It's hip to be there

Jun 6 2007 Daily Post

Ten years ago the Liverpool hotel scene was made something of a laughing-stock by the zany antics at the Adelphi captured in a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary.

Anyone with money to invest was sure to steer well clear of the city - how times have changed.

Now a number of ultra-chic places of accommodation are the stars of a thriving scene.

The emergence of the boutique hotel in the city is another indication of the positive levels of regeneration taking place.

MUNICIPAL ANNEXE

The city council s former municipal annexe is receiving a £30m makeover designed to create a West End-style boutique hotel.

Architects Leach Rhodes Walker are fusing its traditional Grade ll listed features with a contemporary design theme.

Developers Iliad say it is their intention to run the hotel themselves with a view to gaining a national reputation.

The premises on Dale Street will incorporate 85 bedrooms, two restaurants, gymnasium, cinema and conference rooms.

HOPE STREET HOTEL

A £5.5m programme to enlarge the hotel is nearing completion.

This will increase the number of beds from 48 to 82 in an additional four storeys.

The hotel already has a strong reputation since being hewn out of former carriageworks.

It is regarded as the city s first boutique offering and also has the London Carriageworks restaurant

The group has taken over a building on the corner of Fenwick Street and Brunswick Street in a £2.85m deal with Your Space.

The intention is to create a 32-bed hotel at the 300 year old building which retains some original features.

Steve Turton, director of Your Space, said: Liverpool is enjoying a boom in the run up to Capital of Culture and is a prime site for new hotels.

FOLIO HOTELS

Ten years ago the Liverpool hotel scene was made something of a laughing-stock by the zany antics at the Adelphi captured in a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary.

Anyone with money to invest was sure to steer well clear of the city - how times have changed.

Now a number of ultra-chic places of accommodation are the stars of a thriving scene.

The emergence of the boutique hotel in the city is another indication of the positive levels of regeneration taking place.

BLACKBURNE ARMS

Formerly something of a back street boozer but has been transformed into a chic niche hotel.

Although it only has seven bedrooms, they are all luxury standard with individual themes. Facilities include 10 inch deep mattresses and Egyptian cotton bed linen.

Owners Ivan and Samantha Jenkins have endeavoured to create something original at the Catherine Street venue.

It has been a £525,000 joint development with Punch Taverns.

Rooms start from £90, and Mr Jenkins says he is targeting the parents of students, given the proximity of The University of Liverpool business people and young professionals.

ALEXANDRA HOTEL

Another boutique hotel being created at the former offices of the Blue Funnel shipping line. Details were being kept under wraps at the time of going to press.

62 CASTLE STREET

Another in the exclusive club of boutique hotels is 62 Castle Street. Formerly Trials Hotel, it started life as a bank, standing as a listed building within the World Heritage Site.

The aim has been to create a relaxing and contemporary haven for city centre guests, which embodies the concept of a boutique hotel, but with a quirky edge.

PARR STREET

Parr Street Studios new boutique hotel in Liverpool is another unique venue.

Newowners of the biggest recording studio outside London were determined that the site should be preserved as a centre for creativity in the city and have described their new 12-bedroom hotel as the city s equivalent to Soho House in London and New York.

In addition Gary Millar has designed sleeping pods which will be available at £25 a night.

Martin King, director of tourism at the region s official Tourist Board, The Mersey Partnership, has welcomed the addition of boutique hotels to the list of accommodation facilities in the area.

He said: The growth across the entire hotel sector reflects the increasing popularity and attractiveness of the destination.

Winning investment from the big brands and operators who have opened or committed to building properties here is significant. Just as important though has been the growth in the number of smaller, individual boutique hotels we can offer our visitors.

They appeal to visitors who now expect more choice. Some like to stay in larger properties with world-class brands like Radisson, Crowne Plaza or, following soon, Hilton and Jurys.

Other visitors prefer to experience something different with more intimacy, individual style and, in some cases, in buildings that have been painstakingly converted and reflect the heritage of the location.

Our boutique hotels have quickly established themselves to be among the most popular and sophisticated in Europe, and they form a very important part of our offer.

Leisure and tourism is now worth more than £1.1bn to the Liverpool city region economy, a figure which is predicted to rise to £2bn by 2013, supporting 30,000 jobs.

Around 10m staying visitors visit Liverpool each year, and the city is the UK's most internationally recognised destination outside London, making it a prime location for tourism investment.

The International Passenger Survey 2006 showed that the number of overseas visits to the city doubled in 12 months, making it more popular among overseas visitors than Oxford, Bath and Cambridge.

With Liverpool's title as European Capital of Culture and the rapid growth of Liverpool John Lennon Airport (serving 70 destinations) this figure is set to increase.