We’re on a weekend away in Liverpool for a gig double header. In a bid to mix things up (and to cut costs), we’re trying two different hotels too. First up, our Hard Days Night Hotel Liverpool review.
Here’s what we thought.
Key data
Cost: £204.79 (MillenniumHotels.com)*
Fair cost: £125.00
Breakfast: Included
Check-in: 4pm
Check-out: 11am
Rating: 4 out of 5
How accurate are the website photos? Very
Would we recommend this hotel? Yes
Location and contact
The Hard Days Night Hotel is located at:
North John St
Liverpool
L2 6RR
England
Telephone: +44 (0)151 236 1964
Email: [email protected]
The hotel is just steps away from The Cavern Club, as made famous by The Beatles. The location undoubtedly influenced the decision to create a Beatles ‘themed’ hotel.
Lowdown
We chose the Hard Days Night Hotel because of its proximity to central Liverpool. That and because we had previously had a good experience staying in a Millennium Hotels property. The fact we could offset much of the room cost with loyalty points was an added bonus.
There are dozens (hundreds?) of hotels and apartments across Liverpool, so you will never struggle to find a room. Cost may be more of an issue however – Saturday nights are particularly expensive in this city, even for budget properties.
Do you have to be a Beatles fan to stay at the Hard Days Night Hotel Liverpool?
It’s important to address this question early on. I like the Beatles, Linda not so much; an in-your-face Fab Four experience would be ‘undesirable’.
The truth is, Millennium has shown exceptional restraint. The Beatles are present, but not overbearing. Reception features a handful of relatively minor prints and models, along with a 1960s-era Beatles soundtrack. The central staircase has an extensive collection of large, black-and-white photographs that spiral up to the top floor.
But in the lift lobbies and corridors, this could be any high-end four star hotel. The hallways show nothing but dark carpets and featureless walls. Muted and calm, unlike the surrounding streets.
Similarly, the decor in each bedroom is restricted to a single Beatles print above the bed. There’s no in-room Beatles playlists or dedicated documentary channel on the TV.
So yes, even non-Beatles fans will like the Hard Days Night hotel.
But… if you do want to go full-on Fab Four crazy, the hotel offers a special two-night Beatles package which includes a private taxi tour of Liverpool and more.
Article continues after the jump…
Our personal experience
On to the actual Hard Days Night Hotel review…
Check-in
We checked in shortly before 5pm, a smooth and efficient process. Reception is located up a flight of stairs, although there is a small disabled lift to get you to the desk if required.
As expected from a hotel in the Cavern Quarter, there is a constant stream of Beatles music playing over the hidden speaker system. There are numerous Beatles-inspired artworks and a Yellow Submarine jukebox hidden in the corner.
We were handed a single keycard along with advice to keep it away from our cellphones. We’re on the third floor along a long, heavily carpeted corridor in a room facing the street.
Top tip: This area of Liverpool city centre is very, very noisy. Ask for a room on a high floor at the rear of the property if you’re a light sleeper.
Bedroom
The bedroom itself is a decent size. There’s a double bed, a desk and chair, a huge wardrobe and a second chair.
The bed was excellent. Not too hard, not too soft, and fitted with clean, crisp linen. Above hangs a portrait of Lennon and McCartney singing.
There is a small chest of drawers on both sides of the bed. Fitted into the headboard is a small touch panel providing control of the lights and air conditioning.
There’s also a large flat screen TV mounted above the desk, offering all the usual Freeview channels.
Bathroom
We’ve been allocated a regular room, so there’s a shower/tub combination in the bathroom. Everything is muted and clean, bare tiles on floor and wall. No need to worry about George and Ringo watching your daily ablutions.
There’s plenty of room and some lovely fluffy towels, along with wall mounted toiletries.
Parking
None at all. There is a 24 hour paid car park a few blocks away, but the rates are quite steep (we paid £14 for a stay between 4pm and midnight).
However, there are four disabled parking spaces directly opposite the hotel entrance. Blue badge holders can park for free – if you can snag a space. We did, and it saved us a fortune.
Taxis are readily available right outside the hotel door.
Article continues after the jump…
Accessibility
There is a lift from street level to reception and two more lifts to the other floors in the hotel. The lifts themselves are quite odd shapes, designed to fit in the central space of the original spiral staircase.
Accessible rooms are available – just let the hotel know at the time of booking.
Food
The Hard Days Night hotel has a restaurant (North Sixty4) and a bar with a selection of Beatles themed cocktails. Breakfast is served each morning in the restaurant.
Breakfast is excellent. Bacon, eggs, beans, toast, sausages, black pudding, fruit, cold meats, croissants, cereal, coffee, tea, hot chocolate…
A massive spread and no excuse to leave the hotel hungry.
Oddities and quirks
Running alongside the hotel, Matthew Street is a Mecca for Beatles fans. It also attracts vast numbers of hen and stag dos and pub crawlers. Which means that Saturday nights are very, very loud.
And that’s before the drumming busker starts his routine. At 11:30pm…
Other accommodation options in Liverpool
There are dozens within a stone’s throw…
Stay tuned for our upcoming review of the White Star Line Hotel in Liverpool…
Can you walk to Liverpool Cruise Terminal?
In Liverpool, cruise ships land at Princes Dock. It is a 0.8 mile walk downhill along well paved roads, taking in some of the city’s most famous sights along the way.
The journey should take about 20 minutes on foot.
Can you walk from the Hard Days Night Hotel to the Liverpool Olympia?
Yes. If you can walk 1.4 miles steadily uphill, across busy roads.
We don’t recommend it.
We got an Uber for the return journey.
Hard Days Night Hotel Review – Final Rating
The Hard Days Night hotel is a ‘themed’ hotel. Themed in the fact that there are various Beatles photographs and artworks displayed throughout the property. However, this is a Grade II listed building and every effort has been made to retain the classic aesthetics.
If you are hoping for a 1960s technicolor fever dream, full of weed and hippies, you’ll be disappointed. If you want a classy four-star stay with a gentle nod to the Fab Four, then you’ll love the Hard Days Night.
We absolutely would recommend a stay here, especially if you can get a room for under £100 (yes, it is possible!).
Top tip: Millennium Hotels is currently running a promotion where members of the MyMillennium loyalty club can earn 30,000 points on their stay when booking direct. That may be enough to pay in full for your next Millennium Hotel stay.
Things to do in Liverpool
There’s plenty to see and do in Liverpool. Here’s a couple of activities for your consideration:
Disclosure
* We made our booking using points earned in the MyMillennium loyalty program from a previous stay at the Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington. This reduced the price of our stay to £54.27.
We did not receive any incentives or compensation for this Hard Days Night Hotel review.
Article continues after the jump…
Please note that we use sponsored links on this blog. Although we may earn a referral fee or bonus points on some of these products and services mentioned, we never recommend anything we wouldn’t use ourselves.
Check out our full Affiliate Disclosure Policy for more info.
