Luxury hotel becomes accommodation for asylum seekers

A luxury hotel has become accommodation for asylum seekers, Bristol24/7 can reveal.

The hotel, which we are not naming due to safety reasons, has stopped taking bookings and reservations have been cancelled.

The first refugees moved into the building on Wednesday and Bristol24/7 understands that its almost 300 rooms are set to be full within six weeks.

A worker at the hotel, who does wish to be named out of fear of losing her job, said staff were informed of the change on August 25.

She says that since then, up to 40 staff across various departments including the entire bar, kitchen and reception teams, have lost their jobs and that more job losses are expected.

“It was a shock and it’s just the fact so many people have lost their jobs, it’s like they broke up our family, there’s no spirit in there anymore,” the worker told Bristol24/7.

“Tuesday was the last day that we had guests. It’s changed overnight, there’s security everywhere, leaflets and posters up everywhere, its horrible.

“It’s awful, really awful. There’s a lot of anger and bitterness at the minute in the hotel.”

The hotel includes multiple conference rooms which have been converted to prayer and storage rooms. Its gym and swimming pool have been closed off.

Staff have been told that the new arrangement will last at least a year and potentially longer.

The worker said that she is “absolutely devastated”. She said: “It’s not that I disagree with us helping them but it’s how they’ve dealt with it is completely wrong.

“I think it’s absolutely shocking that they can just do this to us – within not even a week.

“There hasn’t been a lot of sympathy, empathy or consideration for us.”

The worker said that refugees have been living on one floor of the hotel for two years but they were moved out just before staff were told of the current arrangement.

She added: “They started putting new TVs into the rooms, upgraded the car parking. We have electrical charges in the car park now. We were all led to believe this would go back to being a hotel.

“And then within less than a week, we got pulled into the meeting to say it’s now going to be full of refugees.”

A spokesperson for the group which runs the hotel told Bristol24/7 to direct all correspondence regarding the matter to the Home Office directly.

A Home Office spokesperson said it does not comment on commercial arrangements for individual sites used for asylum accommodation.

The spokesperson said: “The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

“We have been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable. There are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £6m a day.

“The Home Office is committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use and limit the burden on the taxpayer.”

Main photo: Pixabay 

Read next:

• The refugee charities bridging borders in Bristol
• The Bristol women supporting refugees and asylum seekers
• The refugee-owned farming business with dreams to expand

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