A Glasgow-based fast-track hotel fit-out and refurbishment firm has secured a new contract for a hotel forming part of a £200 million mixed-use development in Manchester city centre.
Calma Group, based in the Rutherglen area of the city, has been appointed principal contractor for the refurbishment of the former Renaissance Hotel, which sits at the heart of the wider development and will be relaunched under the SH Hotel & Resorts’ Treehouse brand.
Located on Deansgate, in Manchester city centre, the overall development is being brought forward by Property Alliance Group in a joint venture with Starwood Capital. It comes as an alternative to demolishing and rebuilding the original hotel, which will result in around 40% less CO2 being generated. In addition to the hotel, the development will offer office space, car parking, and a residential tower featuring 300 new homes.
Calma Group will work with Manchester City Council on the project, with it set to create a ‘landmark’ scheme designed to unlock the potential of a prominent part of Deansgate in the city centre and also improve the surrounding area. The firm explained that the transformation represents the ‘final piece of the jigsaw’ in the city-centre renewal plan, which was drawn up after the IRA bombing in June 1996.
The plans for the site are designed by Jon Matthews Architects, whilst Avison Young is the planning consultant and Planit IE is the landscape architect.
Andrew Lafferty, MD of Calma Group, commented, “We’re delighted to have won this latest contract, which sees our company continuing to grow. This is the most recent win in a string of major new hotel, commercial and housing projects. The second of two Treehouse hotels in the UK, it follows Calma delivering the first fast-track scheme for Starwood Capital Group and we are delighted to be invited to undertake another large project for this valued client.
“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary this year, it’s great to see the business continuing to grow. I’d like to thank all of the team for their hard work and dedication in getting us to this stage. We are now well placed for further growth with a strong project pipeline and order book for the next five years.”
Founded in 2012 as a family-run business, A.L. Interiors, the Calma Group, which rebranded in 2018, now employs more than 60 staff. Other recent projects have included a flagship new gym in London’s Chelsea district for Kobox and refits for global hotel chains, such as Holiday Inn and Premier Inn.
