Shock closure of seaside hotel leaves staff and customers in dire straits | England | News

A hotel in Blackpool once voted one of TripAdvisor’s top destinations has suddenly closed, leaving staff and customers confused and out of pocket.

Blackpool Resort Hotel’s website was updated to ‘closed’ earlier this month and its email and phone lines were suddenly disconnected.

A former employee was among the locals most caught off guard by the news after he was suddenly fired despite successfully passing his probationary period.

“I worked there for about four months and passed my probation, then out of the blue I got an email saying I had been made redundant,” they told Blackpool Gazette.

Another visitor was left out of pocket after paying £140 to book a seaside hotel only to discover it was no longer available.

“I booked the hotel for a getaway in August and was told to phone two weeks before arrival to pay for parking,” he told the local newspaper.

“I was told the hotel is currently closed and I have not been contacted by the owner or heard anything from them regarding a refund.”

A spokesman for Booking.com said customers who book through the site will be offered alternative accommodation or receive a refund.

The three-star hotel was perfectly located on the Golden Mile and could be reached on foot from the South Pier in less than 20 minutes.

The most recent TripAdvisor reviews for the attraction were in October and were largely negative, with visitors criticizing the “prison cell” rooms, “frayed carpets” and “dirty, chipped paint”.

Travelers who stayed earlier in the year described it as a “beautiful overnight spot” with “wonderful and helpful staff” and sea views. It was also among the winners of the 2024 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards, ranking among the top 10% of accommodation facilities on the platform.