Staybridge Docks on Kings Waterfront, Liverpool

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. October 14, 2008

APRIL 20, 2007. Staybridge Suites, the first major hotel brand to focus on the extended stay business guest in the UK, is to open a new hotel in Liverpool in early 2008. This follows the signing of an agreement between InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and BDL Hotels Limited in which BDL Hotels will develop the hotel and IHG will manage it under a 20 year management contract.

The hotel will form part of the Kings Waterfront development, a major visitor destination due to be completed by 2008 in time for Liverpool's Capital of Culture celebrations. Within this development there will also be a newly built convention centre and preparation for construction at the site of Staybridge Suites, Liverpool is already taking place.

The property will comprise 132 fully equipped and spacious one bedroom and studio suites, with modern interior design to create a residential 'home from home' environment for extended stay business travellers - those who usually stay five or more nights. Rooms will include a fully equipped kitchen area while public spaces include a cosy Hub Kitchen and Living Room with open fire, the Pantry, a 24/7 mini convenience store and an outdoor Terrace with barbecue.

IHG commissioned research shows that business travellers on long-term assignments want to stay in something distinctly different from a regular hotel room and the brand has already proved highly successful in the US, with nearly 100 Staybridge Suites currently in operation.

The Staybridge Suites brand was launched in the UK in 2005 with the announcement to open a 124-bedroom hotel in London-Brentford and a 113-bedroom hotel on the South Bank in London. These projects are still in planning, meaning Liverpool will be the first to open. Staybridge and its development partners expect to obtain planning approval for four further city centre sites for hotels in the UK within the next three months.

John Wagner, Vice President of Staybridge Suites EMEA, commented: "I am delighted that we have signed the third contract in the UK to bring the Staybridge Suites concept to Liverpool. The city is an economic hub with a diversity of local and international business and industry, so we are confident that long-term business travellers will be attracted by accommodation specifically designed for their needs - the comforts of a home with the convenience of a hotel."

"We plan to open 22 Staybridge Suites hotels across the UK within four years. With several contracts agreed and sites in the pipeline, I am confident that Staybridge will soon be a recognised brand in British city centres and the preferred choice for long stay business travellers."

Louis Woodcock, Managing Director of BDL, comments: "We are delighted to be signing a second agreement with Staybridge Suites, hard on the heels of our first partnership in Brentford, London. We are now one of the main driving forces behind the development of the brand in the UK and, with our extensive experience of the UK business market, we believe Staybridge Suites, as the first operator of its type in the UK, will do extremely well."

Staybridge Suites, Liverpool has been designed by Belfast-based architects Urban Innovations and is being constructed by contractors McAleer & Rushe.

Staybridge Suites is continuing to look for sites close to business districts and transport hubs in key cities across the country.