Beatles themed hotel set to be mecca for Fab Four fans May 10 2005
By Deborah James, Daily Post
PLANS to build a Beatles themed hotel at the heart of Liverpool city centre are finally on track 13 years after the scheme was first mooted, the Daily Post can reveal.
Bowdena yesterday revealed it has signed a £10m deal with Cavern City Tours to refurbish the derelict Grade II-listed Central Buildings next to the Cavern Club, on the corner of Mathew Street.
It means the 120-bed Hard Days Night Hotel will take its first guests in December, 2006, as tentatively proposed in January when the scheme was awarded £2.3m European Objective 1 funding.
The Bowdena deal represents a dream come true for Bill Heckle and his Cavern City tours teammates, who first conceived the plan more than a decade ago.
Although Bowdena began preliminary work to start clearing the derelict former office building in April, 2004, the company has now formally agreed to sign over the £10m for the full project.
Last night Bowdena's legal adviser Phil Turner said: "Until now the project was largely speculative, but now what was a dream for so long will become reality.
"The signing of this deal means the development is going ahead and the hotel will open its doors for business in December next year."
Mr Turner, partner at Manchester legal services firm Turner Parkinson Creative Unit, revealed the final paperwork was signed with Bowdena two weeks ago.
He added: "The Beatles have inspired so much investment in the city of Liverpool. The Hard Days Night themed hotel is set to become a key tourist attraction and Bowdena are delighted to be involved."
The hotel is set to become a shrine to the Beatles. There are even plans to link its basement to the Cavern club via a tunnel.
Each floor will be dedicated to a Beatles album and each room decorated by murals.
Even the rooftop will have a penthouse suite designed to echo the famous rooftop concert when the Beatles played their last ever gig.
The hotel will be managed by Bill Heckle and his team at Cavern City Tours (CCT), although they will not own the building.
In January, Mr Heckle, together with fellow CCT men Dave Jones, Ray Johnston and George Guinness, were the subject of a BBC2 documentary about their struggle to open the hotel.
The foursome bought the building, confident the project would go ahead, in 1992. But a series of disasters between 1997 and 2001 resulted in Irish backer John Tweedle pulling out.
Millions of pounds had already been poured into the building, which had by then started to become derelict.
The partners' desperate attempts to bring in extra cash took them as far as Spain, before the team finally linked up with Bowdena in 2005.
At the time, Mr Heckle said he was heartened that the hotel would go ahead, but was only disappointed that he would not be one of the owners.
He said: "The hotel completely consolidates and unites the Beatles industry.
"After all the setbacks, I'm glad to be doing positive work and promoting it, instead of fighting it."
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I have one word- coooooooool.
You're so vain, you probably think this post is about you.
I saw a documentary on TV about these guys a while ago. They're ex cabbies who noticed the number of tourists wanting to visit Beatle sites, and knew a guy who used to take Japanesse tourists to some nondescript playing fields and tell them it was Strawberry Fields. So they started their tour company. They seemed straight up guys who were quite protective of the Beatles image. (they were very scathing about a bad-taste spanish Beatle Bar.) Louise Harrison is involved as well. The rooms were themed (ie The Imagine Suite with a big John mural). Not my cup of tea, but they should pull in the punters, so good luck to them
I saw a documentary on TV about these guys a while ago. They're ex cabbies who noticed the number of tourists wanting to visit Beatle sites, and knew a guy who used to take Japanesse tourists to some nondescript playing fields and tell them it was Strawberry Fields. So they started their tour company. They seemed straight up guys who were quite protective of the Beatles image. (they were very scathing about a bad-taste spanish Beatle Bar.) Louise Harrison is involved as well. The rooms were themed (ie The Imagine Suite with a big John mural). Not my cup of tea, but they should pull in the punters, so good luck to them
Hi there, its Julia Baird that's their new Director, not Louise Harrison. I saw the programme and really enjoyed it. I've gone to their Beatleweek since '97 and feel like I know these guys and good luck to them, we've heard about this hotel for years so to see it finally come to fruition can only be a good thing - I hope one day I get to stay in it.
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