30/12/2025
Hi all just a ‘quick’ statement on behalf of myself and members of The Shankly Family regarding The Shankly Hotel in Liverpool as I’ve been tagged in and asked my opinion a lot this week regarding some social media videos regarding the venue.
As you know, the Shankly Hotel was opened in 2015, having been the realisation of a dream I had had for some 20 years for there to be a hotel in Liverpool to serve as a testimony to the great spirit of my Grandfather, Bill Shankly.
Together with the express blessing of my mother, Jeanette, the daughter of Bill Shankly and surviving next of kin, we gave permission to Signature Living Hotel Ltd to use the Shankly name and for items of the Shankly memorabilia to be displayed within the hotel.
We were pleased with the deal with Signature Living and the hotel quickly become one of the most popular and well known hotels in the city.
Unfortunately, some issues began to appear and the bricks and mortar propco which owned the building went into voluntary administration in 2020. In 2022, the opco was liquidated and Signature Living was removed from the business.
On behalf of the Shankly name, I was asked to work with Kroll, the administrator who appointed their operating company, Avensis Hospitality, to continue to run the hotel pending its eventual sale or rescue. Leading up to this myself and my family had become increasingly concerned over how the business was being run and its association with the Shankly name, so we were hopeful that the new regime would be a positive step for the business.
Unfortunately, in my opinion; this did not turn out to be the case and our concerns surrounding the business only increased which I raised various times over the passed three years.
As a result; I was isolated from the business, and I now can reveal that in October I was forced to leave my position at the Shankly Hotel. In my view I have been forcibly pushed out of the business due to concerns raised.
Seperately, I had personally began several new ventures; one of which was to restore a great city landmark to its former glory as the White Star Line themed hotel at 30 James Street. Although separate and not impacting my involvement, this has been cited as the reason for my removal from the business, citing conflict of interest in running multiple hotel businesses in the City.
Following this decision to remove me from the business, we as a family removed all the items of personal Shankly memorabilia that belong to us as a family from the hotel and, as representatives and legal registered owners of the Shankly name; requested that the hotel remove all reference to the Shankly name from the business.
On the 11th November, we received a letter from the administrator's solicitors refusing to give up the name stating that the business owns the Shankly name themselves.
I have been threatened with legal action that if I make any “unfounded allegations” or that any member of the Shankly family does, that they have the right to pursue us.
Hence, my statement here is nothing than just open fact to confirm our position on behalf of the Shankly family.
As a family, we want the public to know that we no longer have anything to do with the hotel and there is no association between the Shankly name and the hotel whatsoever.
Our position is that the name is being used in an unauthorised manner.
ld personally like to thank everyone for their support and guidance during the last 10 years. The staff, the guests; the people. We can never thank you enough for helping realise what was a lifelong dream. We continue to push my grandads legacy and what he stood for and believed in through our other ventures.
Thanks
