THE developers behind a new boutique hotel and spa in Wirral are hoping to cash in on the Open golf tournament when it returns to Hoylake in 2014.

The £1.5m hotel, in Meols Drive, will be situated in a former private nursing home, which itself was once a grand Victorian residence.

The building backs on to the historic Royal Liverpool Golf Club, and means Hoylake will soon have two new-look hotels with the addition of the nearby Kings Gap hotel, which is being revamped and rebranded as a Holiday Inn as part of a £6.5m plan.

The developers behind the Meols Drive hotel – to be known as the Royal Hilbre Boutique Hotel and Spa – said their aim was to “provide a luxurious and sophisticated hotel with top class facilities not currently available to West Wirral, while restoring a landmark and regenerating the immediate area and creating both employment and business opportunities for the local community”.

The house, originally called The Paddock, dates from 1893 and was built on the footprint of a horse racing track dating back to mid-1700s.

Eventually, the building became Greenacre Court nursing home, which ceased to operate and closed its doors around 2002.

The building then fell into disrepair, becoming an eyesore in the neighbourhood.