Lyndsay Stanistreet-Tyer tells LBN about buying and renovating a property in the shadow of Liveroool FC and transforming it into luxury short-let accommodation – and how she was horrified at what others were charging for Eurovision. Tony McDonough reports

 

When Lyndsay Stanistreet-Tyer first acquired a property in Anfield at the end of summer 2022 Eurovision was still just an aspiration for Liverpool.

By the time she had renovated it and turned it into luxury short-let accommodation, Eurovision was a done deal. It immediately sparked a booking frenzy with some hotels and accommodation providers seeking exorbitant rates.

Lyndsay, herself an experienced hotel manager, was aghast at the attempt at profiteering which she believes ultimately backfired. She said: “When Eurovision was first announced there was a definite surge in interest.

“However even before the final decision was made I had already been approached by a client who has boxes at the Eurovision venue who said ‘can you hold it for me?’.

“There was certainly a rush of enquiries coming through. And some people were looking to charge astronomical rates.

“Of course we all increase rates at times of greater demand, that is how the market works, but some of the rates were just crazy. And what has happened is some of those properties ended up empty. People wouldn’t pay that and rightly so.”

Lyndsay ultimately did secure a letting from the VIP box-holders at the M&S Bank Arena, where Eurovision was being held for several days over the event. But not at crazy prices.

Her property, in Tancred Road, in the shadow of Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium, is now well established and doing good short-term lets business just seven months after it opened. It is called Home @ 2 Tancred Road.

“I looked around that immediate area and there was nothing high-end in terms of accommodation for corporate clients,” explained Lyndsay. “In particular for people going into the corporate boxes at Anfield.

“So I provided something a little bit different. It was a little bit of a risk. Asking ‘am I right to be investing all this money?’.

“This was stepping away from the usual football crowd. That wasn’t what I was targeting. It has definitely been the right decision.”

 

 

Lyndsay’s latest venture is a new chapter in what has been a fascinating career that has seen her working at an executive level both in the UK and overseas.

She started her career in her family’s hotel business in Knowsley. Among their portfolio was the Bell Tower, which later became the Suites Hotel. Lyndsay then decided to plough her own furrow overseas.

She worked for North West gaming giant Betfred in Gibraltar, within its marketing team, and as international sales director with Rio Drinks NL, in Spain.

However, in 2014 Lyndsay’s father fell ill and she returned to the UK to take on the running of the business. Suites was sold to private investors in 2019 and Lyndsay was asked to stay on as general manager.

Having accepted the role she then successfully guided the hotel through the pandemic. In 2021 she decided to take her career in a different direction, leaving the hotel to join Knowsley Chamber as business relationship manager.

Her role was to help grow and retain membership, help develop the calendar of activities and support the wider Knowsley business network.

Her move into short-term lets came about following a conversation with her son Rhys. She said: “Rhys, who used to work for me at Suites Hotel, he was my deputy. He went to work for the hospitality boxes at Anfield.

“He met someone whose family had a B&B close to the ground and he said they were making a lot of money.

“So he said to me ‘why don’t you look at buying something?’. Initially I wasn’t keen on the idea but one day I dropped him off at work and I drove down Tancred Road and I looked in my mirror and saw an auction sign on a property.

“The auction was only three days later and I didn’t make the clearance in time. So I thought ‘it’s not meant to be’. A couple of weeks later it was back up. I spoke to the agent and went in to have a look.

“As I walked in I thought ‘this is perfect’. It was like ‘let’s go’. Because it was under auction terms we were able to complete it just 28 days later.”

Lyndsay spent the next few weeks completely gutting the property and opened for business with six rooms on October 22, 2023. This was a few weeks after the football season had started.

“Matchday bookings are really good. But we didn’t open until October so we missed that manic day in June when the fixtures for the coming season are published and everyone books their trips,” added Lyndsay.

“But as the property has become more known we have become busier. I have a great relationship with the hospitality team at Liverpool FC. I have had people coming in from Japan, from the US, from Switzerland and Italy.”

However, the appeal of the accommodation has gone far beyond just Liverpool FC fans. Lyndsay has tapped into a rich seam of demand from both the corporate and leisure market.

“Over weekends the house is let as an individual property but on Sundays to Thursdays I let out the individual rooms. So it is how you mix up the marketing,” she said.

“I have got corporate fans coming in for the matches, I have professionals, such as surveyors, who are working on the expansion of the Anfield Road stand and Knowsley businesses that I have worked with previously.

“And for other companies coming into the city region. We are close to the city centre and we have free car parking.

“You can have the best product in the world but if no one knows about it then it is a challenge. And that is where I am working hard, to get the message out there about what we are offering.”

Lyndsay has also partnered up with experienced Romanian chef, Emil Rahaeanu. After working in high-end restaurants in Norway and London, Emil and his wife Carmen came to Liverpool to open a bakery.

It is based in County Road in Walton. Emil has agreed to act as an executive personal chef for her guests.

“That came about thanks to the strength of networking at Knowsley Chamber. It was a conversation with the owners of the building in County Road, sisters Gaynor and Lisa Purcell of Aries Marquees,” said Lindsay.

“Emil will come in and cook for the corporates and he is providing breakfast hampers depending on the requirements of the client.

“I have also got a corporate account with Deliveroo. They offer a corporate rate. So even though we have no restaurant on-site, we are offering guests those different options. I am supporting other businesses through doing that.

“Because I can hold up to 11 people I am seeing groups of people coming into the city. They are coming in for weddings, family celebrations, and cultural events. Even hen parties at the weekend.

“We have done fantastic through the winter. October/November every weekend was fully booked and from January onwards I have seen an increase in midweek booking.

“Weekends just sell themselves. I don’t have to do anything to sell them at all. What I am looking to achieve now is building relationships so we can win even more business in the midweek corporate market.”

What Lyndsay has looked to create is a “home from home”, hence the Home @ 2 Tancred Road name.

She explained: “Where we have seen an increase in business is people who have to come to the city for periods to work. They would rather stay somewhere that feels like a home and where they can cook their own meals, unlike a hotel.

“We even have a washing machine which makes it feel more like home. I am just completing on another property that will be another Home @ – and that is the ethos I am looking to create. I want a minimum of five short-term let properties over the next few years.”

 

 

Lyndsay is looking forward to what she believes will be a busy few months. She said: “Summer will be ridiculous for demand. We have also got the British Open Golf coming to Royal Liverpool in July.

“I have got one of the management teams for players. Some of their staff will be staying with us for 11 days before and during the tournament.

“It is groups such as those who see the benefit of a larger property. They can all stay together. The food options we offer means they can eat at different times of day.

“I am on Air B&B and bookings.com is where I get the majority of bookings from and hotels.com is best for the corporate market. We offer corporate rates and people will always get the best rates if they deal with us direct.”

Investing in the property was a leap of faith for Lyndsay although her extensive experience in hospitality has proved key in getting Home @ 2 Tancred Road off to a flying start. She added: “You are always a little but anxious early on.

“There is a little bit more work involved with cleaning rooms but I love it. I have two housekeeping girls that come in and help me but I do everything else.

“Everything is remote locked so I can be anywhere, I can communicate with the guests and they can always access the property. There are individual rooms codes and the whole property is very secure.

“From an IT point of view, I have put the best available in. That helps my guests and it helps me. The more I speak to clients I realise I had missed that connection with the hospitality industry after I left Suites. It feels really good to be back.”