THE former George Henry Lee building in Liverpool’s city centre will be reopening as a hotel.

Ennismore, alifestyle hospitality company, and Landlab, the Dubai-based design and development group, have entered negotiations to bring the flamboyant Paris-based Mama Shelter to Liverpool. 

The brand’s first hotel outside of London, Mama Shelter Liverpool will be located at the George Henry Lee building, formerly John Lewis, off Williamson Square, and is expected to open in 2025 following a £25 million redevelopment.  

Vic Alfa, UK Director of Landlab, said: “As a Liverpudlian, I’m incredibly proud and excited to be bringing Mama Shelter to my hometown. Having worked with Accor for the best part of 10 years, Mamas is a brand our team knows well.  

“With its colour, vibrancy, and off-the-wall approach, it will inject life and energy back into one of the city’s most iconic buildings and offer something completely new to the people of Liverpool and visitors to this amazing city.” 

The new home of Mama Shelter Liverpool, the George Henry Lee building, has been largely vacant in recent years since John Lewis moved its operations to Liverpool One. Built in the mid-1800s, the building began as a bonnet store before being sold to John Lewis Partnership in 1940.  

The building’s interior will undergo a £25 million redevelopment which will see the 153,000 sq. ft space transformed into 175 rooms as well as a unique Sports Bar concept, Spa Mama Skin, karaoke rooms, 10-pin bowling, a Cinemama, co-working space and a signature Mama rooftop bar and restaurant. In typical Mama Shelter fashion, expect a few more surprises by the time the hotel opens. 

Located within walking distance of Liverpool One, Concert Square and Liverpool’s various historical landmarks, Mama Shelter Liverpool will be the global brand’s first hotel to open in the North of England and only its second in the UK, following the opening of Shoreditch, London in 2019.  

Cedric Gobilliard, Brand COO of Mama Shelter at Ennismore, said: “We knew Liverpool was the perfect destination for Mama Shelter’s next hotel in the UK because the city embodies the Mama spirit with its energy, party spirit and its rich heritage of music and pop culture. It’s the perfect match for Mama’s fun-loving fans.”