The Government has vowed to phase out the use of hotels for asylum accommodation by 2029 in a bid to save taxpayers over £1 billion.
Brits have protested against asylum hotels. (Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
A new map reveals the locations of all 44 asylum hotels that have now closed across the UK. It was recently confirmed that hotels in Stevenage, Crawley and Leyland would close as accommodation for asylum seekers by the end of the year.
Many are closing to reduce high taxpayer costs and transition occupants to alternative housing. It is reported that commercial asylum hotels currently cost taxpayers around £9 million per day, and the government hopes to reduce this figure by moving migrants into standard Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) or former military sites.
Here is a map showing all the closed asylum-seeker hotels. Check your area below.
The Labour Party hopes to phase out the use of hotels for asylum accommodation by 2029. They said the move will save taxpayers over £1 billion.
British people have repeatedly protested against the use of local hotels to house asylum seekers. Some protests have developed into rioting, with particularly tense standoffs occurring outside hotels in Epping, Canary Wharf, Bristol and Nuneaton.
Local anxiety peaked after criminal allegations, including after an asylum seeker staying at The Bell Hotel, in Epping, was charged with sexually assaulting a child. Other protesters have expressed discomfort regarding the rapid introduction of groups of primarily young and single men into their communities.
One hotel that was recently confirmed to close as asylum accommodation is the Novotel at Junction 7 of the A1(M) near Stevenage. The local Labour MP, Kevin Bonavia, welcomed the move and said it was “good news” for his constituency.
He said: “We can have an asylum system that treats people with humanity and dignity, while being fair to taxpayers and communities.”
The Bell Hotel in Epping was at the centre of a major protest. (Image: PA)
In Crawley, the Copthorne Hotel will also be closed as an asylum hotel by the end of 2026. The area’s Conservative MP, Mins Davies, said the locals “want their hotel back” as a “community asset for events, accommodation and for the local economy.”
The number of asylum hotels peaked under the former Conservative Government, with 402 in use by the summer of 2023. By July 2024, that number had halved, then fell further to 160 by June this year.
A spokesman for the Home Office said previously: “The Government is closing every asylum hotel, saving taxpayers over £1billion on asylum support since the election. We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites, which are designed to be self-contained to reduce impact on the local community.
“As part of the process, we engage with local authorities and police forces to ensure the safety and security of those in the surrounding area.”
The 44 Asylum Hotels That Have Shut as Three More Close – Check Your Area
Britain’s asylum accommodation system is undergoing another major change, with 44 hotels reported to have stopped housing asylum seekers during 2026 and three further closures announced for later this year. The developments form part of Labour’s pledge to end the use of asylum hotels, a policy that has become a major political issue amid concerns about public spending, border security and pressure on local communities.
The latest announcements have prompted renewed debate over whether the Government is making sufficient progress in reducing reliance on hotels, how much taxpayers could save and where asylum seekers will be accommodated next.
The closures are being welcomed by some local representatives who want hotels returned to ordinary commercial use. Others have questioned whether moving people into alternative accommodation will solve the underlying problems facing Britain’s asylum system.
Three More Hotels Set to Close
According to reports published in October, three additional hotels are expected to stop housing asylum seekers by the end of 2026.
The locations are:
- Novotel near Stevenage, Hertfordshire: Labour MP Kevin Bonavia welcomed the announcement that the hotel would return to normal use.
- Copthorne Hotel, Crawley area, West Sussex: Conservative MP Mims Davies said local residents had wanted the hotel returned to use by visitors and the wider community.
- Preston Leyland Hotel, Lancashire: The hotel is also expected to stop being used for asylum accommodation before the end of the year.
These three planned closures follow a series of earlier announcements involving hotels across England and other parts of the UK.
The precise timing of individual closures can depend on relocation arrangements and operational decisions by the Home Office. An announcement that a hotel is expected to close should therefore not automatically be interpreted as confirmation that every resident has already moved out.
The Full List of 44 Hotels Reported Closed
The following venues were listed in reporting on the Government’s asylum hotel closure programme. The list reflects hotels reported as no longer being used for asylum accommodation; it does not mean every building has reopened to paying guests.
The list combines closures announced at different times in 2026. Some venue names or locations may have changed, so the latest status should be checked with the relevant council or hotel.
- Ramada Jarvis Hotel — Loughborough
- Chimney House Hotel — Sandbach
- Britannia Ashley Hotel — Hale
- Gold Thorn Hotel — Wolverhampton
- Grand Metropole Hotel — Blackpool
- Nottingham Hotel — Nottingham
- Grosvenor Hotel — Stratford-upon-Avon
- Staycity Apartments Deptford Bridge — Lewisham
- Needham House — Hitchin
- Holiday Inn — Bridgwater
- Holiday Inn Express — Dunstable
- Dubrovnik Hotel — Bradford
- Best Western Brook Hotel — Norwich
- Dayz Away Lodge — Dudley
- Holiday Inn Ashford Central — Ashford, Kent
- Best Western Atlantic — Chelmsford, Essex
- The Cisswood — Horsham, Sussex
- The Collection Hotel — Birmingham
- Adagio — Leicester
- Norwich Hotel — Norwich
- Allerton Court — Northallerton, North Yorkshire
- Mercure George — Reading, Berkshire
- TLK Apartments — Bromley, Greater London
- Best Western Stoke — Stoke-on-Trent
- The Granby, 1 The Hill — Gravesham, Kent
- Hampton by Hilton — Bristol
- Delta Hotel Cheshunt — Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
- Episode Leamington — Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
- Oxford Witney Hotel — Oxford, Oxfordshire
- Shambrook — Bedford, Bedfordshire
- Bell Hotel — Epping, Essex
- OYO Evesham Hotel — Evesham, Worcestershire
- Best Western — Wembley, London
- Banbury House Hotel — Banbury, Oxfordshire
- Marine Court Hotel — Bangor, Northern Ireland
- 15 Citrus Hotel — Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
- Holiday Inn Heathrow — Hillingdon, London
- Britannia Hotel — Wolverhampton
- Madeley Court Hotel — Madeley, Telford and Wrekin
- OYO Lakeside — St Helens, Merseyside
- Crewe Arms Hotel — Crewe, Cheshire East
- Sure Hotel by Best Western — Aberdeen
- The Rock Hotel — Halifax, Calderdale
- Wool Merchant Hotel — Halifax, Calderdale
The Home Office announced 13 hotel exits in August, bringing the reported total of hotels closed during the year to 44 at that point. The three further closures reported in October would represent additional progress if completed as planned.
