German
hotel company Meininger has confirmed that it will be opening its first hotel
in Liverpool in 2021. Meininger opened its first key property in 1999 in Berlin
and since then it has become a ‘key player within the hybrid hotel market’ with
26 hotels across Europe. The company also has plans to go transatlantic by
opening a hotel in Washington, DC as well, so it very exciting that Liverpool
is set to join these famous locations. The design of each Meininger hotel is
based on a specific theme associated with the city and ‘guarantees an
individual personality.’ They also focus on having a ‘central location, high
quality furnishings and fair prices to appeal to people from all ages and
backgrounds’ situated in ‘Europe’s most vibrant cities.’
Their Liverpool location will be a three-star, 87 bedroom hotel located at 1
Union Court on Cook Street in the heart of the city centre and Falconer Chester
Hall will be the architect. The hotel will be created from an existing office
building which will be converted to fit the space along with a rooftop
extension to accommodate additional rooms meaning the hotel will cover 36,000 sq
ft over six floors. The building is currently home to clients such as Learn
Direct as well as a Slug & Lettuce location.
The hotel will have features such as a lounge, bar, breakfast area and a game
zone. When the new hotel opens it will be Meininger’s second hotel in the UK
following the company’s site in London’s Hyde Park which was completed in 2006.
This is a significant decision for the company as it demonstrates how they view
Liverpool as one of the top tourist destinations in the UK which means great
things for the local economy. It also means great things for architecture in
Liverpool and architecture jobs as well.
Chief
Executive of Meininger, Hannes Spanring, states how ‘there is no doubt that the
UK capital is very popular with visitors’ and that the hotel had a ‘94%
occupancy rate last year at the Hyde Park hotel’. However, he also went on to
say how ‘the UK is very rich in attractive destinations with enormous
development potential elsewhere too’ including Liverpool.
Spanring expresses that the company is ‘delighted to have signed the contract
for a new Meininger Hotel in Liverpool’ as ‘the figures for overnight stays and
hotel offerings have shown a sustained upward trend in recent years and the
forecasts are also very positive.’ He highlighted how ‘the current range of
rooms consists mainly of four-star and budget hotels’ and that ‘hostels account
for only one percent of all accommodation in Liverpool to date’ and so it is
Meininger’s goal to ‘become the UK market leader in this segment’ with their
‘unique hybrid hotel concept, which combines the service and comfort of
international budget hotels with exceptional amenities and flexible room
structure of hostels.’
Meininger
also has its sights set on other North Western locations, with Manchester in
its ambitious growth plan. The company have plans to open a 12-storey location
on Great Ancoats Street in 2022 pending planning permission. They have also
identified other UK sites of interest such as Belfast Cambridge, Glasgow and
Edinburgh, all of which are huge players in the UK tourist industry.
The arrival of Meininger’s hotel in Liverpool signals good things not only for
the city’s economy and tourism but also for the architecture industry and
architecture jobs too. The hotel will help to diversify the accommodation on
offer in the heart of the city centre and it will be exciting to see the hotel
when it is fully operational.