Latest news with #Safestay
The Guardian
7 days ago
- The Guardian
Booking.com ignored me after my bedbug nightmare
I used to book a bed at Safestay Holland Park hostel on a work trip to London this month. Arriving at midnight, I discovered bedbugs crawling on the mattress, pillow and walls. Staff moved me to another building, which was also infested. I spent the night awake at reception. Exhaustion forced me to take a dawn train home, costing a new ticket and my freelance fee as I was unable to work. I also had to buy new clothes and do multiple wash cycles to avoid bringing the infestation back with me. My expenses came to £265. I've since read dozens of comments on review websites reporting bedbugs at the same hostel and similar complaints about three of the other five UK Safestay hostels. After I filed a formal report, Kensington and Chelsea council enforced pest control treatment. The hostel manager offered £250 compensation but I'm still waiting, while has not replied to my complaint. There were other guests left in my infested room without any action taken. There seems a systemic failure of safety and corporate Exeter There are graphic reports on review websites going back to 2022, including from guests who stayed at the Holland Park hostel before and after you did. Accommodation providers are legally required to ensure rooms are safe and hygienic, which means infestations must be dealt with as soon as they are discovered. I asked Safestay why the bugs, clearly visible when you arrived, had not been spotted by housekeeping. It insists daily inspections are made and a pest control company treats outbreaks. 'We apologise,' it says. 'Once notified, we scheduled treatment, and affected rooms were blocked off. Environmental health visited and is satisfied with the actions.' I asked why, given the significance of the issue, it had not promptly responded to your complaint. It didn't answer that but did, immediately, issue a refund and suspended the hostel from its platform. It says: 'We have contacted the partner to ensure the issue is promptly addressed.' We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
The Herald Scotland
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Safestay boosted by hostel openings in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Safestay gave no further details but noted: 'The Company does not currently anticipate operational or headcount changes arising from any such freehold disposal.' The announcement indicates that Safestay may be considering a sale and lease-back type deal, which would allow it to raise cash that could be used to fund acquisitions. House broker Shore Capital said Safestay was well-positioned for growth in what it described as a highly attractive segment of the global hotel industry. Hostels are popular with young travellers. READ MORE: SNP Government renewables fixation absurd after windfarm switch off bill soars Safestay has highlighted the potential of the Scottish market by opening hostels in Glasgow and Edinburgh in recent years. It converted the Best Western Glasgow City hotel on Elmbank Street near Charing Cross Station into a hostel after buying it for £3.15m in 2019. The company opened the Edinburgh Cowgate hostel in 2024 on the site of a property that it bought for £4.3m in 2023. The company has five hostels in the UK including outlets in London and York. It has hostels in a range of other countries including Spain and Italy. Analyst Greg Johnson at Shore Capital said Safestay was well-funded and had a track record of successful asset recycling. READ MORE: Crude price could hit $100 per barrel amid Middle East conflict escalation risk Mr Johnson noted that at the end of June 2024, Safestay's portfolio of seven freehold and long leasehold properties had a valuation of £50.1m. The properties in Glasgow and Edinburgh were valued at £4.9m and £4.3m respectively. Safestay has a stock market capitalisation of around £16m. The company said there could be no certainty that the disposal it is considering would proceed and advised shareholders to take no action. Shares in the firm closed at 25p yesterday, unchanged on the day. They sold for 21p in May. READ MORE: FirstGroup hails success of Lumo trains ahead of Scottish route launch The company is led by sector veteran Larry Lipman who is managing director of the London-based Safeland residential property investment business. On Monday Safestay said it had been awarded a £1.4m insurance payment in respect of the interruption to its business during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hostel chain to replace receptionists with self check-ins after Reeves raid
