Review: the Aloft Liverpool hotel

This is my review of the Aloft hotel in Liverpool.

Last weekend I went to Liverpool to take a look at the (fairly) new Aloft hotel.  This is, amazingly, the only Starwood hotel in England outside London.

It is also potentially the best Starwood Preferred Guest redemption deal anywhere over prime weekends, but more of that later.

Aloft Liverpool offered us one free night to review the hotel.  As I had never been to Liverpool and wanted to see more of it (a plan ruined by the rain), I booked a second night at my own cost using SPG points.

Background

Aloft is Starwood’s contemporary hotel chain with a focus on technology, design and music.  Rob reviewed their only other UK site, by the Excel Centre in London, here.

The Aloft Liverpool is inside the former Royal Insurance building which was built in 1903.  As this building is a Grade II* Heritage Listed Building, it sat on the ‘at risk’ register for 25 years until a £22m refurbishment turned it into the Aloft hotel. The hotel opened in November 2014 and impresses with a great design concept combining new elements with an old building.

One thing you notice is that the hotel, its restaurant and bar attract hotel guests as well as locals.  It is also a popular destination for hen nights – don’t worry they weren’t that bad!

Where is Aloft Liverpool?

In theory the Aloft Liverpool is just a short 10 minute walk from Liverpool Lime Street station.  However as the road system is a little bit confusing and it was raining I decided to take a taxi for £4.

Check in

My room wasn’t ready yet when I arrived so I was offered a complimentary drink at the bar whilst waiting.

My room was on the 6th floor. The lift is unfortunately the slowest lift in the world – and the only thing I heard complaints about during my stay. There is a second lift that serves up to the 5th floor, so if you are in a hurry and on the 6th floor it’s worth taking one flight of stairs and then get that lift.

Room

My room was a ‘savvy room’ which is a bit bigger than the standard ‘Aloft’ room. The bed was amazing!  2m x 2m and super comfortable. I only struggled with the pillows. They were too thick and I had to throw them out of the bed.

There was a decent sized desk with one European and one UK socket as well as two USB slots to charge your phone (or iPod).

Wifi was complementary and super fast as promised.

My highlight was the bean bag. I really need one of these in my life!

The room had no mini bar, but a fridge underneath the TV.

The loft style floor to ceiling windows …..

….. gave a great view over Liverpool.

The alarm clock doubled as a bluetooth speaker. This is definitely a step forward considering that some hotels like the InterContinental Park Lane still put iPod docking stations in their rooms that are not compatible with the newer iPhones and iPods.  As the alarm clock was using a socket underneath the nightstand, the one behind it could be used to charge the phone over night.

The kettle, safe and hair dryer were in the cupboard opposite the sink.  No coffee machine, just instant coffee ….

Bathroom

The bathroom was open plan with a sliding door with a mirror between the sink and the toilet.

One thing that impressed me was the lighting. It was perfect to do your make-up (or shave or whatever men need a mirror for …..).

The only thing that bothered me about the shower was that you could smell what seemed to be chlorine in the water.

I’m not sure if it was the chlorine or the shampoo, but after washing my hair it was super dry and frizzy.

Unfortunately there were no towel rails near the sink and I had to use the wardrobe rail instead.

The gym

I loved how spacious the gym was and that it had a good amount of machines and weights. There were towels provided and a water dispenser.

Meeting rooms

The Aloft Liverpool has five meeting rooms with a capacity of up to 120 people. The largest one pictured below is popular for weddings thanks to its size and a smaller separate room which can be used as a kitchen. The Aloft caters for everything from civil ceremony to drink reception, wedding breakfast and drink reception.

The room was very spacious and I liked the design.  I normally don’t spend too much time in my hotel rooms, but as the weather was bad, I only went out for a bit and enjoyed listening to music, sitting on the bean bag and reading a book.  It worked perfectly well for that.

In part 2 of my review of Aloft Liverpool (click here) I will look at the restaurant, bar and public spaces as well as what it costs as a Starwood Preferred Guest redemption.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)