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Pullman Hotel appointed to Liverpool Exhibition Centre project

Hotel brand giant Pullman will be at the centre of Liverpool’s Exhibition Centre on the city’s waterfront.

Pullman was selected as the brand for a £26m, 200 room hotel development as part of the ACC Liverpool scheme, which will see the regeneration of the under-used Kings Dock.

The hotel brand is owned by international hotel company Accor and has sites across Europe but only one in the UK in St. Pancras, London.

Branded Hotel Management (BHM) has also been appointed as the prefered operator for the four star hotel, which will be integrated into the £40m project at the Kings Dock.

Liverpool City Council and its partners are now able to drive on with the design and construction of the hotel, which will have up to 10,500 sq ft in floor space and seven storeys of rooms above a reception, restaurant, bar, meeting rooms and gym.

ACC Liverpool was first thought up in 2000, and is currently home to the BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena.

Planning for the new Pullman Hotel was submitted in February while a detailed application was given in on Monday.

If the plans gain approval, construction and work on new facilities will start in autumn this year to open in spring 2015.

Liverpool’s Mayor, Joe Anderson, commented: “Attracting Pullman to Liverpool is a major coup for our city and another massive step forward in the delivery of our world-class exhibition centre.

“We wanted to make sure we were able to bring in a high quality hotel brand and an experienced operator to match our ambitions for the exhibition centre, and we’re confident that BHM with Pullman/Accor is the right appointment to enhance the venue’s profile to national and international visitors, as well as increasing the diversity of Liverpool’s hotel offer.

“Exhibition Centre Liverpool is one of my major priorities as Mayor. It will build on the huge success of ACC Liverpool and help put us in the premier league in terms of hosting international exhibitions. It will also boost our economy by £40 million a year.

“All of the pieces are now falling into place for this fantastic facility. With the hotel operator now recruited and the planning application in, we can look forward to things moving forward quickly.”

This announcement around Pullman and BHM is a significant step for the project following the appointment of construction firm ISG, who worked on the London 2012 Velodrome, and Denton Corker Marshall, who designed the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

Bob Prattey, chief executive of ACC Liverpool, commented: ’‘This is another significant step in enhancing ACC Liverpool’s offering to all of our client groups.

“It is a real vote of confidence that Pullman and BHM have chosen Liverpool for their first new build hotel to carry the Pullman quality brand.

“The hotel development will strengthen and complement our existing hotel offering both on site and across the city to offer a complete range of star rated accommodation.

“The introduction of the 4-star headquarter hotel will undoubtedly open new markets for ACC Liverpool.’’

Liverpool City Council is now working with the Homes & Communities Agency, the current site owners of Kings Dock, on a deal to take up seven acres of land next to the existing arena and convention centre.

Funding is being raised through borrowing supported from the revenue generated by the expanded ACC Liverpool site, so the project is at no cost to the taxpayer, and it will be wholly owned by the council.

Andrew Rouse, commercial director of BHM, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Liverpool City Council and Accor to operate the first new build Pullman hotel in the UK.

“We are excited to be involved in such a major development in Liverpool which will also bring significant employment benefits to the city.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .