Five-star hotel is big step forward in journey of our 'underdog' city

LONG-AWAITED ACCOLADE COULD HELP ELEVATE LIVERPOOL TO NEXT LEVEL IN HIGH-END RETAIL, HOSPITALITY, FOOD AND MORE

- By DAN HAYGARTH

Municipal Hotel and Spa Liverpool ONE How the King Edward project could look

SOMETHING Liverpool has been waiting years for arrived on Friday afternoon.

The city has always been without a five-star hotel in AA’s industry-recognised rankings, with Frankby’s Hillbark Hotel and Spa the only venue in Merseyside to have the honour.

But Dale Street's Municipal Hotel and Spa has now joined the ranks - with inspectors praising its beauty, charm, grandeur, character, and luxurious touches.

Housed in the former city council offices, the historic Grade II-listed Municipal Building, the hotel is the result of a £70m restoration.

It opened in May 2023 and features 179 rooms, a restaurant, an afternoon tea room, a bar, an indoor pool, a sauna and a spa.

Its five-star status is a meaningful step forward for the city, and will have a wider impact, according to Steven Hesketh, vice-chair of the Liverpool Hospitality Association.

About the city’s long wait for a five-star hotel, he told the ECHO: “I think there's a small legacy there that Liverpool hasn't aspired well enough for that. And there’s an anti-establishment feeling that we're a cool city and too cool for five-star.

“We also feel we’re an underdog, so do we want that? We're cool and it’s our own personality.

“But as you go and you get huge events like the Labour Party Conference, Eurovision or the Gymnastics World Championships, we probably are at the stage where that high-quality, five-star offering is important; without it, we'd be missing a trick.

“We've grown up now, and if one’s on offer, why wouldn’t we have it?”

Steven said what is expected from and understood by five-star has also changed in recent years.

He believes there is a new modern and distinct type of luxury, which benefits and suits Liverpool.