Lifestyle developer brings Locke aparthotel concept to Manchester

Lifestyle hospitality developer SACO Property Group has acquired its ninth site as part of the ongoing expansion of its Locke aparthotel concept.

Whitworth Locke will be the group’s first hotel in Manchester. It will offer 150 rooms alongside amenities including a gym, multiple independent food and beverage offerings, co-working space and meeting rooms.

The scheme will be located on the site of the former Atrium Serviced Apartments close to Piccadilly Station. SACO – the development arm of SACO The Serviced Apartment Company – has acquired the property from real estate funds managed by Blackstone.

The hotel will be extensively refurbished to bring it in line with the existing Locke brand. As with the other properties, the hotel will “immerses guests in the neighbourhood’s culture through spaces that connect them to a community of like-minded locals and travellers.”

Whitworth Locke will have a phased opening, beginning in March 2018 and completing by June 2018.

SACO, which aims to bridge the gap between contemporary lifestyle hotels and design-led serviced apartments, opened its first Locke property in East London in October 2016. A second in Edinburgh, called Eden Locke, will open in July.

The group is now targeting further acquisitions in Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Dublin and Hamburg, in addition to bolstering its presence in other major UK cities. The brand’s portfolio will exceed 2,000 units by 2020.

“With the successful launch of our first property behind us, we have been focused on securing sites for the continued expansion of the Locke brand and Manchester was a natural target,” said SACO commercial director Ben Harper.

“We know the city well as we have successfully operated there under the SACO brand for a number of years. This new opening gives us an opportunity to operate the two aparthotels under both SACO and Locke brands in Manchester, providing increased capacity, choice and relevance for all customer groups.“