Aloft Liverpool

The Grade II*-listed Royal Insurance Building was built between 1896 and 1903 in the neo-baroque style. The building was abandoned in the late 1980s and it fell into disrepair, however, this building was one of several Liverpool landmarks highlighted by the Liverpool Echo’s Stop the Rot campaign and it was restored and the Aloft Liverpool hotel opened for business in 2014. The building is considered one of the successes of the newspaper’s campaign, which highlights derelict historic buildings in Liverpool in serious need of restoration.

The hotel is the result of an £18 million project that restored the details of the historic building including stained glass windows, stucco ceilings and its circular stairwells while also introducing a modern, and somewhat hip, character to the building’s interior.

The 116 guest rooms all have very comfortable beds, a Fatboy beanbag, a work desk, a flat-screen television, ironing facilities, tea and coffee making facilities, a small fridge and an en suite bathroom. Rooms range from 18m² (205 sq ft) to 32m² (355 sq ft) and are available either as twin rooms or double rooms with a king-size bed. Six of the rooms are adapted for guests with disabilities.

The hotel has a New York-themed in-house restaurant (NYL) and an in-house bar (W XYZ) that comes across like a mainstream hotel bar that is trying hard, but failing, to be edgy.

There is also a 24-hour snack bar, called Re:fuel and a 24-hour fitness centre called Re:charge.

The hotel has a great location right in the heart of Liverpool city centre with plenty of attractions within easy walking distance. The Cavern Club, the Magical Beatles Museum and the Western Approaches Museum are all less than a five-minute walk away and the British Music Experience, the Royal Liver Building, the Museum of Liverpool, the Liverpool Central Library, the Walker Art Gallery and the World Museum are all within a 10-minute walk from the hotel.

The closest railway station is Moorfields, which is only a two-minute walk from the hotel and both Liverpool Lime Street railway station and Liverpool One bus station are a 10-minute walk away.