The family of the late Bill Shankly have entered a new partnership with Signature Living to open a second hotel baring the football legends name.
The new venture will see the conversion of the Grade II* listed former Post Office building in Preston into a new hotel celebrating the history of the football giant who played for Preston North End in 1933-1949 before going on to lead Liverpool FC to a series of league title wins in the 1960s and 70s.
The new bedroom hotel will showcase unseen memorabilia from Bill Shankly’s glittering football career and will include a restaurant and bar.
Signature Living also intend to bring their popular Alma De Cuba brand to the town and connect it to the new hotel.
The development will cost £15million and is expected to open in September this year.
Christopher Carline, Bill Shankly’s grandson and director of the Shankly Hotel enterprise, said:
“We are proud and delighted to announce that 85 years after Bill Shankly signed for The Lilywhites, he is returning to Preston.
“The unprecedented success of The Shankly Hotel in Liverpool has given us the impetus and desire to take the concept national, and ultimately international.
“My grandad is largely associated with Liverpool but anybody who knew him will know how much Preston North End meant to him. The hotel opening will be an incredibly proud moment for myself and the rest of the family. I know it will also mean the world to Preston fans and those in the city who see him as a giant of the game.
We’re delighted to be partnering with Signature Living to deliver this development.”
Signature Living founder, Lawrence Kenwright, said:
“The Shankly in Liverpool has an occupancy rate of 97% and is now the highest grossing hotel in the city. Were very much hoping to replicate the success we enjoy in Liverpool in Preston. This will be more than just a hotel, it will be a tourist attraction in its own right.”