principal hayley hotels
the World Of Hospitality
27
£50m investment will lead to 200 full time jobs and 350 construction jobs
Historic building was hiding place for britain’s gold during wwii
Designed by noted architect Herbert James Rowse
and completed in 1932, the Martins Bank building is
considered to be among the finest classical buildings
built in England during the interwar period.
Much of the country’s gold reserve was secretly
transferred to the building at the start of the Second
World War in order to hide it from a feared Nazi
invasion.
The gold arrived in Liverpool in three heavily guarded
trains before being transferred to the bank’s vaults.
A plaque outside the building commemorates the
operation, which was dramatized by the Emmywinning film The Bullion Boys.
Mayor Anderson said: “I’m pleased to see these
new and ambitious plans for bringing another
iconic Liverpool building back into use. It is an
important landmark in the city’s business district
and its conversion to a destination hotel reflects the
continuing strength of the city’s visitor economy. I
welcome the new investment by Principal Hayley and
look forward to seeing progress during 2016.”
Bernard Byrne, CEO of Castlewood Securities, the
owner of Martin’s Bank building for nearly 20 years,
said: “We are delighted to see our vision of converting
Martins Bank into Liverpool’s first truly luxury upscale
hotel, incorporating a destination spa and amazing
leisure and fine dining facilities, being realised.
“Principal Hayley has a proven track record of working
with important heritage buildings to deliver such
projects. This investment of nearly £50m will create
over 200 long term jobs as well as secure the future of
one of Liverpool’s most treasured buildings.”
Tony Troy, Principal Hayley Group’s CEO, added: “The
Martins Bank building provides us with a strategically
important presence in the heart of the Liverpool
market, where there is a clear consumer need for a
full-service luxury hotel and events space.
“Liverpool’s astonishing transformation over the
last decade has seen it become one of Europe’s most
important exhibition and convention centres as
well as one of the most visited cities by tourists. Our
development will become the jewel in the crown of
Liverpool’s hotel offering.
Website: www.principal-hayley.com
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with
the city to bring this plan to fruition and we will be
working very closely with heritage experts to ensure
our conversion of the building is sympathetic to its
unique historic and architectural features.
“Following a very successful year in 2015, we are
looking forward to undertaking the redevelopment
of this wonderful building - together with the
development of our other key city centre ‘grand-dame’
hotels - and to sharing our exciting plans for the
future.”
Max Steinberg, Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision,
which oversees Invest Liverpool, the Mayor’s inward
investment agency, said: “This a brilliant deal for
Liverpool. Principal Hayley’s plans not only ensure the
preservation of a globally important building but also
add something very special to the city’s tourism offer.”
“We are delighted to welcome them to the city and we
will be working with them closely in the coming years
to help them create a genuinely iconic hotel in which
the entire city can take pride.”