‘Chic yet comfortable’: Hope Street Hotel, reviewed

The big sister of School Lane Hotel, Georgian Quarter destination Hope Street Hotel has just celebrated its 20th birthday. 

Standing strong on Hope Street, the stylish hotel has seen its fair share of celebrities and public figures, having also played host to the World Leaders G7 Summit in 2021.

A labour of love for owner Dave Brewitt, Hope Street Hotel has undergone a series of phased improvements. The most recent being the addition of indoor and outdoor spa facilities, bagging the hotel the title of 2023’s ‘Best City Spa in the UK’ as voted by the Good Spa Guide Awards. 

With such strong accolades spanning its two decades of life, I was intrigued to find out just how accommodating a stay at the hotel can be. 

Checking in

On arrival, we were met with a bright and airy reception space over to the right of the hotel, opposite the main restaurant. Greeted with a warm smile and an “I love your nails” from a member of the reception team, I was instantly put at ease and made to feel comfortable and relaxed - just what’s needed when you’re about to embark on an overnight spa break. 

The whole process was very swift thanks to the online check-in set up which is emailed over a few days prior. We were asked to place a refundable £50 holding fee on a credit or debit card to cover any costs to the room and provided with a traditional key for our 4th floor room. 

On the way up to our room, I noticed how well-kept the corridors and communal areas of the hotel were. There weren't any unpleasant odours, unsightly scuffs or chips in the paintwork - none that were noticeable enough to put a damper on your stay, anyway - and the air felt clean and crisp. One thing I can’t stand in hotels is musky, foul odours that make the space feel dirty before you’ve even gone about inspecting it. 

The room

Arriving at our room, we were met with a vast expanse of space consisting of well-orchestrated furniture and architectural features that give this place its edge. The room was more like a suite of sorts, made up of a lounge area with a large flat screen tv, sofa and chairs, a large family bathroom with a bathtub and separate shower, a huge bed with plush, crisp white bedding and, the pièce de résistance; a balcony looking out over Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall. 

The toiletries provided were premium and plentiful (though there wasn’t any shampoo - maybe we’d just been given two lots of conditioner by accident). Same goes for the tea, coffee and biscuits station, which came with a handful of Nespresso pods at our disposal.

Everything was spotlessly clean and there were plenty of plug sockets in convenient places for charging laptops, plugging in straighteners and the likes. Need somewhere to sit down in your hotel room? Hope Street has you covered. In just our room alone there were five places to sit, not including the chairs on the balcony and the bed itself. Probably not totally necessary, but it’s good to have options, right?

With two options to choose from - an overhead rainfall shower or a smaller traditional-style one which can be manipulated - the shower meant business; there’s no piddly little streams of lukewarm, low pressure water here. 

Time to unwind

Having reserved a spot shortly after checking in, we made our way down to the spa reception where we received a robe, towel and flip flops as well as a wristband for accessing doors and lockers. 

I headed into the changing rooms to see what’s in store. After all, the changing rooms are the first part of a tranquil spa experience and if they don’t pass the vibe check, the spa probably isn’t going to either. Thankfully, they did and the well-maintained room was equipped with plenty of lockers, showers stocked with toiletries, and GHD hair dryers and straighteners for freshening up after your visit. There’s also a swimsuit drying machine to avoid your bag getting wet - they seem to have thought of everything. Once ready, we were given a short tour of the spa facilities and then left to enjoy the experience at our own leisure.  

We ventured back and forth between the outdoor vitality pool in the courtyard and the Himalayan salt sauna before using the thermal journey showers and finishing our visit by dozing off on the heated loungers until it was time for a wander around the city’s 18th-century district. 

Lights out

After popping out for a few drinks at The White Hart and some pepperoni pizza at Buyers Club, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed shuteye. The comfy, high-quality bedding and pillows quickly lulled us into a slumber and we slept for a solid five hours before needing to crank up the AC. Shortly after, we nodded off again and remained asleep for the rest of the night, even enjoying a cheeky little lie-in. For us Journalists, there’s usually no such thing. 

Breakfast is served

We headed down for breakfast in the 1931 restaurant (service ends at 10am on weekdays and we arrived at around 9:30) and were guided to a table by a member of the team who informed us that breakfast was served in a help-yourselves format but a chef would be on hand to plate up any hot food items. 

Alongside a cooked breakfast, guests also have the option of pastries and fresh fruit, cereals, muffins and other baked goods as well as a solid range of juices and smoothies to accompany them. There’s also vegan and gluten free breakfast options available as requested. 

The cooked and continental breakfast offering is priced rather steeply at £19.50 per person. However, if booked in advance of your stay, the price is discounted to £15.50 per person instead. 

Perhaps it’s because we’d enjoyed a lavish lie-in that we’d been left with tough bacon, rock hard hash browns and poached eggs that had been sat in a bain marie of warm water looking like I did down in the spa the evening before, but if I’m paying £20 a breakfast I’d like my full English cooked to order.

Despite a rather disappointing cooked brekky, the pastry selection made up for it and both of us left full, ready to tackle the day ahead. 

The verdict

Hope Street Hotel is a well-located spot with all the bells and whistles you could want, whether you’re visiting for business or pleasure. The staff are a real credit to the place and the rooms are timelessly chic, sophisticated, spacious and clean. 

If breakfast had been up to scratch this would have easily been an 18/20 stay, but I had to claw back a point or two as justice for those cremated hash browns (sorry). 

Hope Street Hotel, Hope Street, Liverpool, UK

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Hope Street Hotel is on Confidential Guides