30 James Street

The hotel is housed inside Albion House, a Grade II*-listed building built between 1896 and 1898 that is best known as the former home of the White Star Line (the company that operated the ill-fated RMS Titanic). The building retains a sense of history and features of the original building have been preserved including ornate mosaic floors. They have tried to carry the Titanic theme throughout the hotel but for the most part, this extends only to how the rooms have been named.

The 64 spacious hotel rooms all feature big comfortable beds, a work desk, a flat-screen television with international channels, ironing facilities and en suite bathrooms.

Some of the larger rooms appeal to the hen party crowd (a huge market for hotels in Liverpool). These party rooms are absolutely enormous with some sleeping up to 20 guests and are arranged with a row of double beds down each side of the room, each with a golden bedhead and antique reproduction bedside lamps. It’s where Louis XIV would stay if he went backpacking in Liverpool.

The rooms include the Morgan’s Vault pool party room, which sleeps 20 and features a 12m- (40 ft)-long hydrotherapy pool as well as two en suite bathrooms, each with its own double whirlpool bath.

It is a rather glamorous-looking hotel although some people say that the opulent decor, which features Franco Cozzo-style faux-baroque furnishings, chandeliers, massive padded bedheads, gilt-framed mirrors and excessive use of velour, comes alarmingly close to crossing the line into tacky kitsch.

It simply looks like it is trying too hard to look fancy and the halls lined with ornate gilt-framed mirrors are just how you would imagine Donald Trump’s walk-in wardrobe to look (minus the ill-fitting suits, of course).

The Carpathia Champagne Bar and Restaurant, named after the ship that came to the Titanic’s rescue, has a prix fixe menu and there’s an a la carte dinner menu available after 6pm. Afternoon tea is served daily (between noon and 5pm) in the Carpathia restaurant and once a month the White Star Great Hall hosts a Swing Afternoon Tea.

The basement Morgan’s Spa has a hydrotherapy pool and a range of treatment packages are available.

Free Wi-Fi wireless internet access is available throughout the hotel.

The hotel is a popular venue for weddings, particularly in the White Star Great Hall. The weddings combined with the hotel’s popularity with hens’ parties means that other guests can be rather boisterous so it may not be the best option if you’re a couple or a family looking for a quiet spot to stay.

The hotel is more camp than a row of cubic zirconia-encrusted velour tents but it can be a fun place to stay and with some rooms containing beds large enough to sleep eight or more people, it is the perfect spot to host your next orgy.

The hotel’s location is brilliant. It is right next door to James Street station and most points of interest in the city centre are within easy walking distance. Mathew Street (with the Cavern Club and the Magical Beatles Museum), the Western Approaches Museum and the Liverpool waterfront (with the Royal Liver Building, the British Music Experience, the Pier Head ferry terminal and the Museum of Liverpool) are all within a five-minute walk from the hotel. Walk just a little farther (no more than 10-minutes from the hotel) and you can get to all the attractions in the Albert Dock area including the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Tate Liverpool, the Beatles Story and the departure point for the Magical Mystery Tour.