Cristiano Ronaldo plans to expand his hotel empire in Manchester and aims to open a luxury hotel overlooking the Piccadilly Gardens.
According to Manchester Evening News, the Pestana CR7 Manchester project involves the demolition of 67 Piccadilly, an uninhabited and unsightly building while advertising hoardings have covered for almost 20 years.
The £27 million project promises of a new 11-storey tower, including a ground floor bar, cafe, basement gym and roof terrace. The vacant upper floors of the neighbouring Halls Building at 69-75 Piccadilly will also be extended to accommodate a part of the hotel.
Portuguese hotelier Pestana believes that the redevelopment would represent an ‘important step towards achieving the full regeneration potential of the Northern Quarter’ and will meet the growing demands of Manchester’s hotel sector.
The planned construction will reportedly create more than 900 full-time equivalent jobs and boost Manchester’s economy by more than £56 milllion in gross value. The Pestana CR7 Manchester would aim to open in 2023, on the corner of Piccadilly and Newton Street and would aim to deliver a ‘four-star experience’ with new retail and leisure units to be built along with an outdoor seating area.
According to reports from Sports Witness, Manchester United have made an approach for Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Portuguese ace seemingly looking for a move away from Turin. The Red Devils have contacted the 35-year-old’s agent Jorge Mendes and have formally inquired for the five-time Ballon d’Or and remain keen on bringing him back to Old Trafford. Reports suggest that Juventus will be willing to the former Real Madrid man if they fail to win the Champions League this season.
According to BBC Radio Manchester, the Manchester City Council, which meets on November 19, is likely to agree to the proposal for the Cristiano Ronaldo hotel. The hotel is likely to house 150 bedrooms and will carry the Portuguese legend’s CR7 branding. It would become the seventh Pestana branded hotel in the world, with the former Manchester United ace having already launched hotels in Madeira, Lisbon, with projects at Madrid, New York and Marrakech soon to follow. However, the Manchester hotel will be the first to carry his initials and the iconic number outside of his native country.
Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed a successful six-year sojourn in the Premier League with Manchester United, where he developed into one of the world’s finest footballers. Ronaldo won three Premier League titles, along with two League Cups, FA Cup, Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
In 292 appearances for the Red Devils, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 118 goals, and won his first Ballon d’Or in 2008. During his stay in Manchester, the former Sporting Lisbon prodigy was named the PFA Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season twice. The Portuguese international then subsequently moved to Real Madrid in 2009 after a protracted transfer saga, for a then-world record €94 million (£80 million).
