David Pantin is a tad incredulous. His face frowning with disbelief as we discuss why, of all the various locations in Britain, he chose this one to launch The Ellington, the first of a planned chain of boutique hotels.

“Just look at when Rocco Forte was planning The Lowry in Manchester,” he continued. “Everyone said, ‘Can this city really sustain a five-star hotel like this?’ and it has since proved that it can.

“Now, I’m only talking about opening something here a fraction of the size and in my mind Leeds is a very aspirational and dynamic city.”

Pantin speaks with all the verve and enthusiasm of someone who’s read all the guide books to Leeds, but hasn’t lived through the years of disappointment.

He hasn’t watched as United slip out of the Premiership, as the supertram scheme was scrapped and other key projects – like an arena, concert hall, major depart-ment store – remain uncertain.

All of which has hit hoteliers in the city hard. In the late 1990s and early Noughties there was a mad dash to build hotels in a bid to meet projected demand.

But as expectations fell so to did the number of visitors and the yield they paid out for rooms. Fortunate-ly new figures suggest the situation appears to have levelled out.

What’s more Pantin, who this August plans to open his 35-room boutique hotel on York Place, has carried out the research. And the conclusion? Well, he’s supremely confident.

“I haven’t done all this on a whim,” he said. “Of course you carry out all the research beforehand, you don’t invest all this time and money in something without that knowledge.

“What we’ve found is that there’s a big budget sector, certainly a very big middle-market offering hundreds of rooms but not so many boutique hotels – despite what some people may claim, it isn’t particularly overcrowded.

“We’re specifically aiming at quite a niche market of travellers and business people who want a very luxurious experience and a high level of service.

“And Leeds is now one of the biggest business cities in England and it’s very well placed in the country in terms of transport links. It remains a great opportunity.”

Despite already planning a second somewhat bigger opening at the opposite end of Leeds city centre, Pantin insists he’s starting small for one simple reason: boutique hotels are what he’s interested in.

Which is surprising given the fact that throughout his extensive career he’s worked with some of the globe’s biggest hotel firms in as far flung places as Hong Kong and the Carib-bean.