Pullman Liverpool Hotel Review, Liverpool, England.

The Pullman Liverpool Hotel is a 4 star contemporary hotel right in the heart of the city. With a level of luxury and integrated technology far beyond its modest, mid range price and a charm that runs far deeper than its corporate façade, the Pullman Hotel is perfect for flashpackers or travellers who want to add some amazing value luxury to their stay. Check out this review of the Pullman Hotel and see exactly why this is a perfect staycation or weekend break option in Liverpool.

This is a paid article written in partnership with Pullman Liverpool Hotel with products or services supplied by them. Full editorial integrity is maintained at all times. The views and opinions expressed are entirely the authors own based on personal experiences when travelling and are honest and factual without any bias.

From the minute you see the Pullman’s imposing statement building, flanked by the architectural gems of the exhibition centres and the grand, double floor entrance, the Accor philosophy of ‘superior as standard’ really hits home. Words like stylish, luxury and upmarket are all easily applied here, but this doesn’t mean that it is not accessible for any traveller who wants a staycation in Liverpool. In fact it means that the average city break in a standard mid range hotel can be easily replaced with something far grander, far more flashpacker luxurious and with a sense of architectural heritage and upmarket style.

On a superficial surface level, the Pullman seems the ideal corporate cookie cutter hotel, edging toward the top of the mid range price bracket and with easy access to the adjoining BT convention centre, the Exhibition Centre Liverpool and the M&S Bank (forever known as the Echo) Arena, it is not unusual to see suited and booted business people coming to and from the purpose built meeting rooms across an entire executive floor and taking advantage of the laid back luxury designed to make life easy in every way possible. The Pullman is perfectly suited to those corporate types heading to their all important business and convention meetings.

In many ways that is exactly what it is, a 4 star contemporary and stylish hotel with every luxury and high spec mod con any business traveller could want, but it also offers so much more for any mid range tourist or flashpacker looking for a short getaway or staycation.

But much like the city of Liverpool itself, it is when you dig beneath the surface a little that you discover a deep well of character and soul to the Pullman Hotel Liverpool that is just waiting to welcome you in and surprise you.

The purpose built building has been intentionally designed to establish a link to the rich maritime history of the Kings Dock with stacked blocks looking like huge stacks off timber that were once loaded onto here from tall ships and sweeping statements of brushed copper and stone, and at the same time reflect the new regeneration of the space with huge swathes of mirrored glass and chrome extending out from the attached Exhibition Centre.

The grand, high spec architecture extends through to the lobby itself, a huge, double height space that wows you with its open plan aspect and then draws you into a surprisingly warm and cosy interior. Dark, earthy colours, impressive pillars of stone and warm, hanging bulbs that could very easily be an art instillation in and of itself all give the lobby a sense of down to earth luxury and that’s before you mention the statement piece of a jet black globe that bring you back to the location after the sea of glass and chrome.

The Pullman hotel is very much a high spec, destination hotel that is a huge part of the space it is built in. More than just a functional building, it can very legitimately call itself an actual Liverpool landmark, or at the very least a part of one. The building itself is specifically designed to be a significant part of the iconic convention centre and arena complex, making it an essential part of its environment and for that reason alone makes the Pullman much more than just a simple hotel for a traveller to sleep in for a few nights.

When you stay at the Pullman Liverpool you really feel like you are anchored in the Kings Dock and staying in a strong part of a vital Liverpool location. The corporate façade is softened considerably when you look a little deeper by the little touches inside that are filled with Scouse heart and soul, the featured iconic views over the city let you experience the destination even when you come back to the hotel to rest and there are plenty of little touches that welcome you in to what is one of the most uniquely cultural cities on the planet.

Location.

The Pullman is right in the heart of the King’s Dock, part of Liverpool’s extensively redeveloped waterfront area. This means that the Pullman has easy access to the entire city which is just on the doorstep but at the same time is removed just enough from the hustle and bustle that it offers an enticing escape too.

