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The Wyboston Lakes resort in Bedfordshire has said it is “deeply offended” after it unwittingly hosted members of the far-right group Britain First.
The organisation booked the room under the name Patriot Merchandise for £2,250, and the booking was said to have been made at a short notice.
Pictures posted on Britain First leader Paul Golding’s Twitter showed images of the group at the hotel, with banners that read ‘Taking Our Country Back!’
The property was criticised online for allowing the group for holding the meeting.
The hotel released a statement on Facebook and Twitter, saying the company which booked the room had “no obvious connections to Britain First”, and said the banners were not put in public areas and the conference room was not visible to guests or staff. It also said that “no staff entered the room at any time”.
The statement read: “We were not alerted to the nature of the event until a member of the press called at 5.30pm to ask our reception team if we had a Britain First meeting. At that time we were still unaware who the customer really was. Shortly after this time, whilst we were investigating this claim, Patriot Merchandise’s meeting closed and we became aware of the nature of the event.
“For the sake of clarity, had we known the nature of the event being held by Britain First, we would not have taken the booking, as the values of our organisation conflict with theirs in totality.”
It continued: “Wyboston Lakes embraces diversity, employing 25 different nationalities and has served the local, national and international business community for over 30 years. Along with our team, our reputation is one of our most valuable assets, neither of which we would knowingly put at risk in such a manner.
“We can fully understand the concerns expressed, but we can only refer to our company values and principles, our standing as an award-winning employer and assure everyone that we are deeply offended by their presence on our property.”
The hotel said it would be donating the fee paid for the room to charity.
