Historic Blackpool hotel on the point of being sold

The iconic hotel had been put up for sale in April last year by its owners The Hotel Collection with a guide price of £10.5m.

It was part of a group of 10 large hotels from all over the country, known as Project Solstice, of which four remained unsold at Christmas.

The 180 bedroomed, Grade II listed building on North Promenade went under offer in November on agents’ Savills’ website and it has now gone from the site.

A Savills spokesman said: “We can confirm the Imperial has been taken off the market as a deal has been agreed with a potential purchaser.

“No further details area available at this stage.”

The red-brick seafront hotel dates from around 1867 and has played host to many famous guests including Charles Dickens,Winston Churchill, Fred Astaire, The Beatles,Princess Margaret and Princess Anne.

It was a regular haunt of top politicians in the party conference heyday of Blackpool.

It has recently undergone extensive refurbishment.

£1,5m was spent in the past year in sprucing up the exterior and the public areas.

The Palm Court Restaurant and Number 10 bar plus the lounge and health club have also recently received attention.

A Turkish bath area was uncovered earlier this year when the renovations were being carried out and work to restore them begun by the Blackpool Civic Society.

In 1901, a suite of Russian, Turkish and seawater plunge baths were built in the basement of the former wing of the hotel but were covered over in a 1960s revamp.

It served as a hospital for shell-shocked officers in World War I and as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in World War II when the civil service was evacuated from blitz hit London.

It has a restaurant, bar, health club and 14 conference rooms catering for up to 600 delegates.