The opening of the Shankly Hotel looks to be delayed again.
AdvertisementBlog Preston reported in June that the redevelopment of the former Post Office on the Flag Market had slipped behind schedule, with the planned launch moving from April to October.
A blog post on the Shankly Hotel website from 28 August said: “Our director – and descendant of Bill Shankly himself – Chris Shankly has released further details regarding the opening: ‘The intention is to do a partial opening of some rooms’.”
The latest update on the Shankly’s social media was a Facebook post on 6 September, which said: “Everything is coming together quite nicely as The Shankly Hotel Preston grand opening grows ever closer. Launching soon, everyone is invited to come along and celebrate The Shankly Hotel Preston opening its doors to the public…”
However, there have been no progress updates on the Shankly’s blog or social media since then, and work appears to have halted at the site.
Blog Preston has contacted the Shankly for an update but has not yet received a response.
A spokesperson for Preston City Council said the city development team didn’t have an update on the Shankly, and hadn’t received any communication.
Councillor Peter Moss, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulation said: “Preston has received brilliant news recently with the announcement of The Botanist and Mowgli coming to the city centre, building upon the already great food and drink establishments available.
“A great complimentary offer to these will be the Shankly Hotel. As far as we know the new hotel will be opening in the near future and will be another great addition to the city centre.”
Read more: The Botanist and Mowgli coming to St George’s Preston
The Shankly’s parent company, Signature Living, has faced questions about its financial operations after a BBC piece alleged that investors were struggling to see a return from the company for rooms bought at the Liverpool hotels it owns.
When complete, the £15million Shankly Hotel will be one of the largest hotels in the city with space for 350 guests, a restaurant and a rooftop function room.
Read more: See the latest on redevelopment in Preston
What do you think of the uncertainty around the Shankly opening? Let us know in the comments below.