While the leisure and tourism sector in the city is enjoying a busy summer season, Ann Chambers, founder and Managing Director of iStay Liverpool, is celebrating winning a second major business award in 2022. At the recent City of Liverpool Business Awards, Ann and her iStay brand, took home the prestigious and hotly contested Chair Award 2022.
The Awards, now in their 15th year, recently celebrated at the beautiful Palm House in Sefton Park, crowned leading enterprises and businesses across the Liverpool City Region. Over 200 leading lights from the area’s commercial community attended, bringing together a comprehensive array of businesses from recent start-ups to established international powerhouses.
Earlier this year, in March, Ann was named Newcomer of the Year 2022 in a highly competitive category packed with some of the area’s most talented female achievers, at the The Downtown in Business Women in Business Awards 2022. The awards acknowledge the finest female-led businesses, the established and up-and-coming entrepreneurs, and the women who make the most valuable contributions to the growth of the Liverpool City Region economy.
Having created a formidable presence in the hotel and leisure industry in the city, Ann has built a portfolio of apart-hotels in key locations including Temple Court, Water Street, Duke Street, Bold Street, The Merchant, Maison Townhouse and the recently launched Harrisons Aparthotel, in iStay Liverpool, Ann has spearheaded a business which has placed its own unique stamp on the city’s hotel and leisure and industry.
Ann is also currently looking to the future in terms of consolidating the firm business footing iStay Liverpool has already established, as well as putting in place ambitious yet achievable expansion goals, including two major new sites in Liverpool, in addition to an entirely new concern in Manchester.
Ann Chambers Managing Director of iStay Liverpool explains: ‘Since our very first launch several years ago, I am really proud not just of the business but of the team I have assembled, who have been in place so that we could prepare to enter the market as lockdown ended, and has enabled us as a business to flourish since, during some very testing and challenging economic circumstances.
I was really delighted to receive the COLBA Chair Award 2022 last week – it was both a surprise and delight to me, to be sat in a venue with people I really look up to and admire, and to have the success of iStay recognised in this way. On the back of the Newcomer of the Year at the Downtown in Business Women in Business Awards, where I felt honoured to be named Newcomer of the Year, I am just so heartened that someone like myself, a self-starter and someone quite fresh in the city’s commercial arena, will be able to encourage others to follow in my footsteps.
As a business we are enjoying such a busy summer and our key objective, to present the very best apart hotels to attract our key demographics, whilst offering them great value for money and quality accommodation, remains our USP. It is also in my nature to look to the future and to build, and so I am really excited that we are preparing to launch two further locations here in Liverpool.
After that, we will be taking the iStay brand to Manchester – it is also a thriving tourism and leisure location, and one where I know our own recipe for a great city stay will be welcomed.
All I can say is after that – watch this space! My plans won’t be stopping in the North West. However, Liverpool is very much our home and it is a city, and a culture, which my team and I are very proud to be a part of. On a personal note, I would also like to thank Frank McKenna, Downtown CEO and Group Chairman, for both of these brilliant Awards ceremonies. He provides so much support, advice, and encouragement throughout the year for businesses at every level in the region, and his expertise and networking acumen allow self-starters such as myself to connect with like-minded and established entrepreneurs across the city.’
