An Argyll hotel manager who closed to other guests to make 20 rooms available for Ukrainian refugees was told by text her rooms were no longer required.
Christine Fox, who already is a super sponsor for two Ukrainians at her hotel near Taynuilt, was asked at the 11th hour to find beds for 50 refugees.
She cleared her decks to make space available, but she was told days later that a decision had been made not to place anyone with her.
Mrs Fox, who runs both Ardanaiseig Hotel and the Brander Lodge with her husband David, said: “There is no doubt that having guests in our hotels over the winter will be helpful for everyone.
“While we have a lot of bookings and events going on over the next few months we were delighted to be able to help people in need.
“We already have two guests with us, and they have settled in really well.
“I approached the school in Taynuilt to find out if they had the space for pupils, and I spoke to the GP practice about its capacity for a large influx of people- so we were all ready to go.”
Hotel was shut down to guest for Ukrainians
Mrs Fox explains that while the Brander Lodge is a few miles outside Taynuilt there is a bus, and a train station close by.
She said: “I am a super sponsor, and I have had all the checks done to be able to host people here.
“I was contacted by an agent to place people. We shut down the hotel to other guests to make it possible to support people.
“We agreed a rate that was far below the actual cost, and all of a sudden we were refused by Argyll and Bute Council.
“Someone somewhere has decided my hotel is not a suitable place. People come from all over the world to stay here. We can offer a really nice place for people.
“Who is accountable for making these decisions? Because it seems hugely unfair, with decisions being made behind closed doors.”
Location and availability
A spokeswoman for Argyll and Bute Council explained that while it worked with people to secure accommodation for refugees it is down to the Scottish Government to determine where people are placed.
The spokeswoman said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone in Argyll and Bute who has already signed up to Scottish Government’s super sponsor scheme, including a small number of hotels who are offering temporary accommodation to refugees.
“The decision of whether or not to commission a hotel is down to the Scottish Government and is based on several things, including location and availability.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government is grateful to all accommodation outlets that have offered rooms for displaced people from Ukraine.
“A number of hotels get in touch via their local authority to offer accommodation and this is directed to our contractor to consider.
“The contractor has been in discussion with the Brander Lodge Hotel regarding suitability and availability but no contract has been discussed or confirmed at this stage.”
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