Late last week, the mayor, investment groups + city officials broke ground for “The Manchester” — a 7-story, $37.5 million dollar hotel that is being built in the Distillery District.
The hotel
The upscale, boutique hotel plans to open in the spring of 2023, bringing along with it food + beverage outlets, an event hall, a rooftop bar, a café, and a salon. Full details have not been released.

For us, the really exciting part of the hotel’s arrival is the other developments that are coinciding with this project — the Town Branch Trail, Town Branch Commons, and the Old Frankfort Pk. National Scenic Byway.
The Town Branch Trail
The new hotel will sit right at the foot of the Town Branch Trail — a dedicated bike + pedestrian path that will travel through the Distillery District and connect to downtown. The trail will be completed in 2022 and will create a 5.5-mile loop through downtown.

This trail will also allow hotel guests to ride their bikes into horse country — connecting to the 19-mile Legacy Trail.
Town Branch Commons
Town Branch Commons is a new public greenspace development that will run through downtown + connect to the Town Branch Trail. The park’s design aims to be a strip of the Bluegrass that runs through downtown.
Old Frankfort Pk. National Scenic Byway
Upon leaving the hotel, guests can walk or bike East to visit downtown, or hop in their cars and drive west to head straight into our world famous rural countryside towards some of Kentucky’s best distilleries via Old Frankfort Pk. — which is now officially recognized as a National Scenic Byway.