The boss of a major hostel chain is planning to swap his receptionists for automated check-in machines because of Rachel Reeves's tax raid on employers. Larry Lipman, chairman of Safestay, said his company would have to rely on automated self check-in booths instead of human staff as costs soar following the October Budget. He said the Chancellor's decision to increase National Insurance (NI) contributions and lower the threshold at which they are paid meant the company would look at 'doing away with receptionists' in favour of automated check-ins in some cases. 'Costs are costs, and they eat profit. We're a listed business and we want to deliver value to our shareholders, and that means controlling our expenditure. That means controlling payroll. I'm not happy with it, of course I'm not,' he said. He added there would be a 'natural reduction' in staff rather than specific job cuts, with Safestay opting not to rehire for positions when people move on rather than make redundancies. 'We're not going to call our 400 staff in 12 countries and say we're losing 10pc of them,' Mr Lipman said. 'I'm very cognisant of the fact that we pay their mortgages. But people do leave, especially a lot of our staff who are transient. They are young, and they work for six to 12 months, and then they go to another country.' Founded by Mr Lipman in 2006, Safestay runs 20 travellers' hostels across the UK and Europe. The company listed on London's Alternative Investments Market in 2019. Trade association UK Hospitality has warned that the combined impact of tax rises in the Budget would cost the hospitality industry £3.4bn annually. Bosses have warned this will prompt them to slow or cancel investments and cut jobs. Mr Lipman said: 'It just means we're looking harder at automation. This is where I think the Government may have it wrong, because if all of business is doing what we're doing, because we must, then you're going to hit employment levels.' He said the industry was being 'forced in the direction' of reducing staff. 'I love to grow people and it's part of what we should be doing for society. It's a great thing for a business to be giving that sort of opportunity. It all seems counterproductive.' Mr Lipman said it would be difficult for Safestay to use price rises to mitigate the cost increases without damaging its position in the market as a budget operator. 'There's little we can do with bed rate, because there's a ceiling to what people will pay, and people are feeling the pressure. I fear, without being political, that the Government didn't think this through.' A government spokesman said: 'Since the start of this parliament there are 190,000 more jobs in the economy, and going forward we are delivering on our plan for change by providing economic stability to create growth, jobs and put more money into people's pockets. 'The OBR forecasts unemployment to stay low by historical standards throughout this parliament and to fall to 4.1pc in 2029.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Sign in to access your portfolio
Telegraph
05-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Hostel chain to replace receptionists with self check-ins after Reeves raid
The boss of a major hostel chain is planning to swap his receptionists for automated check-in machines because of Rachel Reeves's tax raid on employers. Larry Lipman, chairman of Safestay, said his company would have to rely on automated self check-in booths instead of human staff as costs soar following the October Budget. He said the Chancellor's decision to increase National Insurance (NI) contributions and lower the threshold at which they are paid meant the company would look at 'doing away with receptionists' in favour of automated check-ins in some cases. 'Costs are costs, and they eat profit. We're a listed business and we want to deliver value to our shareholders, and that means controlling our expenditure. That means controlling payroll. I'm not happy with it, of course I'm not,' he said. He added there would be a 'natural reduction' in staff rather than specific job cuts, with Safestay opting not to rehire for positions when people move on rather than make redundancies. 'We're not going to call our 400 staff in 12 countries and say we're losing 10pc of them,' Mr Lipman said. 'I'm very cognisant of the fact that we pay their mortgages. But people do leave, especially a lot of our staff who are transient. They are young, and they work for six to 12 months, and then they go to another country.' Founded by Mr Lipman in 2006, Safestay runs 20 travellers' hostels across the UK and Europe. The company listed on London's Alternative Investments Market in 2019. Trade association UK Hospitality has warned that the combined impact of tax rises in the Budget would cost the hospitality industry £3.4bn annually. Bosses have warned this will prompt them to slow or cancel investments and cut jobs. Mr Lipman said: 'It just means we're looking harder at automation. This is where I think the Government may have it wrong, because if all of business is doing what we're doing, because we must, then you're going to hit employment levels.' He said the industry was being 'forced in the direction' of reducing staff. 'I love to grow people and it's part of what we should be doing for society. It's a great thing for a business to be giving that sort of opportunity. It all seems counterproductive.' Mr Lipman said it would be difficult for Safestay to use price rises to mitigate the cost increases without damaging its position in the market as a budget operator. 'There's little we can do with bed rate, because there's a ceiling to what people will pay, and people are feeling the pressure. I fear, without being political, that the Government didn't think this through.' A government spokesman said: 'Since the start of this parliament there are 190,000 more jobs in the economy, and going forward we are delivering on our plan for change by providing economic stability to create growth, jobs and put more money into people's pockets. 'The OBR forecasts unemployment to stay low by historical standards throughout this parliament and to fall to 4.1pc in 2029.'
