Asylum seekers being housed in Hilton to be in Dolgarrog for Christmas

More than 80 asylum seekers are expected to spend Christmas in the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia in Dolgarrog. 

The 106-bedroom hotel, which opened in May last year, is being used as an “emergency overflow” facility. As soon other accommodation in the asylum system is made available to the temporary residents, Robin Millar, MP for Aberconwy, wants the hotel to be removed from the Home Office's 'emergency accommodation' list. 

It is understood there are now 87 asylum seekers being housed.

The men, from Manston in Kent, have come countries such as from Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Egypt. Less than 10 of the men are from Albania.

Robin Millar, MP for Aberconwy, outside the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia in Dolgarrog (Image: Suzanne Kendrick)

Mr Millar, who spent time in Dolgarrog on Friday, November 11, speaking to residents, said: "It is not a permanent location, it is not a permanent presence, they [the men] are not being processed here and I fully expect for it to be shut in a few weeks. No more than three months.

"It is important to say that some of the information that has been circulating, we need to get that right. I have been speaking with the community council, I've been speaking with the headteacher of the local primary school, I have been speaking with the chief constable of North Wales Police. They have all been incredibly helpful. I can ensure residents that there has been no incidents of violence that have been reported to any public services, there has been no trouble that way at all. The school have told me that no children have been approached on the street and the community council too.

"These are human beings just like you and me.

"They have concerns, they have families they are separated from, it is only right we treat them with respect and care and humanity while they are here but equally I will be doing everything I can to see that this [hotel] is closed as soon as possible and is first off the 'emergency accomodation' list.

"It is the wrong site, it is the wrong location for this kind of function. It is not connected to public services, it is too big for a village of this size and is not frankly not safe for them if they are trying to move around."

It is believed there are 20 hotels, similar to the Hilton Garden Inn, which are being used as 'emergency accomodation' in the UK.

Mr Millar reiterated: "This is the wrong place for this facility. It is the wrong place to deliver. It is a village that is small, it is far from the towns, so I am trying to get this hotel closed down as soon as possible.

"We understand there is a three month contract in place that will take us past Christmas but we are very keen that village life is not disrupted.

"I was talking to a gentleman who is making some of the changes at memorial to prepare for the Sunday service [on Remembrance Sunday] and he said he was struggling to lift some of the metal work and actually one the residents, one of the asylum seekers, just walked past and helped him as he was doing it.

"These are human beings, they are people, they have fears, they have hopes, all the fears that make up our own lives and it is important they are looked after while they are here and while they are in our care in Dolgarrog."

One shop worker told the Pioneer the men seemed polite but there were difficulties with the language barrier. 

One village resident said she had no problem with the men being at the hotel but wanted to know more about their backgrounds and felt concerned by rumours; there had been rumours of a stabbing but North Wales Police has received no report of such an incident. 

A lot of the men seen in the village are dressed in t-shirts and long shorts and do not have suitable clothing for the cold weather. 

Earlier in the week, cllr Charlie McCoubrey, leader of Conwy County Borough Council, said: "We were not given advance notice that the Home Office intended to accommodate people at the Hilton Garden Hotel in Dolgarrog. We have been making enquiries about the arrangements.

“The Council and North Wales Emergency Services are working together to ensure appropriate measures are put in place by the Home Office to support the interests of individuals and the local community.

“Conwy has welcomed many people to the county in recent times, including those fleeing the war in Ukraine, however throughout that time we have been clear that this particular rural location is wholly inappropriate to house vulnerable people.”

Janet Finch-Saunders, Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy, has sent a letter to Suella Braverman, Secretary of State for the Home Department, challenging her over the decision to house the asylum seekers at the Hilton Garden Inn.

She said: “The Hilton in Dolgarrog is a new luxury hotel on a site which has received several millions of pounds of Welsh Government funding to be developed as a tourist destination. It is a disgrace that tax payers money is being used to house alleged illegal immigrants who have contributed nothing to this nation in accommodation many locals could not afford.

“The Home Secretary has caused considerable distress to a peaceful community. Rather than house alleged illegal immigrants in a luxury hotel, I suggest that she give urgent consideration to moving them elsewhere."

The Pioneer has been making attempts to contact the Hilton Garden Inn. 

Hilton EMEA Press Office told the Pioneer the hotel had informed them it is closed to the public to support a Government contract. They added they do not own or operate the property, which is run via a franchise agreement.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

“The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable there are currently more than 37,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £5.6million a day. The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation.”

The Home Office would not comment on operational arrangements for the individual site.

The spokesperson added that the Home Office engage with local authorities “as early as possible” whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation and work to ensure arrangements are “safe” for hotel residents and people from the area.