Liverpool has long attracted visitors keen to soak up the city’s footballing and music culture, but it has come a long way since I was a student there in the 1990s, when boarded up houses were still a common sight.
In 2003 Liverpool won its bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008, and there has been significant regeneration including the Liverpool One development which succeeded in linking the city centre with the historic docklands.
This in turn has led to the arrival of several major hotel brands, including the Hilton Liverpool in 2010, IHG’s Hotel Indigo in 2011, and Accor’s Pullman Liverpool in 2016.
All eyes will be on the city this weekend when Liverpool Arena hosts the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, and Business Traveller has taken the opportunity to round-up some of the more recent and upcoming properties.
NEW HOTEL OPENINGS
Quest Liverpool City Centre
Australia-based brand Quest Apartment Hotels (part of The Ascott Limited) opened its first European property in Liverpool in September 2019, located on the city’s Church Street.
The 100-key Quest Liverpool City Centre features a mix of studios, one-bed and two-bed apartments – all with Smart TVs, kitchenettes and king-size beds – as well as a fitness centre and conference room.
INNSiDE Liverpool
Melia’s lifestyle INNSiDE brand debuted in Liverpool in 2021 occupying the site of the former Echo and Daily Post building on Old Hall Street in the city’s commercial district.
The 207-room hotel features an open-plan lobby, a 24-hour gym, and an 18th-floot, 360-degree Sky Bar and restaurant overseen by chef Gino D’Acampo, with views over Liverpool and the River Mersey.
Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village
Accor’s second Novotel property in Liverpool opened in June 2022, located in the Knowledge Quarter and becoming the city’s highest hotel at some 16 floors.
Features include 221 room and 32 long-stay apartments, as well as a ground-floor coffee shop, Kensington Restaurant serving international cuisine, a fitness centre and four meeting spaces.
Radisson RED Liverpool
The 201-room Radisson RED Liverpool opened in December 2022, housed within a 19th-century Grade II-listed building next to the city’s Lime Street rail station, which formerly housed the North Western Hotel.
Features include the ground floor destination restaurant Stoke, as well as a fitness centre, five meeting rooms and a private dining room overlooking St George’s Hall.
UPCOMING OPENINGS
School Lane Hotel
Described as “the stylish little sister” of Liverpool’s existing Hope Street Hotel, the 55-room School Lane Hotel is housed within the 1850s Russell Building in the city’s Liverpool One district.
Scheduled to open “in time for the Eurovision song contest”, the hotel’s entrance and reception areas will feature specially commissioned glass installations made by artist Katerina Christou.
The Municipal Liverpool
As the name suggests, this 179-room hotel has been developed within the city’s Grade II-listed Municipal Building on Dale Street, which dates back to 1862 and was used by council staff up until 2016.
Scheduled to open on May 10 and operating under Accor’s MGallery brand, the hotel features the Palm Court bar and lounge, The Botanic Tea Room, and a wellness area including a swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms, fitness centre, Laconicum, salon and spa.
The Halyard at Ropewalks Liverpool
IHG Hotels and Resorts is set to mark the UK debut for its luxury lifestyle Vignette Collection brand, with the Halyard at Ropewalks Liverpool joining the collection when it opens later this year.
Owned by Molo Hotels, the 133-room hotel will be located in the Ropewalks district of the city, and will feature a restaurant, fitness centre, conference facilities and rooftop terrace.
Maldron Hotel Liverpool City
Irish hotel group Dalata is set to four-star property under its Maldron brand in the second quarter of 2024.
The hotel will form part of a mixed-use development next to the Liverpool One complex, and will feature 260 rooms, a restaurant, bar and meeting facilities.
