Cavern City Tours, the Liverpool-based tour operator, has gained funding and planning permission to build a Beatles-themed hotel in Liverpool's city centre. The 120-bedroom Hard Day's Night hotel is due to open in 2003.

The hotel, housed in a Grade II-listed building, will be connected through its basement to the Cavern Club, the legendary venue where the Beatles started to get noticed. The tour operator bought the building in 1997 for £650,000. It is currently used as offices, a sports bar and a hairdresser's.

The £8m project has been awarded a European Regional Development Fund grant of £2.3m and the rest of the money is being raised by Cavern City Tours in a sale and leaseback of the building to a newly created company, Central Buildings Development Liverpool, set up by architect John Tweedie.

Twin rooms will cost £60 a night and the hotel will employ 60 full-time staff.

An operator for the hotel has yet to be chosen.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 6-12 September 2001