Cheshire – For those seeking a break in Cheshire, the four-star Daresbury Park Hotel must have seemed the perfect choice.
It was offering spa deals – bed and breakfast, spa treatments, wine and dinner – reduced from £118.75 to £69.
What those who booked did not expect, however, was that they would be sharing their holiday with asylum seekers and would have to queue for food with them.
The hotel, located off the M56 in the town of Warrington, had become temporary home to up to 35 of them. With double rooms there costing £50 a night, it is believed it will have cost the taxpayer more than £2,000 to put them up.
Guests went online to complain about the situation at Daresbury Park, which is owned by the Britannia hotel group.
This is the third time in less than six months that the chain has been criticised by guests for accommodating asylum seekers. More than 88 refugees from war-torn countries were housed at the Roundhouse hotel in Bournemouth in September. A further 67 stayed at the three-star Heathlands hotel in the same town. Both are owned by Britannia.
One 45-year-old woman guest at Daresbury Park, who did not want to be named, said: ‘If I had known they were going to be here I would definitely not have booked. It’s terrible for me to say but I am not happy about asylum seekers being put up in great numbers in a hotel.’
Others went on TripAdvisor to complain. One compared the hotel to a ‘soup kitchen with a little bit of intimidation thrown in’.
The unnamed guest wrote: ‘I cannot believe that we had to queue up with asylum seekers for our meals! I was led to believe this was a four-star hotel, therefore I would imagine a decent dress code would apply. However, due to the number of flip-flop and anorak wearing refugees we felt really overdressed.
‘The floor we were allocated was occupied by some of these people, and all they did was hang around in the corridors, talking on their phones.
‘As long as these poor refugees are getting full bed and board at this hotel at our expense, I think we will find somewhere else to spend our hard-earned money.’
Approached at the weekend, the manager of the hotel said: ‘No comment.’
Daresbury Park was forced to close its swimming pool over Christmas because of blood worms, the Warrington Guardian reported.
One customer told the newspaper: ‘The club has been closed numerous times by environmental health and after Googling blood worms, I found out it is down to dirt and cleanliness of the leisure club.’
Last year Britannia Hotels was voted worst hotel chain in the UK by Which? magazine. The group is owned by entrepreneur Alex Langsam, who is worth an estimated £70 million.
In 2011/12, the Home Office spent £150 million on accommodation for asylum seekers.
Daily Mail