£17m boutique hotel planned for Liverpool

Kingsgate London Properties is converting a central Liverpool office block in the UK into a £17m (21.5m euro, US$33.6m) boutique hotel and health spa, to open by early 2010.

The developer, which also owns the Iron Gate hotel in Prague, has appointed architects and historic building consultant Purcell Miller Tritton to work on the conversion of the former Royal Insurance Building, a seven-storey Edwardian structure listed on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk register.

Plans for the site include a day spa in the basement of the building; a restaurant, bar and suite of meeting rooms on the main floor and 90 bedrooms on the upper floors.

The hotel will be owned and operated by Kingsgate London Properties’ subsidiary, Kingsgate Liverpool.

An addition to the upper floors will incorporate extra bedrooms and panoramic views of the city. Details: pmt.co.uk