Signature founder Lawrence Kenwright and his team are now scouring the city looking for a suitable building for the themed football hotel which has the backing of the Best family. Tony McDonough reports.
Liverpool developer Signature Living is to take its themed hotel concept to Manchester – with a scheme centred around Manchester United legend George Best.
Signature founder Lawrence Kenwright and his team are now scouring the city looking for a suitable building for the themed football hotel.
The firm has grown rapidly in Liverpool in recent years with a number of successful schemes, the most well known being the Shankly Hotel and 30 James Street.
Its Manchester venture has the backing of the surviving Best family. They have agreed to work with Signature on the project that would pay tribute to the life of the football legend within the hotel.
The award-winning Shankly Hotel was itself a joint collaboration between the Shankly family and Signature Living.
The hotel includes memorabilia from Bill Shankly’s reign as manager of Liverpool FC including trophies and personal items, which were released by his family to be displayed in the hotel restaurant and museum
The venue attracts football fans from across the world and Signature Living wants to replicate this success with a George Best hotel.
Mr Kenwright, said: “We’re starting our search for a building in Manchester for the George Best Hotel and are keen to hear from anyone with ideas about suitable locations.
“It will include a restaurant and museum space dedicated to the footballing success of this giant of the beautiful game.
“I personally am incredibly excited at the prospect of bringing a George Best Hotel to Manchester. It will be a tourist destination in its own right and will add a different dimension to Manchester’s burgeoning accommodation offer.”
Signature Living’s media spokesperson, Dan Hughes, who worked on the international PR campaign for the Shankly Hotel, says the George Best Hotel can become a massive tourist destination for Manchester.
He added: “The development of Signature Living’s Shankly Hotel in Liverpool attracted worldwide media attention and I have absolutely no doubt that the George Best hotel will do the same.”