Beatles-themed hotel planned by owner of Lennon's

Oct 24 2007

THE family business behind Beatles bar Lennon’s is opening a new hotel named after one of the Fab Four’s best-loved songs.

The 18-room Eleanor Rigby Hotel is set to open in eight weeks’ time, in a Victorian former shipping warehouse in Stanley Street.

It is owned by Sarah de Fermor, 27, who owns Lennon’s bar, in Mathew Street, with her father Paddy Gannon. The bar has been a thriving Cavern Quarter venue for 16 years and Ms de Fermor said the family now felt it was time to build on its reputation.

She said: “Naturally we feel that the time is right to extend on the success of Lennon’s bar. I think that there is a real gap in the market for this type of hotelwe are offering and we are already taking bookings now.”

The business was supported by a funding package from Yorkshire Bank.

The bank’s business partner, Tim Ashworth, said: “The opening of this new hotel is proof that 2008 isn’t just about big businesses coming to the city to spread their success. It is about keeping local people with small but established businesses very much part of the economic and cultural celebration.”