The main train stations of Liverpool Central, Lime Street and Moorfields are just ten or fifteen minutes easy walk away or a couple of minutes by taxi or Uber, and all the main sites and attractions of Liverpool are within easy walking distance. Basically everything you need to explore Liverpool is right here at your fingertips, but you never feel like you are right in the thick of things.

The Pullman Hotel is just a few minutes walk away from the famous Albert Dock and Liverpool One (both being literally next door), with a huge choice of bars, restaurants and shops all within easy reach, and the Baltic Market, (Liverpool’s trendy Shoreditch, Brooklyn and Northern Quarter all rolled into one creative, independent cultural hub) is just around the corner for anyone who wants some of the city’s most unique and independent places to eat, drink and play.

On a practical level there is a small supermarket and a couple of fast food restaurants just a few minutes walk away across one of the many bridges leading off the dock area. They are not right on your doorstep but are close enough to still be convenient if you need anything.

And if that isn’t enough, the Pullman also organises a 5K Art Run taking in some of the city’s most iconic installations and structures, showing you just how easily accessible the city is.

Obviously with the exhibition centre, conference centre and the Arena in the same gentrified space as the hotel itself makes the hotel ideal for anyone attending a conference or a concert, but more than that it is ideally situated for any visitor who just wants to explore Liverpool on a weekend city break or staycation too.

The Service.

Checking in was unbelievably easy and hassle free. It is hard not to be wowed by the vast space as you walk in and the lack of the usual focal point of a reception really lets you lose yourself for a moment and admire it before being led to the temporary reception at the end of the building where a warm, traditionally scouse welcome was waiting.

All infection control procedures were of course strictly adhered to, but the potential harshness of these and the usual formalities of check in was mitigated by a warm chat about our journey and plans.

I actually really liked this less standardised personal approach, and it felt much more akin to a family welcoming you into a homestay rather than a formal, exclusive hotel. The dispensing of traditional formalities didn’t in any way impact on the professionalism of the staff at all and I was welcomed, all booked in and heading up to my room in no time.

The Pullman has introduced Accor Hotel’s ALLSAFE protocol throughout the hotel which is a comprehensive infection prevention and control policy designed to keep guests safe and reduce the potential risk of infection as much as possible, and as a qualified nurse highly trained in IPC procedure, I was genuinely impressed. From a reinforced and intensive cleaning programme with a focus on high contact areas, making as much of the check in process as contactless as possible and providing guests with more sanitizers, the standards of hygiene and cleanliness at the Pullman were second to none and the staff genuinely went above and beyond in implementing virus safe procedures and working with guests in a safe way. The most important aspect of it though, beyond the clinical effectiveness of course, was that it felt completely unobtrusive and did not impact on the friendliness of the staff or the experience of the hotel in any way.

The Room.

The room was fantastic, as is to be expected at this level of luxury. A huge, comfortable bed, high spec décor and a truly awesome rainfall power shower that felt like a waterfall! I didn’t have much planned for my weekend stay here which was a good thing as I really did not want to leave the room! It really did just invite me to sit and relax!

All the expected mod cons were there of course, a huge 55″ TV, toiletries, tea and coffee and the usual hotel room mystery light switch guessing game, but one thing that should always be pointed out and applauded was the sheer number of plug sockets in exactly the places you would need them! Double sockets on either side of the bed, one by the small desk table and a couple near to the cabinet holding the kettle, safe and fridge! So many places get that wrong so any hotel that lets me charge my phone by my bed and laptop and everything else at the same time gets a huge thumbs up!

Each room also boasts more of the little local touches too with a huge mural above the bed reminding visitors to the links to both Liverpool as a whole and more specifically the history of the Kings Dock the hotel now sits on. I really can’t stress how important those individual touches are in building the character of the hotel and the Pullman does it in real style.

The View.

