Malaysian hotel chain targets Liverpool

A BUDGET hotel chain run by Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes is planning to open in central Liverpool.

Tune Hotels is seeking permission to convert the upper four floors of 11-17 Parker Street, close to the St John’s Shopping Centre, into a 127-room hotel.

The group already has 11 locations in Malaysia and Indonesia and one in London.

Tony Fernandes established the Malaysian budget airline Air Asia and runs the Formula 1 outfit Team Lotus. He has also been linked to takeover talks at West Ham United.

The site in Liverpool was formerly home to Reece’s Ballroom which closed 20 years ago and is famous for being the venue of John and Cynthia Lennon’s wedding reception in 1962.

Liverpool City Council has backed the plan believing it could help bring more vacant sites in the centre back into use.

“This development proposal will make a significant contribution to the local economy, providing enhanced employment prospects without undermining retail vitality and viability,” said a report prepared ahead of a planning meeting on June 21.

“It will bring long-term vacant premises back into use, and hopefully provide a catalyst for the approriate re-use of other vacant upper floor levels in the MRA [main retail area]. The proposal will contribute towards a complimentary mix of uses, in a highly accessible location, and meet an identified demand for budget end hotel accommodation in connection with leisure-related tourism.”