Fury as hotel firm housing asylum seekers in ‘all-inclusive resorts' paid £700M a year of YOUR money
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A HOTEL firm housing asylum seekers raked in £700million a year in taxpayers' cash.
Stay Belvedere Hotels Ltd, which runs 51 UK sites, has been a big winner from the boats crisis. Crossings stand at 9,638 already this year.
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Stay Belvedere Hotels runs this Ibis for asylum seekers
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A whistleblower said the hotel, which has table football on offer, is the 'same level as a four-star all-inclusive'
Credit: Darren Fletcher
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Fitness classes are on offer at the hotel
Credit: Darren Fletcher
Labour has pledged to close the hotels and 'save billions'.
Providing rooms for asylum seekers costs £5.5million a day, with 38,000 people housed in around 210 sites.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'The taxpayer is picking up the bill for Labour's loss of control of our borders.
"So far 2025 has been the worst year ever for migrants crossing the Channel, who invariably end up in taxpayer-funded hotels or flats.
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'They should be in Rwanda but Labour cancelled that scheme before it started.'
'Loss of control'
A Labour source hit back: 'Tories let the accommodation system spiral out of control, with 400 hotels costing £8million a day at its peak.
'We have made changes to save the taxpayer billions and are committed to exiting asylum hotels altogether.'
One of Stay Belvedere's asylum seeker hotels has been likened to an all-inclusive resort for offering entertainers, fitness classes, guitar lessons and fresh meals.
The Ibis Budget in Bishop's Stortford, Herts, is one of around 210 hotels housing 38,000 asylum seekers at a cost of £5.5million a day.
The mostly-male population can choose from a timetable of activities including singing and cookery classes. English lessons are provided along with a support service for immigration cases.
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A twice-daily free bus ferries them to town where they spend their £8-a-head weekly allowance — also funded by taxpayers.
Children are entertained by the visiting Buffy Playbus, a charitable organisation funded by donations.
A whistleblower told The Sun: 'It is a very well-run hotel with loads on offer. It's basically at the same level as the four-star all-inclusive I went to on holiday last year.
'They get three fresh meals a day included. Fresh fruit is available around the clock.
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Fresh meals are on offer, with some likening the hotel to an 'all-inclusive resort'
Credit: Darren Fletcher
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The mostly-male population can choose from a timetable of activities
Credit: Darren Fletcher
'I don't begrudge the kids getting the help and the residents are generally polite. But it does make you wonder will they ever want to leave?
"They all have phones and I imagine they send pictures to their mates saying, 'Come over here!' '
Stay Belvedere Hotels, which runs the Ibis, recently had its Government contract ended for 51 UK hotels they operate, because their behaviour 'fell short of expectations'.
These migrants shouldn't be getting cooking lessons in hotels — they should have been sent to Rwanda.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip
Their deal — part of a £2billion contract for accommodation — will now end in September 2026.
Asked about the daily running of the Ibis Budget and the activity timetable, a spokesperson would say only: 'SBHL has provided a consistent bus service, which has been well-received by guests.'
The Home Office says there are fewer asylum hotels open than when Labour came to power in July — when 213 were in use.
More are set to be closed, but 206 are still expected to be in operation by the end of next month.
Ending their use was a key election pledge from Labour, a task they said would be 'saving the taxpayer billions'.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp last night said it was 'another Labour promise that has turned out to be a lie'.
He added: 'These migrants shouldn't be getting cooking lessons in hotels — they should have been sent to Rwanda.'
Demand for the migrant-housing hotels is unlikely to be stemmed any time soon, with 2025 crossings on track to break records.
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Children are entertained by the visiting Buffy Playbus
Credit: Chris Eades
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The 70-room Ibis, close to Stansted, is believed to have last been open to the public in 2021
Credit: Darren Fletcher
Some 9,638 have crossed in small boats this year — 45 per cent more than this time last year.
Home Office data released last month revealed that about 10,000 people who arrived in the UK with a visa, such as for study or work, were now being provided with taxpayer-funded asylum digs.
The figure raised concerns that migrants who could financially support themselves — a fact they would have had to declare to get a visa — are still being given free stays.
To access asylum support, claimants have to tick a box saying they would otherwise be destitute. People are unable to work while asylum claims are being processed.
The Home Office said they will start reviewing the finances of residents staying in hotels from May.
Labour has blamed the Tory government for allowing a backlog of unprocessed claims to build up.
The latest data shows that at the end of the year, 41,987 people were waiting for a decision on their asylum applications.
Mr Philp highlighted that 8,000 more immigrants were in hotels since the election.
It's an insult to the taxpayer to discover that all the extra taxes Starmer has imposed are being squandered on accommodating illegal immigrants
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip
He added: 'It's an insult to the taxpayer to discover that all the extra taxes Starmer has imposed are being squandered on accommodating illegal immigrants in hotels with nice activities. Starmer is a weak PM letting Britain down.'
A Labour source hit back: 'The Tories let the asylum system spiral out of control, with 400 hotels costing £8million a day at its peak.
'We have already made changes to save the taxpayer billions on the asylum system and are committed to exiting asylum hotels altogether.'
The 70-room Ibis, close to Stansted, is believed to have last been open to the public in 2021.
A villager in nearby Birchanger said they were baffled by the arrival of the asylum seekers.
They said: 'It's a quaint location and they're plonked in the middle of the countryside. We see them walking around and getting on the bus. They keep to themselves.'
A mile down the road, the £140-a-night Great Hallingbury Manor has reopened to the public after we revealed how in November 2022 it had been closed to house 50 male asylum seekers.
Latest accounts for Stay Belvedere Hotels show that in the year to September 2022 the company had a turnover of £704.6million, making a pre-tax profit of £62.6million.
The majority of SBHL's business is believed to be their Government contracts for asylum hotels.
'Begun to restore order'
The 2022 accounts say the business was reliant on a single agency agreement. It is run by Safwan Adam, 37, a Lib Dem donor, and Bassam Gilini, 37, a property tycoon.
SBHL was removed as a government contractor last month but is still operating for now.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum Angela Eagle said then: 'Since July, we have improved contract management and added more oversight on our suppliers of asylum accommodation.
'We have made the decision to remove Stay Belvedere Hotels from the supply chain and will not hesitate to take further action to ensure Home Office contracts deliver.'
SBHL did not respond to requests about their earnings.
The Home Office said last night: 'In autumn 2023, there were more than 400 asylum hotels in use at a cost of almost £9million a day.
In the months before the election, the asylum backlog soared again as decision-making collapsed, placing the entire asylum system under unprecedented strain.
'That was the situation the Government inherited but we have begun to restore order, with a rapid increase in asylum decision-making and the removal of over 24,000 people with no right to remain.
'The Home Office does not fund activities for those in asylum hotels.
'These may be provided by voluntary organisations.
'This hotel is currently being transitioned to a new provider.'
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