Hotel Football

Hotel Football is an upscale football-themed hotel overlooking Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United F.C.. Owned by former players Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville and Gary Neville as well as the GG Hospitality Management Company; the hotel was built at a cost of £24m and features 133 rooms, a restaurant called Cafe Football and a five-a-side football pitch on the roof.[1] Opened in 2015, the hotel is the first in a planned chain of football-themed hotels to be located near football grounds around the world.[2]

Hotel Football
General information
Location99 Sir Matt Busby Way, Stretford, Greater Manchester
Coordinates53.464339°N 2.2895354°W / 53.464339; -2.2895354
Opening2015
OwnerRyan Giggs, Phil Neville, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and GG Hospitality
Technical details
Floor count12
Design and construction
ArchitectAEW Architects
Other information
Number of rooms133
Number of restaurants1
Website
http://www.hotelfootball.com/

History

Gary Neville initially purchased a plot of land underneath a canal bridge close to Old Trafford from a group of Manchester United F.C. fans who owned the land with the intention of building a club house. They agreed to sell Neville the land to build a hotel on providing he promised to build a greyhound track as part of the hotel.[3]

In 2011 Stuart Procter, former general manager of the Stafford Hotel in London, was drafted in to mastermind the build and development of a football themed hotel by members of The Class of '92, the idea behind the hotel being to hark back to the golden era of football of the 1990s, before ticket prices soared 1,000pc, pricing out many fans.[4] The construction of the hotel was handled by Galliford Try and features subtle football references throughout the building.[5]

In May 2014, to promote the construction of the hotel and its impending opening, the ex-players involved in financing the construction played a game of Five-a-side football on the roof of the hotel against a team of builders involved in the construction.[6] In November 2014 Gary Neville won permission to put a five-a-side football pitch on top of the ten-storey hotel, a previous application had been approved in May of that year but changes to the design meant a resubmission was required. Manchester United F.C. objected to the plan, claiming the scheme on the site of a former lard factory undermined the “holistic vision” of its “strategic plan” for the area.[7]

Facilities

Old Trafford Supporters Club, a 750-capacity basement bar with pool tables United red, TV screens and terrace-themed food such as pie and peas. Entrance is £1, with the fee earmarked for investment in local community projects.[8] Cafe Football, a 185-seat restaurant with a menu overseen by two-Michelin-star chef Michael Wignall of the Pennyhill Park Hotel. Heaven, a bookable five-a-side astroturf pitch which on match days turns into a bar and barbecue area.

Hotel Football also offers services to companies who wish to host events with two separate function rooms. The Professional Football Scouts Association currently hold their Scouting Courses within the Players Lounge.

References
  1. Financial Times 'Manchester’s new football hotel' march 6 2015
  2. GG Hospitality overview of Hotel Football
  3. Eurosport 'Inside Hotel Football: Gary Neville, Man Utd and the responsibility to cater for working class fans' 6 March 2015
  4. The Telegraph Friday 12 June 2015 article on Hotel Football
  5. Galliford Try Hotel Football overview
  6. Manchester Evening News 'Class of '92 stars have kickabout with construction workers' 22 May 2014
  7. Construction Enquirer report on Hotel Football November 2014
  8. The Guardian Hotel Football review 12 March 2015
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