CONSTRUCTION of any more new hotels in Liverpool city centre would cause major problems for the city’s existing hotel industry.

According the newly appointed chairman of the Liverpool Hoteliers Association, the boom in hotel building in Liverpool in recent years means there is now a real danger that a surplus of hotels will result in falling room rates and occupancy rates.

Mike Dewey, who also runs the Hard Days Night hotel in North John Street, said: “It is now my responsibility to relay the association's serious concerns over the current level of hotel development in the city.

“Planners at Liverpool City Council have been giving the green light to so many new hotel developments in the last few years in order to meet the demand of the city as room rates rise.’

"It's extremely important to clarify that there is no such shortage of rooms and both myself and the association fear that if this level of hotel development continues both occupancy levels and rates will plummet.”

This would not only mean less profits for the industry, but also a major risk of job redundancies in the future with possible hotel closures.

“The council needs to maintain a balance between attracting new investment and making more of the existing hotel offering, which is currently under-utilised,” he added.

According to the LHA, there are currently approximately 4000 hotel rooms in Liverpool. Over the next two years there will be another 800 rooms and there are talks of other hotels being opened which have not yet been granted permission.