A FLOATING hotel which is painted to look like the sinking Titanic has been slammed for being in “poor taste”.

The controversial three-bed Titanic Liverpool hotel, docked in the city's Salthouse Dock, is set to open next week.

But the hotel owner, Alfie Bubbles, who is also a former merchant seaman, said the new hotel is “just a bit of fun” and has been well received - despite making light of the tragedy.

More than 1,500 people died, including hundreds of crew from Hampshire when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton in April 1912 after hitting an iceberg.

The ship also has ties with Liverpool because the port was the headquarters of the White Star Line, the shipping company which owned the liner.

Liverpool Seafarers' Centre chief executive John Wilson said he was mainly concerned about the hotel's location near a Merchant Navy memorial and in full view of the White Star Building.

He also said the themed floating hotel may offend living relatives in the Merseyside area who lost relatives who worked on the liner.

“I just feel at the back of my mind it is in poor taste for those who lost their lives,” he said.

Mr Bubbles currently runs two other floating hotels in the dock, the FAB4 Beatles Yellow Submarine Hotel and the other themed around the Batman villain The Joker.

He said was “not in poor taste at all” and the optical illusion was just “a bit of fun!”.