Work has begun to radically transform the Radisson Blu Hotel, Manchester Airport as part of a £10m investment programme – by far the largest current hotel investment programme in the North of England. The iconic hotel, which originally opened in 1998, will be fully refurbished over three phases, with the first phase and the largest, already well underway. The large-scale project will touch all core elements of the property over the next two years.
“This is an exciting time for the hotel and we are delighted to be able to put such a considerable amount of investment into this flagship property – the level of detail in the design and the thought processes behind the food and drink concept will create a real destination for our guests and the airport community.” says Richard Moore, Carlson Rezidor, Area Vice President UK & Ireland.
This year, as part of the phase one works; the hotel’s reception and lobby area, restaurant and bar, 120 Business Class bedrooms and suites, and the airport’s largest functions and events area – including all 27 meeting rooms – will be completed. Additionally, the existing Observatory Suite will be transformed into a Business Class lounge, complete with private reception and dedicated check-in facility for Business Class guests.
There is a strong design element throughout the project – the brainchild of Graven Images. One of the key design features is to capture within the public areas a series of linear spaces, linked physically or visually, to create a natural interaction between the interiors of the hotel and the passing volume of people using the airport walkway.
The hotel’s all-day dining restaurant will double in size with three unique zones, creating the ideal space for social, private or individual dining, and boasting panoramic airport views. Meanwhile, the bar will become a destination in itself with the ambience changing throughout the day through an eclectic mix of seating, lighting and music, including live DJ’s in the evening.
The 360 guest bedrooms have been designed to create an uncluttered and calming mood, and will include the latest interactive technology. The room palette features a rich dark-stained ash timber, greys and silver grey wall coverings and fabrics, with a feature highlight colour of rich violet added to elements such as cushions and bed throws.
Phase two of the programme covers an additional 120 guest bedrooms and will be completed in early 2014, with the remaining 120 bedrooms being covered in phase three in 2015 – when the project will be completed.
As well as offering the largest airport conference facilities, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Manchester Airport is also the only hotel with a direct link to the airport, as well as rail and coach stations.
Editor’s Note: Crosswater Limited are currently working on the bathrooms for the property.
