Brewdog gets green light for Manchester craft beer hotel

Punk IPA maker Brewdog has secured permission to transform a brutalist office block into Doghouse Manchester, an 18-key boutique hotel with beer fridges in every room.

The quirky Doghouse hotel brand is all set to expand to Manchester city centre.

Doghouse Manchester lined up for Fountain Street

Brewdog Bars has obtained full planning consent from Manchester City Council to convert an underused building at 18-20 Fountain Street, previously part-occupied by a Betfred betting shop, into a hotel dedicated to craft beer. The company, which already had approval to turn the ground floor into a bar, has now been given the go-ahead to create a hotel reception and bar-restaurant at street level, 18 bedrooms on the first and second floors, and a bar and roof terrace on the third floor.

Under the Surface ID-designed scheme, both the ground-floor bar and roof terrace – featuring a bar, fire pits, bench tables and a barbecue area – would be open to the public. Each of the 18 bedrooms, meanwhile, would incorporate beer fridges, Brewdog beer on draft and bespoke Brewdog furnishings.

An accompanying planning statement by Firstplan said that the project would deliver a “world-class visitor experience”, adding: “It is proposed to replace the office space with a new boutique hotel operated by Brewdog, the first of its kind, which it is envisaged will be a huge draw for tourists – attracting visitors all year round and enhancing Manchester’s prestige as a visitor destination. The rooms will all be of a high quality, and providing visitors with a unique experience focused around craft beer.”

Bruntwood Works’ Bloc party

The property earmarked for regeneration, an underused brutalist postwar office block, is attached to Bruntwood Works’ Lowry House opposite Primark. In September 2020, it was announced that Lowry House would be transformed into flexible workspace hub Bloc as part of the property provider’s £50 million Pioneer programme.

“We’re delighted that the planning application for the new Doghouse hotel has been approved by Manchester City Council,” Chris Middleton, retail and leisure manager, Bruntwood Works, told TOPHOTELNEWS. “The new hotel, bar and restaurant will be a fantastic addition to the Bloc community and is set to transform the surrounding Fountain Street area. It fits perfectly into our philosophy at Bloc where we aim to blend work and lifestyle to create individual, flexible workspaces.”

The hoppiest place on Earth

The original Doghouse hotel, which Brewdog dubbed ‘the hoppiest place on Earth’, opened in Columbus, Ohio in August 2018.

Brewdog and Bruntwood Works first announced their ambition to create an 18-bedroom hotel on the site, which would open in the summer of 2021, back in November 2020. Speaking at the time, Brewdog co-founder James Watt said: “We firmly believe that where you stay in a city should be your home from home so we are bringing Brewdog and our passion for great beer to life at Brewdog Doghouse Manchester. Manchester is an incredible city with awesome beer, which is why we want to have the ultimate in beer accommodation waiting for you.”

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