Liverpool Biennial has announced a number of new partnerships for its 2012 exhibition.

Hotel Indigo Liverpool will be the official hotel partner, and The Cotton Lounge is the official bar partner.

In addition, The Monro and The James Monro are official restaurant partners.

Hotel Indigo Liverpool is located within the commercial district of Liverpool, whilst The Cotton Lounge bar is situated within Hotel Indigo.

Paul Smith, Executive Director of Liverpool Biennial, said: “Hotel Indigo will ensure that Liverpool Biennial 2012 maintains the level of ambition and quality that is associated with the UK’s leading festival of contemporary art.

David Hughes, General Manager of Hotel Indigo Liverpool, said: “We look forward to working closely with the Biennial team in making the event a huge and continued success.”

The partnership with The Monro Group is based on its reputation for food, atmosphere and service. Will Lyons, owner of The Monro Group, said: “The partnership is a reflection of our passion to celebrate Liverpool’s world leading cultural landscape.”

Liverpool Biennial is a free contemporary art festival, presented every two years.

Liverpool Biennial 2012 will take place from September 15 2012 to November 25 2012. For more information, visit www.biennial.com.

One of the capital’s most popular independent boutique hotels launches its unique “smart luxury” concept in Liverpool next month.

base2stay, which opens in the city centre’s historic Rope Walks district, is the perfect base for business trips, to hold events or take in the city’s wealth of culture.

Chief executive, Robert Nadler, said the decision to choose Liverpool for the second base2stay hotel in the country wasn’t a hard one. “Liverpool has been transformed from a city starved of investment to one of Europe’s “must-see” destinations. The principle drivers of Capital of Culture 2008, Liverpool One, the Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre generated a wave of further investment which has changed the city centre almost beyond recognition.”

Rooms are available from 1st August. For the latest news and special offers, visit www.base2stayliverpool.com, find us on Facebook or call 0151 705 2626.