Check Inside the Luxury Hotel Where Migrants Enjoy a ‘Nice Life’ — All Paid for by Your Taxes!

Migrants are currently being housed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Heathrow Airport, and it’s causing a lot of discussion. The hotel is a fancy four-star place, once open to paying guests, but now it’s being used to accommodate asylum seekers at the taxpayers’ expense. Locals in the area are upset, saying it’s costing too much and even suggesting the hotel should be torn down.

The Crowne Plaza London Heathrow is located just off the M4 motorway in West Drayton, Middlesex. When it first opened in 2018, it had 465 rooms, a swimming pool, and a gym. Now, instead of tourists or travelers, it’s filled with hundreds of asylum seekers. This is happening despite the Labour Government’s promise to stop using hotels to house migrants.

The hotel is surrounded by trees and is only a 15-minute drive from Heathrow Terminal 4. It’s also close to popular spots like Legoland Windsor. The government hasn’t said exactly how much it’s spending to house migrants there, but calculations suggest that if the hotel were running normally, it could earn around £62.8 million over four years, assuming full bookings at about £92.50 per night.

Today, the hotel is fenced off by a tall white wooden barrier about 10 feet high. During a recent visit, migrants could be seen walking in and out freely, some coming back from town.

Three young men from Sudan – Ahmed Adam, 23, Noureldin Adam, 33, and Khalid Mohammad, 18 – shared their experiences. They said the hotel was “very nice,” especially compared to the war-torn conditions they fled from in Sudan. Ahmed explained they came to the UK for safety and a chance to study because so many people have died back home.

Another man, Hadish Yemane, 29, from Eritrea, said he had been at the hotel for just a few days after arriving by a small boat from France. He praised the accommodation too, saying the rooms were nice and he received three meals a day. He mentioned sharing a room with another man and said he liked the English language and the safety and freedom in the UK.

One migrant, who didn’t want to be named, said they didn’t want to rely on government support forever. He said they would prefer to work and contribute to society.

While the migrants were thankful for their accommodation, many local residents were frustrated with the situation. Norman Taylor, an 80-year-old resident, remembered visiting the hotel when it was newly opened and described it as lovely, with a beautiful swimming pool, gym, reception, and bar. But now, he said, it has become a heavy burden on taxpayers. He believed that people arriving from France should be sent back there immediately, instead of being accommodated in expensive hotels.

Norman also suggested that migrants could be housed in old military bases instead. When asked what should happen to the Crowne Plaza, he bluntly said, “Pull it down.”

Another local, who wished to remain anonymous, said that while the asylum seekers themselves were not causing trouble, the government was likely spending a huge amount of money that could be used elsewhere. Someone else pointed out that someone, somewhere, was profiting from this setup.

Recent government figures show that the Home Office spent about £2.28 billion on hotels for asylum seekers in 2022-23, and it was expected to rise to £3.1 billion for 2023-24.

Angela Eagle, the minister for border security and asylum, stated that around 220 hotels across the UK were being used to house migrants. She told MPs that the Government was committed to ending the use of hotels and was looking for better ways to manage public funds.

The Conservatives criticized Labour, pointing to numbers showing an increase in asylum seekers housed in hotels after Labour took office. Chris Philp MP, the Shadow Home Secretary, said Labour’s promise to stop using hotels was a lie and accused them of failing the British people. He said the crisis was out of control and that taxpayers were unfairly paying the price.

Around the hotel, a large 10-foot perimeter fence has been put up. Some West Drayton residents said they don’t mind migrants who come to work and contribute to society, but small boat arrivals from France need to be controlled better. One retired construction worker suggested that migrants should be allowed to work to cover their own costs instead of relying on government money. He also said Britain’s success was partly built by migrants in the past, but the current situation with uncontrolled small boat crossings wasn’t right.

He felt the government should be tougher and discourage illegal crossings, questioning why the UK seems to be so generous compared to other countries.

Meanwhile, Enver Solomon, the head of the Refugee Council, said that housing asylum seekers in hotels is fueling tensions in communities and costing billions. He called for a plan to stop using hotels by 2025 and suggested that local councils should house migrants in communities, making it cheaper and helping them integrate and contribute to British life.

A spokesperson from the Home Office admitted that by autumn 2023, there were over 400 asylum hotels across the UK, costing almost £9 million a day. They said that the backlog of asylum cases grew massively before the election, putting huge pressure on the system.

Since then, the Home Office claims they’ve made progress by speeding up decisions and removing more than 24,000 people who had no right to stay. They said fewer hotels are now being used compared to before the election, and even more are expected to close by the end of May.

At the time of the last General Election in July, there were 213 hotels in use. The number should drop to around 206 soon.

The Government stressed that it has a legal duty to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be left homeless, and that it works closely with local councils to manage accommodations carefully and reduce the impact on communities.