There's a bold new addition to the burgeoning Manchester skyline in the form of the new "Jenga-like" Leonardo Hotel. The hotel, styled like white building blocks at a prime site on Great Ancoats Street, has long been catching the eye of motorists using the main arterial route through the city.
And finally, after an 18-month build, the hotel is ready to welcome its first guests here in Manchester. It's the first Leonardo Hotel in Greater Manchester, and the 16th across the UK as the hotel brand continues its rapid expansion across Europe.
Guests can expect a sleek and stylish hotel, with the white concrete theme of the exterior continued into the lobby with its sleek minimalist style. That is contrasted with green trees and vegetation that will be planted in each of the blocks jutting out of the side of the exterior which have earned its comparisons to the famous Jenga block game, as well as through the ground floor bar and restaurant Leo's.
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Hotel bosses hope to capitalise on the venue's prime Ancoats location close to both the city centre and to the Etihad Stadium at Eastlands. Indeed, it opens just as the Etihad is primed to host some of the city's biggest music gigs for years in the month ahead - with Liam Gallagher and Ed Sheeran playing there next week.
The hotel's manager Ryan Foster said: "It's a very exciting time to open, and it's been great to see the reaction so far. Even when people are driving past here you can see them looking up and out the window at the building.
"It's become quite a landmark - you can even see it from the train station at Piccadilly as soon as you walk out. It's great to be such a landmark building that people are talking about."
Ryan is leading a team of 65 staff at the hotel and said they're preparing for a hectic start to the business with those huge live events happening through June. The hotel was officially opened at a launch party on Thursday night with Manc music legend Clint Boon DJing for invited guests.
The building's eye-catching exterior is inspired by Milan's Bosco Verticale (vertical forest) tower blocks, which has seen the hotel win a design award from the Manchester Society of Architects before it even opened its doors to the public this month. Although it has become known to many as the "jenga hotel" thanks to its similarity to the building block game - with a nod to that with three jenga towers on display in the reception.
The design is aimed at being environmentally friendly, blending the concrete design with the greenery being planted into the building itself as well as the plaza outside.
It features 275 bedrooms spread across the 12 floors of the development, which was built by Capital&Centric. More greenery is to be added in to the unique exterior in the coming weeks which is set to make a "stunning landmark for Manchester", say bosses.
Tim Heatley, co-founder of Capital&Centric said: "Leonardo Hotel is another awesome addition to Piccadilly East.
"The neighbourhood is expanding, with the hotel now the perfect spot from which to explore the city's coolest communities. We set out to make an impact, injecting some much-needed nature into this part of town.
"The trees and greenery will be craned in shortly, and as they mature over the years, it'll make a really stunning landmark for Manchester."
The restaurant and bar
Key to the development is the bright and airy bar and restaurant space on the ground floor of the hotel. Called Leo's, it has been designed to be used throughout the day, with both hotel guests and non-residents welcomed.
It boasts a range of seating options, including green leather booths as well as more formal dining tables, with a feature the raft of greenery and hanging ivy adorning the area.
The menu offers a range of small plates and sharing dishes like popcorn shrimp (£6.95), panko halloumi (£7.75) and spicy buffalo wings (£7.95). Mains include pizzas from £10.95, sun-dried tomato risotto (£14.95) and ribeye steak (£23.95).
The bedrooms
275 bedrooms are spread across the 12 floors of the development, with the most spacious executive rooms found on the top floor offering some stunning views out across Manchester. There are 26 executive rooms in total, with the two at the front of the hotel looking out right across Ancoats and on to the Etihad Stadium.
The rest of the rooms are either standard double or twin rooms. There are 12 of these as adjoining rooms to give flexibility to family groups.
Introductory room rates start from £79, although they've already been so busy that you're looking more around the £99 mark for mid-week stays through the summer. Manager Ryan said they expect to be busy with corporate guests during the week, but that weekends are already getting booked up fast with leisure travellers.
The venue's proximity to Ancoats has seen the hotel appeal to a younger demographic, as well as the number of big live gigs taking place at the Etihad Stadium, which is around a 20 minute walk from the hotel.
The wellness room
As well as a gym up on the first floor there is a dedicated "wellness room" that is available for guests with yoga mats and large chill out pods. Here, you can relax, take a yoga class and use the "digital detox box" to get rid of your phone for an hour or so.
There are classes available to watch on the widescreen TV, or groups of friends can lead their own classes.
The hotel is based on Great Ancoats Street, and the nearest tram stop is at New Islington.
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