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Renita Jablonski: 2008 is a big year for American politics — and overseas, a big year for Liverpool. The northern British city has been chosen as a European capital of culture, and the locals are expecting a lot of tourists. Some lucky visitors may even get to spend the night with Liverpool’s most famous foursome. Alex McRae has more.

Alex McRae: You’ve sung along to their records. Now, you can spend the night with the Fab Four in the town they made famous. The Hard Days Night Hotel opens today in Liverpool. It’s been three years and $40 million in the making.

Mike Dewey is the general manager:

Mike Dewey: The hotel is a four-star boutique hotel with a twist. And the twist is the Beatles.

Nine-foot statues of George, John, Paul and Ringo surround the hotel’s entrance. Beatles-themed artwork and memorabilia line the walls. The hotel hopes to capitalize on the group’s global popularity.

Dewey: We hope we’ll appeal to a broad church of people, whether they’re Beatles fans or not.

As the Beatle’s song goes, money can’t buy you love. But it can buy a night in the hotel’s John Lennon suite, with all-white decor and a white baby grand piano, for $1,300.

In London, I’m Alex McRae for Marketplace.