Why Is Labour Closing Asylum Hotels?
The Government has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation during this Parliament. Ministers argue that hotels are expensive, often unsuitable for long-term accommodation and can create tensions when communities feel they have not been adequately consulted.
In August, the Home Office said fewer than 160 asylum hotels remained in use, compared with more than 400 at the peak of the previous government’s reliance on hotels. The Government has also reported a substantial fall in the number of people accommodated in hotels.
The strategy is to move away from hotel accommodation towards alternatives, including shared housing and larger, more basic facilities such as former military sites.
Ministers say this approach will help reduce costs while providing more controlled accommodation arrangements. They have also argued that reducing hotel use can allow buildings to return to their normal role in local tourism and business.
However, closing hotels is only one part of the wider challenge. The Government must also ensure there is sufficient alternative accommodation, that asylum claims are processed efficiently and that people who have no legal right to remain can be removed when the law permits.
How Much Could Taxpayers Save?
Cost is central to the political debate. Hotel accommodation has been expensive compared with other forms of asylum support.
The Home Office has previously estimated that hotel accommodation costs substantially more per person per night than dispersal housing. A specialist analysis of published figures reported an estimated hotel cost of around £199 per person per night in April 2026, compared with approximately £25 for dispersal accommodation.
Those figures illustrate why ministers want to reduce hotel use, but they should not be treated as a guaranteed saving for every person moved. The final financial effect depends on the cost of the replacement accommodation, transport, staffing, security and other services.
Closing a hotel also does not necessarily mean that the person previously housed there leaves the UK. In many cases, people are moved to another location while their asylum claims continue to be considered.
The Government therefore needs to demonstrate both that its alternative accommodation is less expensive and that the overall system is becoming more efficient.
What Happens to Asylum Seekers When Hotels Close?
People living in a hotel that exits the asylum accommodation programme may be transferred to another facility or type of accommodation. The closure of a particular building does not, by itself, determine the outcome of an individual’s asylum claim.
Some people may move into shared housing or other dispersal accommodation. Others may be transferred to larger sites that the Government is developing as alternatives to hotels.
These changes can affect residents as well as asylum seekers. Hotels returning to commercial use may again be available for tourists, conferences, weddings and other events. Local businesses can benefit if the buildings resume ordinary operations and attract visitors.
At the same time, moving residents elsewhere can create fresh questions about the suitability of replacement accommodation and the effect on communities receiving new arrivals.
The Government has said that alternative sites will be managed with attention to safety and local coordination. Community representatives and campaigners have nevertheless raised concerns in some areas about consultation, services and living conditions.
Is the Government on Track to End Hotel Use?
Official figures show that the number of hotels used for asylum accommodation has fallen significantly from its peak. In a written parliamentary answer published on 15 September 2026, the Home Office said the number had declined from 213 in July 2024 to fewer than 160.
The number of people living in hotels has also fallen. According to the latest figures cited by Full Fact, 16,021 asylum seekers were housed in hotels at the end of June 2026, down from 29,561 in June 2024.
Those figures indicate progress, but they do not mean the hotel system has already ended. The Government’s pledge remains a work in progress, and future performance will depend on the availability of alternative accommodation, the pace of asylum decisions and the number of people requiring support.
It is also important to distinguish hotel closures from reductions in the overall number of people receiving asylum support. A hotel can close while its former residents are accommodated elsewhere.
What Does This Mean for Your Area?
For residents wanting to know whether a nearby hotel is affected, the most reliable approach is to check announcements from the local council, the relevant MP and the hotel itself.
The Home Office does not publish a continuously updated public list of every hotel still in use. Closure announcements can also refer to future dates rather than completed moves, so older lists may not reflect the latest position.
The three additional closures reported in October involve the Stevenage area, Crawley in West Sussex and Leyland in Lancashire. People living elsewhere should not assume that a hotel has closed simply because it appeared on an earlier list.
A Significant Change, but Not the End of the Debate
The reported closure of 44 asylum hotels, alongside three further planned exits, represents a substantial change in how the Government is housing people while their asylum claims are processed.
Supporters of the policy say it will reduce reliance on costly hotels, return buildings to local communities and help restore confidence in the asylum system. Critics argue that moving people elsewhere will not resolve the underlying pressures unless the Government also improves decision-making, provides suitable accommodation and carries out lawful removals more efficiently.
The key measure of success will therefore be more than the number of hotel contracts ended. It will be whether the overall system becomes more affordable, whether cases are resolved more quickly and whether both local communities and people seeking protection are treated fairly.
For now, the latest announcements indicate that the Government’s hotel closure programme is continuing. Whether it achieves the wider goal of ending hotel use will depend on what happens next across the country’s asylum accommodation network.