LIVERPOOL’S Thistle Hotel hopes to revive its former Atlantic Tower name as part of a multi-million pound makeover.

The landmark building lost its famous name five years ago, but locals still commonly refer to it as the Atlantic Tower.

As well as a revived brand, the hotel is to undergo a major revamp with 50 new rooms, banqueting and conferencing facilities and the relocation of the restaurant to the ground floor.

New owners of Thistle Hotels plan a massive rebranding of the entire chain, an exercise which will be launched in Liverpool next year. Thistle Liverpool’s general manager David Daly says it’s an indication of how far the city has progressed in recent years: “Even just three years ago, Thistle wouldn’t have dreamed of leading a rebranding campaign in Liverpool. The city is now seen as sexy and exciting.”

Leisure group CIT paid £400m for 38 Thistle hotels in February and pledged new investment in the portfolio.



Mr Daly went on: “We have had development plans on the drawing board for some time and are now progressing those with the backing of CIT.

“As part of the plans we are hoping to get the OK on bringing back the Atlantic Tower name, which is still synonymous with this hotel.”

At the moment, three floors are being refurbished, with £22,000 being spent on each room.

He added: “Our room rates are £15 or £20 behind other cities and we have to lift that both by improving facilities and attracting people who will pay.”

He said it was crucial to have top-brand hotels and grade A office space to lure new investors to the city.

The biggest fillip for the hotel sector is expected to be the opening of the Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre early next year.

IC Liverpool