UK: Signature Living’s Shankly Hotel in Liverpool has entered administration, appointing administrators Duff & Phelps to Signature Shankly Ltd, the leaseholders of the building.
The property is currently closed and is expected to open for business once restrictions are lifted.
Joint administrators Matthew Ingram and Michael Lennon said the wider Signature Living Group is unaffected.
Lennon said: “The hospitality industry as a whole has seen increased pressures in recent years and has now been instantly hit incredibly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the Shankly is temporarily closed, although management’s expectation is that once the lockdown is lifted trading will continue as normal.”
A statement from Signature Shankly’s parent company, Signature Living said: “Due to Covid-19 and government guidelines the Shankly Hotel ceased trading with immediate effect. We have been left with no option but to place the property subsidiary of the hotel into administration. The operational trading company for the Shankly Hotel remains unaffected as does the wider Signature Living group. We are all facing unprecedented times and the impact of this pandemic on our business has forced us to make some immediate and difficult decisions. The operating company remains completely unaffected. It will be business as usual for the Shankly Hotel as we are fully committed to our staff, suppliers, future events and guests. We look forward to opening our doors as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
The Shankly Hotel is a Liverpool City centre hotel dedicated to the city’s former FC manager, Bill Shankly.
It is operated by developer Lawrence and Katie Kenwright’s Signature Living Group. It is co-owned with Christopher William Shankly Carline, Bill Shankly’s grandson.
In May last year, Signature Living put the property up for sale, alongside another of its properties 30 James Street, for £57 million.
The hotel features a bar and restaurant, two event suites, two rooftop terraces and an underground car park.