Three More UK Hotels Cease Asylum Seeker Accommodation by Year-End
The Novotel near Stevenage, the Copthorne Hotel in Crawley and the Preston Leyland Hotel will stop housing asylum seekers, returning to regular guest use.
Three hotels currently serving as asylum seeker shelters are set to revert to normal commercial operation. The Novotel near Stevenage will cease its Home Office use by the end of the year, a move praised by Labour MP Kevin Bonavia as evidence of reforms that have reduced the asylum backlog. In Crawley, the Copthorne Hotel, which has housed asylum seekers since 2021, will also close its temporary role, with Conservative MP Mims Davies noting community demand for the venue to serve local events and jobs.
The Preston Leyland Hotel in Lancashire will continue its transition, ending its asylum accommodation function by the close of 2026 and relocating occupants to purpose-built facilities, according to Labour MP Paul Foster. The closures are part of a broader government plan to phase out hotel housing for asylum seekers, which peaked at 402 hotels in 2023 and has fallen to 160 by mid-2024.
Why it matters
The closures signal a shift in the UK’s approach to housing asylum seekers, affecting local economies and the broader asylum system.
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