City’s £300m Etihad expansion moves into revenue phase with hotel opening

Manchester City’s £300m redevelopment around the Etihad Stadium has reached a major milestone with the opening of a 401-room hotel at Medlock Square.The Radisson Blu property, known as The Medlock, sits next to the newly expanded Pep Guardiola Stand and overlooks Co-op Live, giving City another major hospitality asset within the wider Etihad Campus.The Medlock general manager Richard Pearson said: “We are incredibly proud to officially open the doors to The Medlock, as it takes centre stage as the beginning of the story of Medlock Square.”The opening shifts part of the project from construction into revenue generation, with the hotel designed to capture demand from football, concerts and other events across the Etihad Campus.That supports City’s broader strategy of turning the area into a year-round sports and entertainment destination rather than relying primarily on football matchdays.Medlock Square also includes plans for a new 600-capacity entertainment venue, which received planning permission in June, alongside other food, beverage and fan-facing uses.The wider development sits alongside the expansion of the Etihad Stadium, where the North Stand has been redeveloped and renamed the Pep Guardiola Stand.The commercial significance extends beyond City’s own revenues.Manchester City Council placed the club’s stadium lease under review in August, with the redevelopment increasing the value and earning potential of the publicly owned Etihad Stadium and surrounding campus.City are currently understood to pay an annual base fee of between £3m and £4m, with the review expected to result in an uplift.That creates a direct link between City’s infrastructure investment and the return received by the local authority, particularly as new hospitality, entertainment and non-matchday assets begin generating income.The hotel also gives the campus greater capacity to retain visitor spending on site, particularly around Champions League fixtures, major concerts and other high-demand events.City’s wider objective is to create a more integrated destination combining football, hospitality, entertainment, retail and leisure around the Etihad.The Medlock opening therefore represents more than a hotel launch. It is an early test of whether City can convert the £300m redevelopment into recurring non-matchday revenue while strengthening the commercial case for the wider campus.