Renaker’s team worked with retail agency Barker Proudlove to bring in the tasty deals.
