Wedding Venue Closures Shock Bride and Staff after Eighty Bookings

The Castle Hotel in Tamworth closed last week. Many people had booked events, with about eighty still pending. A wedding fair happened there just days before the closure.

Nearly forty staff members lost their jobs suddenly. The owners, Rest House Limited, are being liquidated. An accountant stated that the business had struggled for some time.

Sophie Taylor, 27, had planned a vow renewal for her fifth anniversary with Jake. They married alone in 2020 as the pandemic began. Sophie booked the Castle Hotel last October and paid a deposit for their May date, wanting a big celebration with loved ones.

They married on March 18, before lockdown. Due to restrictions, they couldn’t have guests. Jake was in the Army then, moving a lot, and they wanted to marry and be together.

Sophie explained that their May booking was for a renewal, as she wanted friends and family present this time. Unsatisfied with her debit card company’s response, she filed a claim with the liquidators. Sophie learned about the closure on Facebook, although she’d heard rumors before Christmas, which staff had dismissed as gossip.

She feels bad for the staff who lost their jobs quickly and says many couples lost money. She appears to have lost her £300 deposit, although the total cost would have been £1,300 and said the hotel never contacted her directly. She moved the booking to Bolehall Manor Club, where the staff have been very helpful. The Castle Hotel held a wedding fair recently, where Sophie booked decorations, and the decoration company will work at the new venue.

Two weeks before the closure, Sophie met with a coordinator who was very helpful. Her mother-in-law had wed there last year, and they loved it.

BK Plus explained how to claim money back, stating the business was in decline and had received a winding-up petition. She explained there were no other options and that the company assets must be protected. Notices will be issued to creditors, and they will share more details later about the finances and prospects for creditors.

Affected people should email castlehotel@bkplus.co.uk, including contact details and claim information. Given the volume, they cannot reply to everyone yet and ask that people wait for updates.