But I’ve saved the best bit about the room for last. I’ve stayed in hotels all over the world and many of them had awesome views, amazing cityscapes and grand, sweeping vistas to boast of, but none of them made a feature of it like the Pullman Liverpool does.

You don’t just get a great view in the rooms here, you get a purpose built, living work of art that all guests are invited to sit and enjoy.

The waterfront of Liverpool is an epically beautiful place to behold, that is beyond doubt and does not need any waxing lyrical from me to convey its natural charm, but the way the window frames the view like a work of art and provides a sofa to sit and enjoy it treats the cityscape like the Walker Art Gallery would treat a Rembrandt and is one of the unique features of the Pullman hotel.

The Amenities.

The Pullman Liverpool is perfect for anyone attending any conference or event and actually had an undercover elevated footbridge leading to the Exhibition Centre Liverpool and a raft of executive services and meeting rooms and a lounge available for anyone who is doing so.

That doesn’t mean the average traveller is left out though and there are a lot of high class amenities on offer here that gives the Pullman just that little extra edge in quality and value for money.

The room service options are reasonably priced compared to the takeaway options in the city, and surprisingly aren’t that much more expensive that it discourages you from using it for an in room meal instead of calling for a takeaway delivery. The TV even has a selection of free recently released movies too which I thought was a nice touch for a night in, and is still relatively rare in many hotels.

There is no sauna or steam room attached to the fitness centre which is a shame but the gym itself is great!

The fitness centre wasn’t massive, but was bigger than most I have seen and has large, dedicated areas for cardio, free weights and stretching. There was more than enough equipment for a good workout with a decent range of free weights suitable for more than a small child, which already gives it top marks over most hotel gyms, and it really felt like a lot of thought had gone into the space unlike many hotel gyms.

The attached in house restaurant was also a beautifully decorated and luxuriously appointed space. The architectural theme of the lobby ran throughout and I loved the little touches like the hanging lights and the black and white historical photos of the docks.

I never used it for an evening meal as frankly there is so much choice in the city you don’t need to, but I did use it for breakfast and it did not disappoint. The breakfast menu is quite basic but offers all the traditional choices from simple cereals, a continental option and of course a full English, and of course I had to try it all, purely from a research point of view you understand, and it was all done perfectly!

Again, as in the rest of the hotel the service was beyond friendly and helpful, everyone went out of their way to help, to stop and say hello or have a little chat, but they were never overbearing with it either. And of course I have to give a huge shout out to their service when it comes to allergies and dietary preferences as well. They do have gluten free and vegetarian options as standard but every member of staff there, from the Maître D’ to the kitchen staff went above and beyond, chatting about what exactly was required, coming out to ask specific questions about allergies and making sure that everything they could do to make the meal perfect, right and safe for each individual, and most importantly – and I can’t stress this enough – not once, in any way shape or form did they make any of that seem like an imposition. There are a lot of restaurants that can really learn a lot from the staff here, so if you do have dietary preferences, intolerances or allergies, you have absolutely nothing to worry about here!

The one thing that let the Pullman Hotel down slightly was the parking, although it isn’t entirely the hotel’s fault to be fair. The parking options themselves are excellent, with an open, well lit car park immediately next door and a few much larger multi story options just next door to that. They are all quite expensive however and none are owned by or have a deal with the hotel which means there are no discounts for staying guests, which is a shame. I would have liked to have seen a discount for guests at least.

The Verdict.

The Pullman Liverpool is a fantastic luxury accommodation option at a very reasonable mid range budget and is great value for all travellers and flashpackers looking for a weekend city break, staycation or a base to explore Liverpool. Look past the corporate façade and you will find a pristine, high spec hotel that is a modern addition to the Liverpool waterfront’s grand heritage.

The Pullman Liverpool Hotel is located on the King’s Dock, Port of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 4FP.

Bemused Backpacker always recommends booking directly where it is possible. Ready to book? The Pullman Liverpool Hotel website can be found here.

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