Former ManU players Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville's football-themed hotel "comes complete with rooftop pitch and views of Old Trafford," according to Neil O'Sullivan of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Hotel Football, which opened last week, is located "on the doorstep of Old Trafford." Given its famous owners, and the location, there is "little doubt" the £24M ($36M) project will appeal to ManU "fans round the world." There are "plenty of them -- a recent survey by the club" estimated that it had 659 million supporters worldwide; the hotel has "just 133 rooms." Neville said that people will "find things to enjoy at Hotel Football whoever they support." The hotel has a "strong but mostly well-judged football theme." There is a rooftop football pitch that "doubles as a pre-match barbecue area with panoramic views over the city as well as the stadium." Entry costs £40 ($60) per person. The restaurant, Cafe Football, "exactly reprises the meaty menu from Neville and Giggs's London sports bar and restaurant of the same name." Hotel manager GG Hospitality Managing Dir Stuart Procter insisted that Old Trafford is "enough of a draw, even when there is no match on, to make the hotel a success." Visitors come year round to "sightsee and take a tour of the stadium and the nearby National Museum of Football." The development of Salford's MediaCityUK, a mixed-use site which includes offices and studios of BBC and ITV Granada, as well as the University of Salford, has "also increased demand for places to stay in the area" (FT, 3/6).
