Innside is a hotel that stands at the entrance to the First Street development site beside Medlock Street and the railway viaduct into Oxford Road and Piccadilly Stations.  It occupies a site that was once home to the Gaythorn Gas Works.  The £500m development of this site is the first stage of a bigger project.  The hotel's website says that, "... Following the success of this contemporary brand across Europe, INNSIDE Manchester is the first in the UK. With this expansion, we are extending our professional, efficient and flexible service to both stylish business travellers and unique leisure customers. INNSIDE Manchester stands in a stunning new building in the vibrant First Street development. Located in the heart of Manchester with close proximity to the cosmopolitan shopping area and business districts. privileged location allows easy access to Manchester’s transport link."

The building was designed by the Manchester based architectural practice of SimpsonHaugh and Partners.  The project also included two adjacent buildings: one to accommodate retail/restaurant spaces and the other a 700 space multi-storey car park.  At the time of the planning application, the building was described as follows"  "... an 11 storey, 208 room 4 star Hotel, including a ground floor restaurant, bar, wellness centre, and conference facilities.  It would be approximately 41m high. The main elevations of the building would be  constructed from a mixture of glazing, red glazed terracotta panels with an undulating profile, anodised aluminium louvers, textured natural coloured anodised aluminium panels and black/ grey ceramic rainscreen panels with a polished finish.  It would have double height glazing and glazed shadow boxes to the ground and first floor front of house areas. The plinth would be clad in polished stone and the windows on the east and west elevations would have a red coloured ceramic frit pattern. The roof to Whitworth Street West would feature a translucent lightbox which would both act as a screen to the roof top plant and as a ‘beacon’ to signify the site to the wider city centre. "