In times of difficulty many people struggle, some emerge as heroes, helping others as best they can, and others show their true colours. The current COVID-19 pandemic is no different.
HEROES
We would like to start by applauding some of the heroes already identified doing what they can to aid others. Hospitality Action, Only a Pavement Away, Chelsea FC, GG Hospitality, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and many, many others.
We will be highlighting as many as we can find in the days and weeks ahead.
VILLAINS
The hospitality and catering industry is facing the worst crisis it has seen in a lifetime and for all too many jobs, careers and livelihoods are in jeopardy. As referred to above many are doing what they can to help others.
Last night on twitter we discovered a horrendous example of heartlessness from hotelier, Britannia Hotels, headquartered in Hale, Manchester, that until the letter to staff featured below employed circa 12,000 people in 61 hotels. Not only have Britannia Hotels sacked all employees, but made all who had accommodation included with their job homeless.
The owner is Alexander Langsam, also dubbed ‘the Asylum King’ after raking in millions through a lucrative Home Office contract to house refugees in his budget hotels.
The consensus of criticism laid at the door of Britannia Hotels over many years can be summed up as truly disgraceful. Readers who want a bit more background will find all too much by simply searching Google for Britannia Hotels and/or Alexander Langsam.
Britannia Hotels has by consumer organisations like Which? and others for many years been labelled as the worst hotel chain in the UK. Britannia Hotels is a stain on our industry.
Alexander Langsam is featured in many ‘rich lists’ and ‘enjoys’ (questionable) wealth and privileges few experience. To maintain that wealth his actions make people homeless and with that comes a host of other extreme personal difficulties for the people whose lives he so wilfully damages.
You might ask yourself what could possibly motivate such behaviour, be grateful that you don’t and hopefully never will understand.
