Town sorry to see hotel close (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Town sorry to see hotel close

BUSINESS and tourist leaders in Chipping Campden have expressed disappointment at the decision to close the Seymour House Hotel.

Owners of the 16-room hotel say it will close its doors at the end of this month, following a private sale for an undisclosed sum.

They say the new owner, who has not been named, intends to convert the hotel back into the three homes that were combined to form the hotel when it was first opened in the 1950s.

Val Mellini, who owned the business along with Tony Carbonari and Trevor Skan, said he intended to follow his partners into retirement. "My business partners have already retired and I am 63, we cannot work together forever and there had to come a time when we would decide to call it a day.

"It's a shame but I think Campden is very well served with hotels and restaurants."

Anne Harrison, chairman of the town's chamber of trade, said the closure would be a loss to the town. "There's a fair amount of accommodation in Campden so we are fairly well catered for - but at certain times there is never enough. Also, if there are more hotels it attracts more people to come and stay."

Dorothy Hart at the town's tourist information centre agreed. "I'm disappointed that it will not remain as a hotel," she said. "Campden needs independently-run hotels." The owners of Seymour House had always been supportive of the tourism centre and had played a central role in the community.

Mr Mellini said the closure of the hotel would result in the loss of three jobs. "Many of our staff are from abroad and I do not think any of our local employees will have any problem finding work."

The closure will also spell the end of the hotel's monthly pasta club, which has thousands of members. The last gastronomic evening was held last Thursday.