Highland hotels to close doors after major UK hotel leisure group enters administration as a result of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic's economic impact; Specialist Leisure Group - which ran Shearings Holidays, Bay Hotels, Caledonian Travel and several other brands - has collapsed
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THE collapse of another major holiday travel group has sparked more woe for the Highland hotel trade tonight.
Several Highland hotels will not now be reopening their doors after the Specialist Leisure Group announced it had entered administration.
The collapse of the group, which operated the likes of Shearings Holidays and Bay Hotels, has sparked the lost of almost 2500 jobs across the UK – many of whom had already been furloughed but will now be made redundant.
Among the sites to close is the Bay Highland Hotel in Strathpeffer. One of the most prominent landmarks in the village, it overlooks the square.
And it is not the only Highland outlet affected by the news, with the Caledonian Hotel in Fort William, the Pitlochry Hydro Hotel in Pitlochry and the Bay Great Western Hotel in Oban all among the casualties.
In all, some 44 hotels across the UK will be closing their doors as a result of today's announcement.
News of the loss of further Highland hotels comes just two weeks after the collapse of Hart Hotels prompted the closure of the Garve Hotel in Garve and Mackay's Hotel in Strathpeffer.
Confirming today's news on the Bay Hotels website, Specialist Leisure Group said: "All tours, cruises, holidays and hotel breaks booked with the Specialist Leisure Group have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
"The Specialist Leisure Group operated several businesses that sold holidays and other travel arrangements under the following brand names, which have all ceased to trade, due to the impact of Covid-19.
- This is Shearings
- National Holidays
- ukbreakaways.com
- Bay Hotels
- Coast & Country Hotels
- Country Lives Hotels
- Caledonian Travel
- Wallace Arnold Travel
- Sportingbreaks.com
"All hotels trading as Bay Hotels, Coast & Country Hotels and Country Living Hotels will not reopen."
Administrators EY, reported that around 70 employees across the UK will retain their jobs in the short term in order to enable them to "dispose of assets" and "wind down" the business.
Visit www.bayhotels.co.uk for the full Specialist Leisure Group administration statement, as well as advise for any customers affected by the closure of its various brands.
