Kumar Mishra, General Manager of The Edwardian Manchester, has been confirmed as the new Chair of the Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District (BID).
At their latest meeting – held on Wednesday 17 January 2024 – the Manchester Accommodation BID Board formally ratified Kumar Mishra, General Manager of The Edwardian Manchester, as the organisation’s new Chair following the departure of inaugural Chair, Annie Brown.
Kumar will lead an advisory Board comprised of members from five hotel and serviced apartments, as well as representatives from Marketing Manchester, CityCo Manchester, Manchester City Council, and The Growth Company.
Kumar joined The Edwardian Manchester in 2018 as General Manager following senior roles across 4- and 5-star hotels in London. Holding an MBA from the prestigious Imperial College London, he has been working in the industry for almost two decades and takes every opportunity to champion Manchester as an international lifestyle destination.
Alongside his role as Chair, Kumar also represents the interests of Large Hotels within the Manchester Accommodation BID Zone. The other four accommodation sector representatives are: Spencer Aldred, General Manager at Cove – Minshull Street representing Small Serviced Apartments; Victoria Curley, Head of Commercial at Roomzzz representing Large Serviced Apartments; Tracey Bishop, Regional Operations Manager at Premier Inn representing Budget Hotels; and Matt Townley, Regional Operations Director at Dakota Hotels representing Small Hotels.
Nick Brooks-Sykes, Director of Tourism at Marketing Manchester, Vaughan Allen, Chief Executive at CityCo Manchester, Rebecca Heron, Strategic Director of Growth and Development at Manchester City Council, and Paul Simpson, Chief Financial Officer for The Growth Company, fill the non-accommodation sector Board positions. Additionally, Amanda Maxwell, Business Engagement Officer at Salford City Council and Adrian Ellis, Chair of the Manchester Hoteliers’ Association attend Board meetings as official observers.
Speaking about his new role as Chair, Kumar commented: “I’m delighted to take up the position as Chair of the Manchester Accommodation BID. I have sat on the Board throughout the Accommodation BID’s inaugural year and have been encouraged by the brilliant new campaigns, activities, and events that have come to fruition using funds created by the City Visitor Charge.
“The Accommodation BID’s first successful year of operations has naturally included a lot of administrative work – as you may expect with the Manchester Accommodation BID being the first initiative of its kind in the UK – so with those challenges now under our belt thanks, in part, to the great work of my predecessor, Annie Brown, we’re in a strong position to focus our efforts going into year two.
“As well as our currently live winter campaign and plans for a business events mega-familiarisation trip in April, we also have some very significant announcements due imminently that will clearly demonstrate the additional value and major contribution the Accommodation BID is capable of, not only in support of Manchester’s hotel sector, but also the city’s wider visitor economy.
“I am excited to share these announcements in due course and look forward to working closely with my fellow Board members and all 74 of our levy partner accommodation establishments to make sure that we seize every opportunity available to support our fantastic accommodation sector.”
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