Ryan Giggs opens first football hotel in Manchester
It's home to the UK's National Football Museum, two of the biggest clubs
in the world, and now, what's billed as the world's first football
hotel.........right opposite Manchester United's ground: Old Trafford.
The idea was to make a Mecca for football fans - with details everywhere reflecting the world's favourite sport and 133 rooms where football fanatics can stay.
The top floor of this four-star hotel houses a five-a-side football pitch, nicknamed 'Heaven' which boasts panoramic views of the city - and Old Trafford stadium.
The new building is also home to the Old Trafford Supporters' Club, which is how the whole project got started.
Manchester United legend and key investor Ryan Giggs explains.
"This particular site, Hotel Football come about - there was a piece of land available. We wanted to put an Old Trafford Supporters' branch on this plot but we had planning permission for an eight storey building. So, we weren't going to have eight stories of supporters club. So, we decided to put a hotel on it."
Together with Ryan Giggs, other ex-Manchester United players from the title winning team referred to as the "Class of '92" have also invested in the project, including Nicky Butt and Gary Neville.
The concept seems to be going down well with fans, like Gordy from Northern Ireland.
"Well, it gets all the fans together. It's only across the road from Old Trafford, gets all the fans together, it gives everybody a buzz before the game and I think it's a credit to the class of '92, a hotel like this for the fans."
The 24m investment is proof of the growing importance of football to the UK economy.
The 2012-13 season generated 2,525 billion, 7% more than the year before, according to latest figures from financial auditing firm Deloitte.
Each year around 900-thousand (900,000) football fans visit Britain, twice the amount of people coming here to study, bringing over 700 million into the economy, according to data from UK national tourism agency Visit Britain.
And yet Ryan Giggs insists there is more to this project than simply making money.
"Me and Gary, together with the team, like I say, six or seven years in the making, so it isn't just two footballers putting their name to a hotel or a restaurant, no it's not. We've actually been in meetings with the interior designers, with the builders and that is a real pleasing aspect that we're receiving good feedback on the attention to detail."
Whether Manchester United's recipe for success can be mirrored in the hotel trade remains to be seen.
But so far fans such as Phil Needham, who's just booked in for a night, certainly seem satisfied.
"Well, we've watched it being built and thought as soon as it's done we want to stay there. We're coming to see the match today and just dreaming of opening the curtains in the morning and there's Old Trafford and we're in the middle of Manchester, right next to the stadium. What could be better?"
The idea was to make a Mecca for football fans - with details everywhere reflecting the world's favourite sport and 133 rooms where football fanatics can stay.
The top floor of this four-star hotel houses a five-a-side football pitch, nicknamed 'Heaven' which boasts panoramic views of the city - and Old Trafford stadium.
The new building is also home to the Old Trafford Supporters' Club, which is how the whole project got started.
Manchester United legend and key investor Ryan Giggs explains.
"This particular site, Hotel Football come about - there was a piece of land available. We wanted to put an Old Trafford Supporters' branch on this plot but we had planning permission for an eight storey building. So, we weren't going to have eight stories of supporters club. So, we decided to put a hotel on it."
Together with Ryan Giggs, other ex-Manchester United players from the title winning team referred to as the "Class of '92" have also invested in the project, including Nicky Butt and Gary Neville.
The concept seems to be going down well with fans, like Gordy from Northern Ireland.
"Well, it gets all the fans together. It's only across the road from Old Trafford, gets all the fans together, it gives everybody a buzz before the game and I think it's a credit to the class of '92, a hotel like this for the fans."
The 24m investment is proof of the growing importance of football to the UK economy.
The 2012-13 season generated 2,525 billion, 7% more than the year before, according to latest figures from financial auditing firm Deloitte.
Each year around 900-thousand (900,000) football fans visit Britain, twice the amount of people coming here to study, bringing over 700 million into the economy, according to data from UK national tourism agency Visit Britain.
And yet Ryan Giggs insists there is more to this project than simply making money.
"Me and Gary, together with the team, like I say, six or seven years in the making, so it isn't just two footballers putting their name to a hotel or a restaurant, no it's not. We've actually been in meetings with the interior designers, with the builders and that is a real pleasing aspect that we're receiving good feedback on the attention to detail."
Whether Manchester United's recipe for success can be mirrored in the hotel trade remains to be seen.
But so far fans such as Phil Needham, who's just booked in for a night, certainly seem satisfied.
"Well, we've watched it being built and thought as soon as it's done we want to stay there. We're coming to see the match today and just dreaming of opening the curtains in the morning and there's Old Trafford and we're in the middle of Manchester, right next to the stadium. What could be better?"
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