Four-star migrant hotel covers up Hilton branding after protesters targeted previous buildings

Daily Mail​

a day ago

A four-star migrant hotel has covered up its Hilton branding after protesters targeted similar buildings.
The DoubleTree by Hilton in Cranford, west London, closed itself off to its traditional clientele of tourists and business travellers in November after admitting a host of all-male migrants.
Concerns were raised at the time about the hotel's close proximity to several schools.
And bosses have now got rid of any sign that the DoubleTree was ever open to guests, obscuring several branded notices.
Eerie pictures have shown grey boards covering signs which would have advertised the establishment to paying visitors in days gone by.
Another attempt to banish the hotel's former identity saw a huge tarpaulin draped over a logo at the top of the building.
Various signs across the car park and the establishment's entrance have now become just blank spaces.
Rooms at DoubleTree hotels in the surrounding area cost between £91 and £260 a night.
Photos from the west London building from last year show the establishment's luxury, including lush rooms and state-of-the-art facilities including a gym and restaurant.
It is not clear whether migrants have access to these on-site perks.
People attempting to book a room at the Cranford hotel online are greeted by a message saying that it is not available 'for those dates'.
Many locals, including those of Asian descent, have panned the decision to move asylum seekers into the DoubleTree without prior warning.
The hotel is leased by the Home Office through Clearsprings Ready Homes, whose boss Graham King has a whopping net worth of £750million and is known as the 'Asylum King'.
The Daily Mail has approached Hilton for comment.
It comes after asylum seekers appeared to have moved into glitzy four-star Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf, London under the cover of darkness.
A coach full of suspected migrants was seen arriving at the establishment at around 1.40am on Saturday morning.
Tower Hamlets Council confirmed the Government intends to use the hotel - which has around 500 rooms - for asylum seekers in a move that has angered anti-migrant protesters and guests whose bookings have been cancelled.
Footage of the passengers getting off the coach showed they were all men, with the vast majority dressed in matching grey tracksuit tops and bottoms.
They were helped by masked security guards, some of whom appeared to be wearing body cameras.
Last week, workers were seen hauling beds and mattresses into the hotel in preparation for the arrival of 'hundreds' of asylum seekers.
A barricade of metal fencing was placed around the hotel by the Metropolitan Police after anti-migrant demonstrators protested the plan for immigrants to be housed there.
Met Police officers were called to the Britannia International Hotel last week amid warnings the 'discontent is real' in Britain.
Footage on social media shows eggs were thrown, while a police helicopter was circling above as officers on the ground blocked the entrance to the hotel which has more than 500 rooms and is located on the waterfront of the South Dock.
The Canary Wharf protest did not reach the violence seen in Epping, with YouTuber-types making up a large proportion of the crowd in preparation for any tension.
Bosses have now got rid of any sign that the DoubleTree was ever open to guests, obscuring several branded notices
The hotel pictured in a wider shot, with many signs now removed and a sheet covering the main bit of branding at the top
However, there were still dozens of protesters - some wearing masks and others draped in St George's flags. One placard said: 'This is a peaceful protest to protect our own.'
Counter-protesters also gathered outside the scene - and in one clip appeared to be escorted away from the hotel by police as protesters followed behind.
Furious hotel guests have left damning reviews online, claiming they were told their stays were 'cancelled'.
While guests claimed they were not given a reason for the cancellations, a spokesman for Tower Hamlets Council confirmed: 'We are aware of the Government's decision to use the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
'It is important that the Government ensures that there is a full package of support for those staying at the hotel.
'We are working with the Home Office and partners to make sure that all necessary safety and safeguarding arrangements are in place.'
A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'Since this Government took office, we have taken immediate action to fix the asylum system, removing more than 35,000 people with no right to be here in our first year.
'From over 400 asylum hotels open in summer 2023, costing almost £9million a day, there are now less than 210, and we want them all closed by the end of this Parliament.
People attempting to book a room at the Cranford hotel, pictured in a general view shot, online are greeted by a message saying that it is not available 'for those dates'
'We will continue to work closely with community partners across the country, and discuss any concerns they have, as we look to fix this broken system together.
'In the interim, the security of the local communities within which hotels are located will always be our first priority.'
Protests have broken out across the country this summer, with more than 150 gathering outside The Park Hotel, in Diss, Norfolk last week after the Home Office announced plans to change it from housing asylum-seeker families to single men.
Trouble first broke out in Epping two weeks ago after Ethiopian asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town by attempting to kiss her. He denies the charges.
The protest started peacefully, but descended into frenzied violence when anti-migrant demonstrators clashed with counter protesters and police.