Ashdown Park hotel 'losing up to £20,000 a day' as storm hits water supply

Ashdown Park hotel in East Sussex has said it is losing up to £20,000 a day after its water supply was cut off by stormy weather on Friday (18 February).

On Monday general manager Ben Booker told The Caterer he was "hopeful" about the situation, but by this morning (23 February) the water supply had still not been restored.

Ashdown Park hotel had to close to guests on Sunday morning, shutting down its 106 bedrooms, two restaurants, spa and treatment rooms and afternoon tea service.

Booker claimed South East Water had provided minimal communication, only delivered bottled water to the hotel on Sunday and had given no timescale on when the water supply would be restored.

He said: "The resulting compensation to Saturday night's guests alone was in the region of £15,000. We have since lost between £15,000 and £20,000 daily - a combination of loss of accommodation, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner income, plus spa day and treatment revenue. That is a huge amount of lost income, especially when our running costs continue to mount.

"South East Water's lack of communication is both pitiful and shambolic. We have only been able speak to call handlers. Despite numerous attempts to speak with a senior manager, no-one has been available, and no-one has returned our calls."

Around 40 staff live on-site and continue to be paid by the hotel although they are unable to work.

Booker said: "I cannot overstate the damage that this lack of a basic water supply is causing to our business – made worse, of course, by coming immediately on top of the dreadful Covid pandemic.

"Even when the water supply is restored, I estimate that it will take at least 24 hours to get the hotel operational again. We have crockery, cutlery, and glassware to clean and polish, linen and towels to wash, iron and distribute, and every bedroom will need to be re-serviced.

"Our losses continue to mount, and we continue to disappoint guests who were due to visit."

A statement on South East Water's website said repairs were continuing to UK power networks affected by the storms and electricity was needed to treat and pump water supplies.

The statement said: "We are reliant on the teams at UK Power Networks to get power back on. If you're being affected, it's difficult for us to give you a time when all supplies will be back to normal.

"Our team of water technicians are working strenuously to get your water supply returned as quickly as possible, but this can only happen when the power issues have also been resolved."

South East Water has been contacted for further comment.