Hotel chain boss 'devastated' as company begins redundancy talks with staff
Staff at a hotel in the Scottish Borders are at risk of redundancy.
Crieff Hydro, which operates the four-star hotel Peebles Hydro, announced over the weekend that it has entered a consultation period putting 241 jobs under threat across Scotland.
Employees have been told they could be out of work by August, as bosses battle a downturn in trade because of the [coronavirus pandemic]( https://www.itv.com/news/border/story/2020-03-16/coronavirus-in-the-border-region-the-latest-on-the-outbreak/).
Chief executive Stephen Leckie says he is “personally devastated for every one of our team who could lose their job."
Stephen Leckie, CEO and Chairman of Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: ‘When we closed our doors at the end of March, it was one of the darkest days in our 150 year history and this is another.
"The impact coronavirus has had on our industry and business has been immediate and drastic.
"As a family run business built on the strength of our people, discussing potential redundancies is the toughest step we’ve ever had to consider.
"I am personally devastated for every one of our team who could lose their job.
“Throughout this process we’ve done everything we can to look after our people. But despite all the measures we’ve taken so far to reduce costs, we anticipate that when we do open, bookings will be down by 30-50% for the best part of a year.
"This will amount to a revenue loss of at least £17m (50%) in the current financial year. For every month we’ve been closed with zero income, we’ve had to pay £500k just to keep our buildings safe and insured. This would have a profound effect on any business.
“To try to navigate our way through this crisis, we’ve made use of the Government’s Job Retention Scheme as well as securing an additional £5m in loans from our bank to give us the best chance of survival when we are eventually allowed to reopen.
"This comes with a heavy financial burden but is the only way forward to rebuild the business and protect the remaining jobs.
“We know that we have many loyal customers who visit us year after year, so we hope the recovery is quick and we can welcome families back to our own family of hotels in the coming months.
"The effects of this pandemic can’t last forever and our long term vision is to rebuild the team in the future when business returns.”