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A SECOND boutique hotel is planned for Hope Street as a rival to the existing Hope Street Hotel.
The plan is part of a £55m regeneration of four university buildings.
Merseyside property firm Maghull Developments is considering the multi-million pound plan for the former homeopathic hospital.
Maghull is the preferred developer on a portfolio of four properties, belonging to Liverpool John Moores University (JMU), which it plans to transform with a number of mixed-use projects over the next five years.
They are 68 Hope Street, the former art college, 2 Blackburne Place, Josephine Butler House on the junction of Hope Street and Myrtle Street and 42 Hope Street, the location for the hotel.
Maghull managing director Mike Hanlon told the Daily Post: "This will be a significant city centre regeneration scheme. It will be mixed-use. There will be an element of residential, office accommodation and maybe retail and leisure as well.
"We have negotiated rolling breaks on each of the four so we could take vacant possession of a couple of them within the next 12 months. We are looking at an end value of around £55m."
No covenants exist restricting the use of the buildings, which are suitable for a number of commercial and residential uses.
The existing Hope Street Hotel and London Carriage-works Restaurant opened in February 2004 and within months established a reputation as one of the best places to stay in the North West.
In November of that year it was named as one of the "World's 50 Coolest Hotels" for 2004 by industry bible Conde Nast Traveller.
It has become a favourite with celebrities including former Everton and England star Paul Gascoigne and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who stayed there on a high profile visit last week.
In November last year its owners paid £1.4m to buy the building next door, the former Merseyside Police headquarters, in order to expand the 48-room hotel which enjoys an 80% occupancy rate.
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