Hotels are vital to Liverpool's success as a conference venue.

Competition is healthy, says Roberts
The chairman of the Liverpool Hoteliers Association is encouraging the industry to embrace the arrival of the Hilton to Liverpool One. Stephen Roberts, general manager of the Crowne Plaza Liverpool City Centre, said rather than treat the move as a threat, fellow Liverpool hotels should see the positives. "Of course, we have to be mindful of the recession and everyone is trying hard to fill their beds, but competition is always healthy in the hotel industry," he said. "It keeps everyone at the top of their game." Insider Business News, Liverpool edition

I just picked up this story on the wires about possible rumblings between hoteliers in Liverpool, and that the chairman of the Liverpool Hoteliers Association is encouraging some mutual appreciation.

As a former member of Labour's NEC, I can recall many meetings where we discussed potential venues for annual party conference and it always came down to one key consideration - were there enough hotels to cater for the many thousands of people who would want to come?

There were bids from members for the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham but unfortunately, in point of fact, it is not in Birmingham and there was nowhere for people to stay. What about Scarborough? someone would suggest, a lovely conference centre at the Spa, self-contained, lots of room, easy enough to secure, but alas, not enough hotels.

Liverpool's new conference centre is obviously very important to the city, in terms of securing big gigs like ours, but it is the growth of the hotel accomodation that has made the difference. We could have set Party conference up in Picton Sports centre, at a pinch, but without the hotels it was never going to happen.

So I am with Stephen Roberts on this, we should be welcoming the new Hilton, which looks pretty nearly finished to me, having driven by there over the weekend.