MANCHESTER UNITED legends Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs had brilliant careers on the pitch – but they’re having even better ones off of it.
The pair revealed on Thursday that their latest business venture, the luxury Stock Exchange Hotel, is set to open on November 15.
Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville have revealed their new hotel is set to open on November 15
They bought the Stock Exchange seven years ago for £1.5m and, with investors, have spent up to £20m renovating it
United pair Neville and Giggs bought one of Manchester’s most historic buildings seven years ago for £1.5million as part of a major redevelopment scheme.
The Grade II-listed Stock Exchange, built in 1906, will now open its doors to the public for the first time since the 1970s – after an investment of around £20MILLION.
Located in central Manchester, the boutique hotel will be one of just three five-star hotels in the city and will offer 40 rooms, including two signature suits and an impressive 3,500 sq ft penthouse residence.
Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, who has two Michelin stars, will run the kitchen.
Bookings are already being taken despite the hotel, which will be a member of French hotel group Relais & Chateaux, not being open for another four months.
The cheapest rooms start at £185-a-night, with larger rooms costing £750-a-night at weekends.
The penthouse alone includes its own private roof terrace, three en-suite bathrooms, a kitchen, two lounges, a dining room, bar and gym.
Images of the renovation show impressive rooms and suites with neutral decor and hints of green.
The Grade II-listed building will be open to the public for the first time since the 1970s
Rooms start at £185-a-night with the most expensive suites costing £750-a-night at weekends
Development of the hotel was delayed when Neville decided to allow 50 rough sleepers to stay at the hotel over five months in 2016
Many original features have stayed, with impressive columns, stained glass windows, fireplaces and a huge marble reception all catching the eye.
Neville told Business Live: “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.
“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 building had changed over the years with plans for 30 or 40 rooms.
Development of the hotel also slowed when Neville allowed a group of 50 rough sleepers to stay in the hotel for five months over one winter rather than kick them out.
He revealed at the time that the move cost him around £150,000 but helped 40 of those people get rehoused.
Neville added that the hotel had been a “personal aspiration” and the decision-making process was based on the type of places he and Giggs enjoy when they travel.
The five-star boutique hotel has 40 rooms
Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, who has two Michelin stars, will look after the restaurant
Hotelier Winston Zahra, who joined Neville and Giggs’ GG Hospitality as CEO 15 months ago, added: “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.”
Neville joked that none of the Grade II-listed buildings he has worked on have been easy.
The building also contains a permanent penthouse residence
The 3,500 sq ft home has its own private roof terrace, three en-suite bathrooms, two lounges, a gym and kitchen
Neville joked that restoring the building had not been easy
“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,” he said.
Neville and Giggs also own Hotel Football in Manchester and Cafe Football in Stratford, London.
Those two, plus other members of Manchester United’s ‘Class of 92’, are also behind University Academy 92, a higher education institution in Old Trafford, and just saw their football club, Salford City, promoted to League Two.
