It's been a Hard Days sight

Aug 25 2006 Exclusive By Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo

Each floor is dedicated to a phase in the Beatles' lives, chronologically from their births to their solo careers and the untimely deaths of John and George.

Every room will tell a different part of the Beatles story.

Each will be uniquely decorated with paintings created by Hollywood's favourite airbrush artiste, Shannon, who could end up in the Guinness Book of Records for the number of canvasses she will have completed by the time the hotel opens.

The works are created at home in America, scanned, and the originals flown over to Liverpool.

Some can take three days to complete, but a 6ft painting of John Lennon with a macaw on his shoulder - entitled And Your Bird Can Sing - took the artist six weeks.

She said: "Every room will have a picture which will try and tell the theme of that room. Every painting has to tell the story, and there are hidden messages in them.

"I tend to have 10 canvasses on the go at one time and I do it one colour at atime.You don't enjoy it as much as if you're watching each one growing, but it's the only way to complete it in such a short time.

"It's not just the art work itself, it's a lot to do with knowing exactly what was going on in the Beatles' lives at the time.

"It's nine or 10 years since I first chatted to Bill Heckle about the hotel. Now everybody is very excited about it. It just seems to be the right time."

The images will be turned into post cards which hotel guests will be able to buy - an idea Mr Heckle picked up from a themed hotel in California - and could also be compiled in a book.

The Hard Day's Night hotel will have two suites, with the John and Yoko suite on the fourth floor coming complete with a white grand piano.