Staff at one of London’s trendiest destinations say they are in fear for their jobs after it stopped serving alcohol and is soon to ban pork. The Hotel GB in Bermondsey Square was voted trendiest in the UK by TripAdvisor in 2010 and rock stars are among those who have sampled its 80 designer bedrooms.
But when guests turned up this week they found that the restaurant was alcohol-free, and even items on the menu such as ‘beer battered fish’ and rum ice cream had been banned.
According to local community website london-se1, the hotel has been bought by a Middle Eastern investor.
An IT consultant, who has been a regular at the hotel, told the Daily Mail: “A group of us were meant to be meeting in the bar and they said: ‘We can’t serve alcohol any more.’
“When I contacted the manager to ask why, he told me that the new owner wanted it to be a Sharia law hotel. Under Sharia law, you can’t make a profit from alcohol.”
The guest said he would no longer book the hotel in future, adding: “They’ve got to be careful. It’s been quiet and this is almost the death knell.”
Breitbart London called the hotel but were told that claims it was a “sharia hotel” were not true.
“We still serve pork in the restaurant,” a member of staff said: “Just not alcohol.”
However this will change in the new year with General Manager Robert Holland telling community website london-se1 that pork will not be served “the other side of Christmas”.
In a statement, he added, “Bermondsey Square Hotel is operated by Bespoke Hotels, as it has been since it opened in 2009. We have recently made decisions to change some elements of the business, as any business owner is entitled to do. These are in the best interests of the future of the hotel. We always have, and continue to, welcome guests of all shapes, sizes and denomination.”
A spokesman responded to questions from Breitbart London regarding the speculated identity of the new owner, saying “The hotel is privately owned and we do not discuss ownership of the properties Bespoke operates.”
Locals took to the community site’s forum to spread the news and register their discontent over the move.
“Just been told that Hotel GB in Bermondsey Square has been bought over by a Muslim owner and that all pork and alcohol has been removed from the building and won’t be sold there any more,” said DrGreenmark2 who first announced the news.
“Please tell me it isn’t true. I finally felt the kitchen in this hotel had got its act together. I loved going there. No pork I can just about handle. But no alcohol. No way!” said another.
And Gavin Smith said, “Sounds like they’ve alienated 99% of their clientele. What a foolish business decision!
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