A new serviced apartment development on Duke Street expects it to gain listed status, after an £800,000 investment to convert it from an office nears completion.

The Epic Aparthotel Duke Street opened this week offering 17 rooms ranging from ePod-style rooms for short stay visitors to larger rooms capable of catering for groups. It is being converted from an office, which has lain empty since the 1980s.

The building on 75 Duke Street is one of the few unlisted buildings in the area and the refurbishment could lead to listed status, says Paris D’Allessandro, general manager.

“It’s not listed so we’ve had flexibility but we wanted to keep the heritage, which is why we’ve restored the façade by replacing all the brickwork – that’s where an overspend has occurred. We’ve purchased sash windows for the front to give it the look of what it was like in the 1930s.

“We’re expecting somebody to knock on our door and ask to list it. That will be exciting.”

The new apart-hotel caters for people visiting the likes of the Echo Arena and other city centre tourist attractions, says Paris.

Bookings for the hotel are already being taken and Paris says many of the rooms are booked for big events in the summer such as One Magnificent City and Sound City.

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