Dalata, the Dublin-based hotel group, is to build a second central Manchester hotel.

The 17-storey, 278-room 4-star hotel close to Oxford Road railway station will be operated by their Maldron Hotels brand. It will open in 2021.

Construction work is now underway on a 329-bed, 4-star hotel on the site of the former Co-Op office, Telephone House, at the junction of Portland Street and Sackville Street, to be operated by their Clayton brand.

Catalyst Capital is on course to submit a full planning application to Manchester City Council in late January.

The hotel will replace a surface car park and a building at Charles Street.

“Given the key location opposite the Circle Square masterplan area and close to the Oxford Road Corridor, the site presents an excellent opportunity for enhancement," Catalyst Capital Development Director Dan White said.

“Manchester is the strongest leisure destination in the North of England and one of the most successful in the U.K. outside of London with 1.19 million international visitors to the city alone in 2016."

The hotel proposals are set to enhance the northern edge of Charles Street, building on the transformational regeneration being delivered at the nearby Bruntwood's Circle Square office district.