THE landmark St Helens Hotel will once again operate under the Mercure brand after a £1 million transformation by its new owners, who have vowed to make it a "centrepiece of the town".

The Estee Group purchased the hotel last year when it went into administration.

Since then Estee have invested in replacing and upgrading furnishings throughout the building, including works to repair the roof, refurbish bedrooms and public areas.

Conference and events facilities have also been transformed at the venue which has had various changes of identity over the past decade.

From May 28, the 84-room hotel will again operate as a Mercure under a franchise agreement.

St Helens Star:

Estee Group owns, which manages two other Mercure-branded hotels in the UK, the Mercure Thame Lambert and Mercure Newbury West Grange, are confident they can rebuild the hotel's reputation.

Taher Tayeb, at the Estee Group, said: “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.”

General manager, Aquleem Khan, will lead the new team that has been recruited over recent months.

Mr Khan, who has more than 17 years’ experience within the hospitality industry, will be responsible for running the hotel’s day to day operations, having overseen the transformation of the hotel since mid 2018.

The Mercure St Helens includes the 92 Restaurant, the Pyramid Leisure Club and a 17m heated swimming pool, steam room, sauna, jacuzzi and fully-equipped gym, and two conference suites.

Cristina De Oliveria Frewen, SVP Franchise Operations, Northern Europe at Accor, the hospitality group that 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.

“Mercure St Helens is our second opening for the brand this year, following the opening of Mercure Sheffield Kenwood Hall in March. Mercure continues to grow at pace in the UK and across Northern Europe with a strong pipeline of new and rebrand hotels.

"Mercure’s unique proposition for flexible franchise development and its presence as a midscale market leader in the UK and internationally makes it an exciting proposition for partners such as Estee Group.”

In March the Mayor of St Helens, Cllr Pat Ireland, opened the 1522 Sports Bar on the hotel’s ground floor.