The Home Office has announced that the Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Loughborough will no longer be used to house people seeking asylum, as part of a government drive to withdraw asylum provision from hotels nationwide.
Return to town-centre trade and potential new uses
The department said the Loughborough hotel, which has about 80 rooms, is one of 13 this week to be removed from asylum use. The move follows earlier closures in April and June and, according to ministers, will allow the properties to resume normal commercial activity or be repurposed to benefit local communities.
Officials argued that hotels freed from asylum accommodation could once again support the town centre by restoring footfall for cafes, shops and restaurants and by protecting or creating local jobs. The announcement did not specify a timeline for when the Ramada Jarvis would reopen fully to paying guests, be redeveloped, or otherwise change use.
Scale of closures and claimed savings
The Home Office said the latest tranche of 13 hotel closures across England — including the Ramada Jarvis and one in Nottingham — is expected to save taxpayers £51 million, bringing this year's claimed total from hotel closures to about £224 million. Ministers also pointed to nearly £1 billion in reduced asylum accommodation costs since the 2024 general election.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Rooms at Ramada Jarvis (approx.) | 80 |
| Hotels closed in latest announcement | 13 |
| Additional closures in April | 11 |
| Additional closures in June | 20 |
| Estimated savings from latest closures | £51 million |
| Claimed total savings this year | £224 million |
The department also said that, nationally, fewer than 160 hotels remain in use for asylum accommodation. It said the government is progressively moving people into larger, more basic sites, including former military locations.
“For too long, communities in the East Midlands have watched hotels at the centre of their towns and cities become symbols of a broken asylum system,”
The comment above was included in the Home Office release from Immigration Minister Anna Turley, who described the closures as part of a plan to end the use of asylum hotels permanently and to move people into larger accommodation such as former military sites.
Local implications and unanswered questions
For Loughborough the practical effects will be watched closely. Hotel staff, nearby retailers and hospitality venues that depend on passing trade will want clarity on whether the Ramada Jarvis will reopen to paying guests, be sold or redeveloped. The announcement suggests potential benefits for the town centre, but it does not set out a timetable or provide detail about what support will be offered to affected staff or businesses during any transition.
- Residents and local businesses will be looking for details on reopening plans or redevelopment proposals for the Ramada Jarvis.
- Questions remain over how and when people currently in other types of asylum accommodation will be rehoused under the government’s shift to larger sites.
- Local authorities may need to consider planning, licensing and employment implications if hotels change use.
Councillors, business groups and community organisations in Charnwood and Loughborough have not yet published a response to the Home Office announcement. The change is billed by ministers as a win for local communities and taxpayers; residents will be seeking more detail about the immediate effects on jobs and town-centre trade as plans for the building’s future are clarified.
Further updates are expected as the Home Office and the hotel’s operators confirm practical arrangements for ending asylum use and returning the site to the local economy.
