Liverpool’s Signature Living to invest £15m in second Shankly Hotel

The business behind the Shankly Hotel in Liverpool has announced plans for a second site in the football legend’s name.

Signature Living is partnering with the family of the late Bill Shankly on the expansion, which will transform the Grade II-listed former Post Office building in Preston into a £15m hotel.

The new venue will showcase previously unseen memorabilia from Shankly’s football career, which saw him play for Preston North End between 1933 and 1949 before managing Liverpool FC and taking the club through a raft of league title wins in the 1960s and ’70s. It will also house a restaurant and bar.

Bill Shankly’s grandson and director of the Shankly Hotel enterprise, Christopher Carline, said: “We are proud and delighted to announce that 85 years after Bill Shankly signed for The Lilywhites, he is returning to Preston.

“The unprecedented success of The Shankly Hotel in Liverpool has given us the impetus and desire to take the concept national, and ultimately international.”

He continued: “My grandad is largely associated with Liverpool but anybody who knew him will know how much Preston North End meant to him.

“The hotel opening will be an incredibly proud moment for myself and the rest of the family. I know it will also mean the world to Preston fans and those in the city who see him as a giant of the game.”

Speaking further, Christopher added: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Signature Living to deliver this development.”

Alongside the launch of the second Shankly Hotel, Signature Living also plans to bring its Alma De Cuba bar brand to the town, where it will connect to the new hotel.

Lawrence Kenwright, founder of Signature Living, commented: “The Shankly in Liverpool has an occupancy rate of 97% and is now the highest grossing hotel in the city.

“We’re very much hoping to replicate the success we enjoy in Liverpool in Preston. This will be more than just a hotel, it will be a tourist attraction in its own right.”

The hotel is due to open in September.