Debts force closure of Isles of Scilly St Martin's hotel
A hotel once regarded as the jewel in the crown of the Scilly Isles is about to go into liquidation, leaving local traders thousands of pounds out of pocket and countless visitors without holidays.
Rumours that St Martin's on the Isle Hotel has been struggling have been rife on the islands and the stunningly located beachfront building has been up for sale with a £2 million asking price.
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The 30-bedroom St Martin's on the Isle Hotel, on St Martin's, the third largest of the Scilly Isles, has closed
However, in a major blow to the Scillonian tourist industry, it has now been confirmed that the business cannot pay its debts and has ceased trading.
Colin Prescott, of Leonard Curtis Business Solutions Group, which is handling the liquidation, said a meeting of creditors will be held later this month. He said it appeared the person owed most money was Peter Sykes, the sole shareholder and director of St Martin's on the Isle Ltd, who bought the 30-bedroom establishment in 1993.
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Mr Prescott said: "I believe the majority of local traders are owed a couple of thousand pounds, which, while not ideal, could have been a lot worse."
Mr Prescott urged anyone who had booked a holiday at St Martins on the Isle to contact the company.
"A lot of people have paid deposits and expect to come to the hotel on their holidays.
"However, to date I have not been able to access any of that information so they need to get in touch with me.
"I don't know how many bookings there have been or when they were taken."
The hotel, with its natural appearance as a row of quayside fishermen's cottages, was built in 1989 and sold to Bristol-based businessman Mr Sykes four years later. In 2008 its Tean Restaurant collected a coveted Michelin star.
Anyone who has booked a holiday at the hotel should contact Leonard Curtis Business Solutions Group on 0117 929 4900.
6 Comments
by Patricia1945
Friday, May 10 2013, 2:03PM
“I am sorry but not surprised. The hotel was prohibitively expensive for ordinary people. I remember visiting St Martins from St Marys in the early 1980s with our 2 young children. It was a day trip by boat. We were dropped off to be collected later. It was a wild, wet, windy day. There was nowhere to go. We were aware of people peering at us from their windows, but no one offered us shelter. Fortunately the boat skipper arrived back early as the weather was so bad. We had been sheltering beneath a boat on the shore. We have returned twice for day trips since then. The island had become more hospitable with the hotel & the bakery with a cafe & at least one other cafe. it looked as if it was prospering. This was in the late 1990s. We had tried to book a week at various times with some of the self-catering cottages, we wanted to take our children & grandchildren. We tried well over a year in advance, but were always told that those who were staying at the time were always given first refusal. It was hopeless. I asked to be put on a waiting list, but they didn't have one! I'm therefore not that surprised that things aren't prospering now as new people to the island as visitors seemed to be discouraged. They only seemed to want those who had been before.”
by Patricia1945
Friday, May 10 2013, 1:53PM
“I am sorry yet not surprised that the hotel has gone into liquidation. Sadly for most ordinary people the cost of staying there was prohibitive & the fare to get there added considerably to the cost.I remember St Martins before there was much accommodation on the island for visitors having had a trip there from St Mary's in the early 1980s. We were dropped off by boat to be collected later. Unfortunately it was a wild, wet day. there was no shelter on the island. No one invited us in out of the wind & rain, altho' we were aware of eyes looking at us. We had to shelter beneath a boat on the shore until fortunately the skipper of our boat returned early to collect us. We have visited since as the island developed with hotel & the bakery & a couple of cafes. It was much more welcoming then. I have, however tried on numerous occasions to book a self-catering property, with no success despite trying over 12mths in advance. I always got the same answer: we offer first refusal to those who have booked this year!! No surprise then that things aren't working out well when there seems a block on new people staying on the island. I've given up now, but once had wanted to take our children & grandchildren there for a lovely week in the summer. It wasn't to be tho'. No one would even put our names down on a waiting list!”
by ChyTol
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 10:11AM
“Very sad but predictable. A really nice place with great staff. This will not be the last hotel to go under.
In some respects a victim of the economic climate but also I guess it's the come-uppance for aiming to be "exclusive" and appealing to a narrow group of the rich and priveleged.”
by Newquaygreen
Tuesday, March 12 2013, 3:35PM
“The main problem is the decline in numbers visiting due to the helicopter ceasing flying. This won't be the first business to close this year I fear.
Rocky times ahead for Scilly”
by crgee
Tuesday, March 12 2013, 11:42AM
“The ''Scilly Isles'' are a beautiful place, but to holiday there is very expensive !!”
by KJHXXX
Tuesday, March 12 2013, 10:26AM
“A lovely hotel. Very sad. I hope that the employees can find alternative employment quickly, and hope that the hotel may open again one day.”