It’s been seven years since Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs bought one of Manchester’s most historic buildings - the former Stock Exchange - to transform it into a boutique hotel.
In that time plans for the Grade 11 listed building have changed and refined several times, and finally, the developers have unveiled it is set to open its doors this autumn as a member of Relais and Châteaux - the French association of the world’s finest small hotels and gourmet restaurants.
Located in the heart of Manchester, the luxury Stock Exchange Hotel is being opened by co-owners Giggs, Neville and hotelier Winston Zahra after an extensive renovation of the 1906 Edwardian building.
It is believed around £17m to £20m has been invested so far, and on completion, it will offer a collection of 40 rooms, including two signature suites and a 3,500 square foot penthouse residence.
Renowned celebrity chef and two Michelin starred Tom Kerridge will oversee the food and drink offering making his debut in Manchester.
Due to open its doors on November 15, the hotel will be managed and operated by Manchester-based GG Hospitality.
Neville said: “We are talking about one of Manchester’s most historic buildings having public access again for the first time since the 1970s.
“Manchester will always have one Stock Exchange and we have it here.
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“The trading floor will always be the trading floor of the Stock Exchange and all we have to do is guard it and make sure it’s loved and maintained for Mancunians but also people visiting Manchester for the next 100 years.
“We’ve brought this building back to life and we’re very proud of that.”
Plans for the hotel have changed over the years from a 30 bedroom hotel with three restaurants to a 40 room hotel with one main dining area.
Neville continued: “We’ve changed our minds a few times just through our experiences in hospitality.
“When you develop as a young hospitality company you see what works. There were too many F&B offerings in our buildings, and we were going down the same route in this building. Three restaurants were far too many.
“Naturally, as this is a Grade 11 listed building, we had to go through the planning process each time we made changes.
“It’s been through numerous planning amendments each time, but these changes have been important for us to get to the end product, which is what we are opening with in November.”
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The hotel is going to be an addition to Manchester’s thriving boutique hotel market adding to the likes of Dakota, Hotel Gotham, and King Street Townhouse.
Neville said this latest scheme has been an aspiration.
“Boutique hotels are the kind of places that both Ryan and myself enjoy on our travels and holidays,” he said.
“When you get 200 bedroom hotels it’s difficult to deliver a bespoke service and tailor to the guest’s needs.
"But if you have 30 or 40 rooms you really can start to put on high-level quality service.
"That was really at the heart of GG hospitality to begin with and things like free WiFi, free minibar and a freshly cooked breakfast instead of a buffet delivers that. It’s what guests should be given and what they want.
“This hotel has been a personal aspiration.
“We were fortunate to travel the world with football and see hundreds of hotel bedrooms and restaurants and events spaces and we built up a good knowledge of what we would like to see in our hotel.
“We don’t think this is what Manchester is missing, but we want to be an addition to the Manchester boutique hotel market.
“We want to give it the best we can and deliver a great customer experience which we have been good at Hotel Football.”
Original features including wall panels, columns, stained glass windows, fireplaces, vaults and the marble reception have been lovingly restored with the interiors designed to respect the building’s heritage.
Zahra, who came on board GG Hospitality 15 months ago as CEO, said: “We’re proud of the way the building now looks internally and it’s always looked fantastic externally.
"We now feel the interior matches the quality and heritage of the unique nature of the exterior of the building.
“One of the main changes we made was to the colour palette as we want it to be light and welcoming so it opens the building up even more.
“When you look at the quality of the materials, the biggest change is that they’re all being built by crafts people using old methods so the quality of them is solid.
“With everything we are doing we are respecting the heritage of the building.”
Speaking about the association with Relais and Châteaux, Zahra added: “We are honoured to be the first ever Relais and Châteaux member in Manchester and one of the first properties in the 65 year history of the fellowship to become a member before its doors open.
“This is testament to all of the work the team has been doing behind the scenes. We have put a great amount of effort into ensuring the design for the property truly respects the history of the building.
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“The values and foundations of Relais & Châteaux are reflected in every detail of our offering and we are committed to preserving an important part of Manchester’s heritage, while offering quality service in an exceptional setting.”
Asked whether the Stock Exchange was an easy building to work with?
Neville replied: “No! I have five Grade 11 listed buildings in the city and none of them have been easy to work with.
"They’re the most difficult buildings as they don’t meet regulations, they don’t structurally perform to how you want them to in terms of changing them around, from a sustainability and acoustic point of view they are very difficult so you’re always trying to bring them up to the highest quality of modern standards using what is a 100 year old building.
“What I would say though, they give you the most pleasure because when they are refurbished and brought back to life, it’s really something.”