Mikhail Hotel And Leisure Group is investing further in Southport this year as it looks to unveil more exciting new developments in the booming seaside town.
The firm has led the way in recent years, revitalising the northern end of Lord Street into the vibrant ‘Northern Quarter’.
Mikhail Hotel And Leisure Group specialises in taking over under-utilised landmark heritage assets and transforming them into top quality hospitality venues.
The firm has created scores of jobs in Southport after first buying and then renovating The Bold Hotel on Lord Street.
The venue won the Southport Hotel Of The Year title at last year’s Your Southport Stars Awards, and is the oldest hotel in Southport, having welcomed visitors since 1832.
Other nearby sites operated by Mikhail Hotel And Leisure Group include The Grand, which originally opened in 1924 and later became The Grand Casino.
The firm also runs the Lord Street Hotel; Punch Tarmey’s Irish bar on Lord Street; Mavericks bar on Lord Street; and the Southport Market bar.
This is a hugely exciting year for Southport, with The Open golf championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club attracting visitors from around the world 12th-19th July.
Four brand new major events include Lightport (14th-16th February), Cristal Palace (3rd-4th April), the Big Top Festival (2nd-3rd May) and Books Alive! (24th-31st), adding to established local events such as Southport Flower Show, Southport Air Show and Southport Comedy Festival.
Major developments happening this year include the restoration of Southport Pier with £20 million of Government funding, the £10m creation of a new Town Hall Gardens and building work starting on the £73 million Marine Lake Events Centre.
Mikhail Hotel And Leisure Group Chairman Andrew Mikhail said:
“2026 is going to be an incredibly exciting year for Southport!
“I am passionate about Southport and its future. It has huge potential to become one of the leading seaside destinations in the UK.
“Mikhail Hotel And Leisure Group has invested heavily into Southport in recent years and we are proud to operate some of the town’s busiest hotels, restaurants, bars and events venues.
“We are continuing to develop our portfolio and have some very exciting news to announce soon – watch this space!
“As a business we specialise in taking over landmark heritage sites and bringing new life to them.
“We have identified the next sites in Southport we are keen to develop.
“There have been lots of conversations taking place with Sefton Council, and we are very grateful for our excellent relationship and for their ongoing guidance and support.
“As well as investing in buildings, we also invest in people.
“We teamed up with Sefton Council and other local businesses to support the Sefton Caring Business Charter.
“We work closely with Southport Learning Trust to stage events such as Southport’s Best Sandwich Competition and Southport’s Best Dessert Competition, which sees local high school students working in our kitchens with our chefs to showcase and develop their skills.
“We work with Southport College and Meols Cop High School in Southport to run apprenticeship schemes and offer talented young people careers in the hospitality industry.
“Our ambition for this year is to keep working hard, developing our offer and doing all we can to put Southport on the map.
“2026 is an incredibly exciting time for Southport with The Open returning, all the new major events, and the massive investment taking place.
“There are so many reasons for people to come and enjoy spending time in Southport and we look forward to giving them a warm welcome across our venues.”
Throughout 2026, Southport will host a programme of new live events and cultural content all designed to showcase the best of the famous seaside town.
Organised in partnership with Sefton Council, the Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership and others, the project aims to recapture the incredible heritage of Southport as a ‘playground for the north’.
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