Liverpool party hotels owner Lawrence Kenwright declared bankrupt

Lawrence and Katie Kenwright, known for the Signature Living Group and their party-oriented hotels, have been declared bankrupt.

The couple were the driving force behind a host of hotels across Liverpool, including 30 James Street, The Shankly Hotel and The Dixie Dean Hotel, as well as other properties such as apartment blocks. This week they were declared bankrupt by the Government's insolvency service.

The two bankruptcy orders, made at Liverpool County Court on January 30, will last for 12 months, and come after a spate of difficult years for the Signature Living Group, which had around 60 businesses under it by the time the pandemic struck.

The group had grown rapidly in the 2010s, opening swanky hotels in the city centre as well as wedding venues and residential properties. The group opened the iconic Shankly Hotel in Millennium House on the corner of Victoria Street in 2015, with the hotel being called one of the most Instagrammable in the UK.

However, over the past few years the group has faced challenges which included six of its businesses going into administration in 2020. Then in the summer of 2022 four of its businesses went into administration with Companies House revealing they owed a combined £56m.

Other properties owned by Signature Living include multiple party pads across the city, which have the capacity to sleep 10 or more people in luxury. Its portfolio also includes Alma De Cuba, the Dixie Dean Hotel and the Arthouse Hotel.

The bankruptcy orders will end on January 30, 2025.