Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester hotel planning approved

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester hotel has been approved at planning by the local authorities.

The four-star, 150-bedroom property will be operated by Portuguese hotel group Pestana under Ronaldo's CR7 brand and will have a lounge bar and rooftop terrace.

Located at the corner of Piccadilly and Newton Street, the scheme will see the refurbishment of the Grade II-listed 69-75 Piccadilly, a former 19th-century office and warehouse known as the Halls Building.

The Piccadilly Tavern pub, which occupies the ground floor, will also be refurbished, with new build elements added to the rear and the adjacent 67 Piccadilly site demolished and replaced with a new 11-storey structure.

The building at 67 Piccadilly has been hidden behind hoardings for over a decade due to it being in a state of disrepair.

Simon Doody, partner at architect group FCBStudios, said: "The corner site is long overdue for redevelopment and in a prominent position that requires a strong architectural presence. The vaulted archways wrapping around the building offer an honest representation of the repetitive nature of the hotel brief, resulting in a contextual and elegant façade design. This sets the tone for the four-star hotel and transformation of the Piccadilly area."

The hotel, on the corner of Piccadilly and Newton Street, will be the seventh under the brand partnership between Ronaldo and Pestana, which takes its name from the footballer's initials and shirt number. It is slated for a 2023 opening.

Family-owned Pestana is Portugal's largest international tourism and leisure group, established in 1972. It operates 87 four- and five-star hotels worldwide with one property in the UK, the Chelsea Bridge Hotel and Spa in London, which opened in 2010.

Photo: Shutterstock