Thirteen asylum hotels have closed to asylum seekers and been returned to their communities, the Home Office announced on 12 August 2026, leaving fewer than 160 hotels in use.
Thirteen more hotels have stopped housing asylum seekers and been handed back to communities across England, according to a government announcement published on 12 August 2026. The hotels named include the Grand Metropole Hotel in Blackpool, the Dubrovnik Hotel in Bradford and the Best Western Brook Hotel in Norwich. The full list is below.
The announcement follows 11 hotel closures in April and a further 20 in June. The government says fewer than 160 asylum hotels now remain in use. It gives the peak as 400 hotels in 2023, at a cost of £9 million a day.
On costs, the government says the latest 13 closures are expected to save £51 million. It puts the total expected savings from this year's closures at £224 million. It also says asylum accommodation costs have fallen by almost £1 billion since the 2024 general election.
The government says it is moving towards larger, basic accommodation, including former military sites. Discussions have begun on three former Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites. Planning permission is being sought at MOD Bicester and MOD Barnham, and discussions are under way for MOD Linton-on-Ouse. Together, these could eventually house around 3,750 asylum seekers. The government is also seeking to extend the use of existing sites, including Crowborough until 2030 and Wethersfield beyond 2027.
The announcement also says a new 24-week target for deciding asylum and immigration appeals comes into force from 12 August 2026. It applies to people in asylum accommodation and to foreign national offenders. The government gives the current average wait as 67 weeks.
Hotels included in the announcement:
- Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Loughborough
- Chimney House Hotel, Sandbach
- Britannia Ashley Hotel, Hale
- Gold Thorn Hotel, Wolverhampton
- Grand Metropole Hotel, Blackpool
- Nottingham Hotel, Nottingham
- Grosvenor Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon
- Staycity Apartments Deptford Bridge, Lewisham
- Needham House, Hitchin
- Holiday Inn, Bridgwater
- Holiday Inn Express, Dunstable
- Dubrovnik Hotel, Bradford
- Best Western Brook Hotel, Norwich
What this means for applicants
The source sets out no change to how individual asylum claims are made. The new 24-week target for deciding asylum and immigration appeals applies from 12 August 2026 to people in asylum accommodation and to foreign national offenders. The announcement does not say what happens if the target is missed.
Sources
- Thirteen asylum hotels exited and returned to local communities, GOV.UK, 12 August 2026