'Government closes' huge Northampton hotel as part of suspected quarantine takeover

The hotel will reportedly be closed until October in order to host quarantine for UK residents who have visited red list countries
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A huge Northampton town centre hotel has closed as part of a 'Government takeover' in a move suspected to be related to quarantine following international travel.

The Park Inn in Silver Street, owned by Radisson, is currently not taking bookings and is closed to the general public.

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On both the Radisson website and Booking.com, the 146-room hotel is showing as having no availability for the rest of July, all of August and all of September this year.

The Park Inn in Silver Street, Northampton town centre.The Park Inn in Silver Street, Northampton town centre.
The Park Inn in Silver Street, Northampton town centre.

A guest who had a stay booked for August contacted the Chronicle & Echo after receiving notification from Booking.com confirming their reservation had been cancelled.

In an email sent to the guest, seen by this newspaper, Booking.com states: “The property has recently been closed due to Coronavirus (Covid-19).

“The hotel will be taken over by the Government for Covid purposes.”

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Radisson and the hotel were contacted for comment, however the company was unable to issue a statement and instead directed all enquiries to The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

A screenshot of September bookings (currently unavailable) and October bookings (currently available) on the Radisson website.A screenshot of September bookings (currently unavailable) and October bookings (currently available) on the Radisson website.
A screenshot of September bookings (currently unavailable) and October bookings (currently available) on the Radisson website.

A DHSC spokesman was unable to publicly confirm or deny that the premises are being used as a quarantine hotel for people returning from red listed countries.

What is hotel quarantine?

The Government is running a managed quarantine system for British nationals, Irish nationals and people with residency rights in the UK who return from a country on the red travel list of around 60 countries including Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey, Tunisia, India and more.

The managed quarantine system requires the traveller to complete a ten night stay in a Government-appointed hotel, as well as a PCR Covid-19 test on day two and day eight of quarantine.

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When the quarantine stay is booked, a transfer from one of only a handful of approved UK airports is also arranged.

London Gatwick, Birmingham and London Heathrow are all on the approved list of airports.

According to travel website, Skyscanner, the Government has appointed 16 hotels for quarantine across the UK, which amounts to 4,600 rooms, however travellers who book a quarantine hotel are unable to choose which hotel they are allocated to.

Anyone who does not provide accurate information about the countries they have visited ten days prior to returning to the UK could face a £10,000 fine, ten years in prison or both.

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Breaking hotel quarantine rules could also land UK residents with a £10,000 fine.

How long will The Park Inn be closed for?

Stays at the Northampton town centre hotel can be booked on both Booking.com and the Radisson website from October 1.

Anyone who has a room booked at the hotel between now and October is urged to contact their booking provider to discuss alternatives and refunds, if they have not yet been contacted.

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