W Hotel to open at Gary Neville's Manchester development

W Hotels is to operate the luxury hotel at Gary Neville’s £400m St Michael’s development in Manchester, it has been confirmed.

The brand has been linked to the mixed-use scheme for months and Marriott International announced the signing on Wednesday.

Construction on the 162-room hotel began over the summer and it is expected to open in early 2027.

It will be the third UK property for the W Hotels lifestyle brand. The W London opened in Leicester Square in 2011 and the controversial W Edinburgh is set to finally launch at the end of this year.

Design plans for the Manchester site include the brand’s signature W Lounge, AWAY Spa, and FIT fitness centre and it is also expected to offer two restaurants and retail space.

The 180,000 sq ft St Michael’s scheme is being developed by Neville’s Relentless Developments and stakeholders KKR, Salboy and Manchester City Council.

It is set to transform an underused area of the city into a mixed-use scheme including offices, a spa, luxury homes, and restaurants.

“For years, Manchester has endured the absence of another fantastic luxury hotel so I’m really happy with the signing of this agreement,” said Neville.

“The long-term tourism impact and economic growth W Hotels’ presence will bring is exactly why we set out to create St Michael’s 15 years ago.

“I’d like to thank Marriott International for seeing the immense potential of this scheme and for trusting in our vision of St Michael’s as a world-class leisure destination.”

The W brand is inspired by the 24-hour culture of New York and operates more than 60 hotels worldwide.