St Helens hotel to rebrand back to Mercure after being sold out of administration

The St Helens hotel in Merseyside is to rebrand back to a Mercure property after being sold out of administration last year.

New owners the Estee Group have invested £1m in the site, refurbishing bedrooms, public areas and conference facilities as well as carrying out repairs to the fabric of the building.

Following the change of ownership in October last year the hotel was operated as the independent St Helens. Administrators had said the former owner of the hotel freehold, Balaji Hotels St Helens, had allowed it to fall into a state of "considerable disrepair".

From 28 May the 84-bedroom hotel will again be operated under the Mercure brand under a franchise agreement. The Estee Group already operates two other Mercure branded hotels the Mercure Thame Lambert and Mercure Newbury West Grange.

Taher Tayeb at the Estee Group explained: "We have invested a significant amount of money into this landmark hotel to make it a centrepiece of the town. We know the Mercure brand well and it is a great fit for this hotel, combining the strength of an international network with a strong commitment to quality and local inspiration.

"We are committed to making the hotel a real cornerstone of the community, staffed by local people, using local contractors, and catering for visitors and locals alike."

Facilities at the hotel include the 92 Restaurant, Pyramid Leisure Club and recently opened 1522 Sports Bar. General manager, Aquleem Khan, will lead the new team that has been recruited over recent months.

Cristina De Oliveria Frewen, senior vice-president of franchise operations, Northern Europe for Accor, which owns the Mercure brand, said: "Having successfully worked with the team at Estee Group in two other Mercure hotels, we have huge confidence in their ability to make this hotel the local landmark it deserves to be. We are already highly encouraged by a strong pipeline of wedding bookings as people see that the hotel is being transformed into a truly high-quality establishment with a warm welcome."

Accor has more than 80 Mercure branded hotels in the UK.

Mercure St Helens sold out of administration for £3.75m>>