Beatles-themed hotel to open in January

A Beatles-themed boutique hotel is set to open in Liverpool in the first month of 2008.

The Hard Days Night Hotel will have its grand opening in January to coincide with Liverpool's tenure as the European capital of culture for 2008.

Situated close to the famous Cavern Club where the Beatles played their first gigs and began their rise to fame, the four-star establishment features 110 rooms.

Among them are a pair of penthouses called the Lennon and McCartney suites, the first of which will feature a white grand piano.

Hotel spokesperson Trevor Lynn said: "The Hard Days Night hotel will be the perfect setting for our guests to enjoy and experience the comfort of our rooms and witness the magnificent commissioned Beatles artwork.

"The bars and restaurants in this hotel, including Bar Four and Blakes, will definitely be the place to be and be seen in."

Some of the hotel's interior decoration was overseen by Sir Peter Blake, the man behind the iconic cover of the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.