'Huge interest' in Booth's hotels

13 July 2011 Last updated at 14:00 GMT The Wynnstay Arms in Wrexham was closed just before administrators were called in Administrators claim there is "huge interest" from potential buyers interested in four north Wales hotels owned by businesswoman Stephanie Booth.

KPMG says it has had 13 inquiries after Llangollen Hotels, a chain of seven hotels, went into administration.

Administrators are trying to sell four freehold hotels in Wrexham and Llangollen to pay off debts, including ?900,000 to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

All the hotels are continuing to trade.

They are Bodidris Hall in Llandegla, Wrexham, and The Wild Pheasant, The Chainbridge and The Bryn Howel, all in Llangollen, Denbighshire.

David Costley-Wood, joint administrator and restructuring partner at KPMG, said: "There has been a huge amount of interest and we have had an encouraging number of inquiries from potential buyers for the hotels.

"The administrators have been in dialogue with 15 interested parties including trade buyers, individuals and other businesses. We are confident of securing the future of the four hotels."

Llangollen Hotels and its parent company Global Investments Group went into administration on Friday.

All bookings and deposits are being honoured while the administrators find buyers.

The Wynnstay Arms Hotel in Wrexham town centre has closed but another two leased hotels remain open.

They are The Anchor Hotel in Ruthin, Denbighshire, and The Chester Bridge Hotel, Chester.

Global Investments Group operates three children's soft play centres: Fantastic Fun Houses, in Mold, Flintshire; in Wrexham, in Oswestry, Shropshire; as well as McLarens, a wine bar in Oswestry.

The Mold and Wrexham play centres have closed.

Ms Booth says she is continuing to run The Anchor and Chester Bridge hotels, the Oswestry play centre and McLarens wine bar.

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100 jobs to go at Booth's hotels

8 July 2011 Last updated at 16:24 GMT Hotelier Stephanie Booth took over the Wynnstay Arms in 2010 About 100 job losses are being made at a business run by hotelier Stephanie Booth which is in administration.

The redundancies are at some of her hotels, a bar and children's play barns in north east Wales, Cheshire, and Shropshire run by Llangollen Hotels.

KPMG made the announcement as administrators for Llangollen Hotels Limited and parent company Global Investments Group.

Some hotels will continue to trade with bookings honoured until they are sold.

Llangollen Hotels comprises seven hotels in Wrexham, Denbighshire and Chester. The business employs 177 people.

Four freehold hotels will not be affected with no staff redundancies at Bodidris Hall in Llandegla, Wrexham; The Wild Pheasant, The Chainbridge and The Bryn Howel, in Llangollen, Denbighshire.

Any bookings and deposits "intend to be honoured until the hotels are sold", said joint administrators David Costley-Wood and Brian Green in a statement issued on Friday.

Continue reading the main story The Anchor Hotel, Ruthin - 14The Chester Bridge, Chester - 15The Wynnstay, Wrexham - 36Fun House, Mold - 15Fun House, Wrexham - 9Source: KPMGThe remaining hotels which are leased have been closed.

They are The Anchor Hotel in Ruthin, Denbighshire; The Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Wrexham; and The Chester Bridge Hotel, Chester.

The statement said the directors shut the Wynnstay Arms Hotel prior to the appointment of administrators.

'Substantial debt' The Wynnstay Arms is a local landmark in Wrexham

The Anchor Hotel and The Chester Bridge Hotel closed on Friday.

Global Investments Group operates three children's soft play centres, Fantastic Fun Houses, in Mold, Flintshire; Wrexham; and Oswestry, Shropshire; as well as McLarens, a wine bar in Oswestry.

The Oswestry Fun House and McLarens are now being operated by the premises' landlord but the other two play centres have closed.

Mr Costley-Wood, a joint administrator and restructuring partner at KPMG, said: "The Global Investment Group expanded rapidly into a range of leisure businesses and built up substantial debt in the process.

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The four freehold hotels are trading well and we are confident of finding a buyer”

End Quote David Costley-Wood Administrator "The business is now no longer able to make payments as they fall due, necessitating the appointment of administrators.

"The four freehold hotels are trading well and we are confident of finding a buyer."

In 2009, Ms Booth appeared in BBC Wales fly-on-the-wall documentary series Hotel Stephanie showing her cope with the day-to-day problems of managing six hotels in north east Wales during the recession.

In recent months she has been linked with a takeover of Wrexham football club, before withdrawing from the process in May.

She took over the Wynnstay Arms, which is a well-known Wrexham landmark, in April 2010. The new proprietor "guaranteed" the workforce their jobs would be safe.

A spokesman for Ms Booth said on Thursday that she had been using her own money to ensure all staff were paid prior to the administrators being appointed.

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