The future of an iconic Weston-Super-Mare hotel looks bleak after Specialist Leisure Group collapsed into administration.
The Bay Grand Atlantic is one of the casualties of the group's demise, which in total has resulted in the loss of some 2,500 jobs and 64,000 bookings.
Set in a grand, turreted Victorian building overlooking the Bristol Channel and the Beach Lawns, the hotel advertises itself as a minute's walk from the beach, five minutes' walk from the Grand Pier and seven minutes from the town centre.
Specialist Leisure Group, based in Wigan, also operated Caledonian Travel and hotel businesses such as Bay Hotels, Coast and Country Hotels and Country Living Hotels.
The firm said on its website all tours, cruises, holidays and hotel breaks had been cancelled and would not be rescheduled, blaming the impact of the pandemic.
It added: "All hotels trading as Bay Hotels, Coast & Country Hotels and Country Living Hotels will not reopen."
When Bristol Live contacted the hotel an answer phone message simply tells callers: "Due to the announcement by the prime minister on March 23 it has become necessary for us to implement a homeworking solution across the whole of our Shearings family.
"Please refer to our website at shearings.com for details of how to contact us or make a booking."
Reportedly Abta (Association of British Travel Agents) said the company, which operated Shearings and Bay Hotels, said the company had struggled to provide thousands of refunds for cancelled trips.
It added the vast majority of cancelled bookings were coach package holidays, which are financially protected, and customers with these bookings would receive a full refund.
John de Vial, Abta's director of membership and financial services, said: "Today is a very sad day for these customers and the thousands of staff who will have lost their jobs.
"The fact that two such well-known brands with a loyal customer base have had to call in administrators is a stark indication of the pressure that the holiday industry is under as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Abta has repeatedly highlighted to the government the urgency of the situation and the need to set out a co-ordinated strategy with clearer communication if it wants to help avoid significant job losses and support companies to weather the storm."
