THE Eleanor Rigby Hotel, in Liverpool city centre, is looking to host erotic lap dancing in its basement bar, the Daily Post can reveal.

The Stanley Street venue’s subterranean bar has hosted jazz nights and guests staying at the boutique hotel.

But its owner, businessman Patrick Gannon, says it is not earning enough money in its current form.

He hopes turning the bar into a lap dancing club will be more lucrative.

Mr Gannon, who bought the lease for £60,000, in July, 2007, said the licence could be granted in the next six weeks. He is already looking for someone to sub-let it off him and run it separately to the hotel.

He told the Daily Post: “It [the bar] doesn’t do anything at the moment – you couldn’t earn a living out of that hotel bar.

“We’ve tried jazz but it never worked. People don’t want jazz here.

“We’re hoping it will be a quiet little venue. It’s nothing exciting – I hope I’ll earn some money out of it.”

The Eleanor Rigby, which opened around 15 months ago, boasts 20 en-suite rooms, starting at £49 per night for a weekend stay.

On fears punters may be tempted to lure dancers back to rooms in the hotel, Mr Gannon, 58, added: “It’s not going to be a brothel – I go to Mass, I’m strictly above board.

“I don’t need a brothel because the place is quite full as it is. It’s something to try to make an income from.”

Mr Gannon said the new club will be distinct from the hotel, with a different entrance to the rear.

But the licence has been applied for in the name of the hotel itself, rather than as a separate entity.

News of the application was last night greeted with scepticism by the city’s hoteliers.

Stephen Roberts, chair of the Liverpool Hoteliers Association, said: “Ultimately what he chooses to do with the property is his own choice. I think there are sufficiently adequate personal entertainment venues in the city.

“I’m not sure about hotels and lap dancing bars operating under the same roof – I haven’t heard of it before. I would be very surprised to see that as a successful business model.”

Cllr Sharon Sullivan, whose Central ward covers the city centre, told the Daily Post she was “reserving judgment” on the application, but questioned if Stanley Street was the best place to host lap dancing.

She said: “It would be better in another part of the city.”