Liverpool’s Hard Days Night Hotel, a Beatles-themed property worthy of the Fab Four name

Let me guess, this place is Rolling Stones-themed? Ha ha! Close – 2018 marks 10 years since the first and only Beatles-themed hotel in Liverpool, England, opened its doors. The self-pro­claimed “Fab Four star” property is found smack in the middle of the “Beatles Quarter”: a marketing concept in the making.

On Penny Lane? Nope, the Grade II listed building, dating back to 1884, stands in the heart of the city centre, on the same block as another Beatles haunt: the Cavern Club (in the early 1960s, the Fab Four performed at the venue nearly 300 times).

The hotel building has no direct link to the band but it is brilliantly located, only a 15-minute walk to waterfront attrac­tions including the Royal Albert Dock and the Beatles statue at Pier Head, or a short cab ride to Goodison Park stadium, home to the city’s first football club (the blue one, not the red). When you are not sightseeing, the city’s best shopping, dining and nightlife come together on your doorstep.

“I’m only sleeping”; where? There are 110 rooms – over five floors – in which you may find yourself “Lying there and staring at the ceiling. Waiting for a sleepy feeling” (that’s a 1966 song reference, for those at the back).

Each room features a portrait of one of the Beatles; I got Ringo Starr, looking as though he’ll not have to wait long for that sleepy feeling. The two most sought after and expensive suites – Lennon and McCartney – are on the top floor. The Lennon Suite is all white and comes complete with a bedroom, a lounge and a baby grand piano, the decor incorporating large photo­graphs of John, including one of him with Yoko Ono, in London’s Savile Row.

What’s on the menu? Macca and cheese? How did you guess? Blakes Restaurant is named after acclaimed British pop artist Peter Blake and an entire wall is covered in shots of all those who appeared on his cover for the Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.