New General Manager announced at Base2stay Liverpool

Base2stay hotels has appointed Gary Laird, 43, as general manager of its new Liverpool venture.

The hotel, which is in the Ropewalks area of the city centre, opens this summer and is the second base2stay hotel in the country, with the first operating in London’s Kensington since 2006.

Gary, who lives locally with his wife and three children, joins the boutique hotel after eight years as general manager of Liverpool’s Holiday Inn.

His main focus will initially be on raising awareness of the hotel among the city’s decision makers.

base2stay is a unique boutique hotel concept with no dining or bar facilities. It instead acts as an “economic multiplier” for local businesses by offering guests exclusive discounts at surrounding restaurants, bars, clubs, takeaways and cultural venues.

Gary said: “A lot of hotels falter when they try to become experts at everything. We understand what guests expect from a fantastic hotel room but we are happy to leave it to the experts in other areas to look after the food and entertainment.

“In doing so, we encourage our guests to get out and explore the city and put money back into the local economy, so everyone benefits.”

Gary achieved a Masters in Leisure and Tourism from Liverpool John Moores University in 2005 and now teaches on the course on an occasional basis.

Robert Nadler, chief executive of base2stay, said: “Liverpool was the obvious choice for our second hotel. The city is going through a transformation and the opportunity to be part of that process was irresistible.”

base2stay Liverpool is located in a former print works dating from the 1850s and is currently undergoing a £14m comprehensive redevelopment into a 106 room, four star hotel with prices per room starting from £60, including VAT.

Each room will include a mini kitchen, air conditioning and complimentary wi-fi.