Britannia Hotel Nottingham, St James's Street
The Britannia Hotel on St James's Street in Nottingham is part of the Britannia Hotels group, which has held Home Office asylum accommodation contracts for more than a decade. The hotel was raided by Britain First leader Paul Golding in April 2021 and was named in an October 2025 House of Commons debate by a Nottingham MP describing intimidation campaigns mounted outside the building[1]Press[2]GOV.UK. In August 2026 the Home Office confirmed that it was no longer used to accommodate asylum seekers, and Britannia Hotels said it no longer provided emergency accommodation to people seeking refuge[5]Press[6]Press.
Capacity
200
estimated peak occupancy
Per night
£170
per resident
Annual
£12m
per year while in use
Background
The Britannia Nottingham is a city centre hotel at 1 St James's Street in the NG1 postcode. It is owned and operated by Britannia Hotels, the chain repeatedly voted Britain's worst by Which? and headed by Alex Langsam, often described in press coverage as the asylum king. Britannia is one of the three biggest private suppliers of asylum hotel accommodation in the UK and has booked over £150 million in revenue from Home Office contracts across its estate since 2014[3]Press.
The April 2021 Britain First raid
On 17 April 2021, police were called to the Britannia Hotel in Nottingham after Britain First supporters entered the building and went door to door pressing residents to identify themselves and explain where they had arrived from. A separate visit by party leader Paul Golding on 20 April 2021 saw him post footage of residents to the group's social channels. Hope Not Hate documented Britain First making at least four similar video raids across Nottingham hotels between 2021 and 2023[1]Press.
October 2025 Hansard debate
During the 20 October 2025 Commons debate on Asylum Seekers Support and Accommodation, a Nottingham MP described campaigns mounted outside the Britannia hotel in the constituency, including viral claims it was a five star hotel with a swimming pool. The MP rejected those claims and warned that the campaigns were intimidating asylum seekers and the wider community[2]GOV.UK.
Cost analysis
At the £170 per person per night Migration Observatory benchmark[7], an estimated 200 person occupancy implied headline taxpayer exposure of around £34,000 per night and roughly £12.4 million per year while the hotel was in asylum use (until July 2026). The May 2025 NAO contract review put the average per hotel run rate across the wider portfolio at about £5.84 million per year[8]NAO, with Britannia chain hotels specifically generating tens of millions in annual revenue from asylum contracts according to Byline Times[3]Press.
Per-person per-day cost stack (benchmark)
£170- Hotel rate (room + three meals)£10059%
- Weekly cash allowance£74%
- Legal aid & casework£127%
- NHS / interpreter / utilities£1911%
- Contractor / security overhead£3219%
Cost in context
Britannia Nottingham (while in use)
£170
per person per night
UK asylum hotel avg
£170
NAO
Nottingham budget hotel
£55
commercial
Hostel bed
£30
commercial
Timeline
Timeline
Pre-2021
Operates as a commercial Britannia chain hotel in Nottingham city centre
Apr 2021
Britain First raid
Paul Golding and supporters enter the hotel and accost residents on camera; police called.
2021-2023
Multiple Britain First video visits
Hope Not Hate logs at least four anti migrant videos shot at Nottingham hotels including the Britannia.
2024
Britannia chain asylum revenue passes £150m
Byline Times reports the chain has made over £150 million from Home Office asylum contracts since 2014.
Oct 2025
Named in Commons debate
Nottingham MP describes campaigns mounted outside the hotel during a Hansard debate on asylum support and accommodation.
Apr 2026
Closure date set
The Blackpool Lead reports Serco emails to staff giving 13 July 2026 as the closure date, after the Home Office chose not to extend the contract.
12 Aug 2026
Confirmed no longer in asylum use
The Home Office confirms the hotel is among thirteen no longer used to accommodate asylum seekers, and Britannia Hotels says it no longer provides emergency accommodation.
Sources
- Britain First and Anti-Migrant Activism · Hope Not Hate, Jun 2022
Records that Paul Golding of Britain First gained entry to the Britannia Hotel in Nottingham on 17 April 2021 and accosted residents on camera, demanding to know where they had come from. Police were called and the footage was uploaded to social media as part of a wider Britain First anti-migrant hotel visit campaign.
- Asylum Seekers: Support and Accommodation · Hansard, House of Commons, Oct 2025
In a Commons debate on asylum support and accommodation, a Nottingham MP described campaigns mounted outside the Britannia hotel in their constituency, pushing back against false claims that it was a five star hotel with a swimming pool and warning of intimidation by anti migrant organisers.
- Hotel Chain Voted UK's Worst Makes Tens of Millions a Year from Housing Asylum Seekers in Harmful Conditions · Byline Times, Mar 2024
Investigates the Britannia Hotels group, naming the Britannia Nottingham among its asylum estate. Britannia booked over £150m in revenue from Home Office asylum contracts over a decade, with conditions described by charities as actively harming residents. Owner Alex Langsam estimated to be worth around £400m.
- Metropole Hotel one of five Serco sites which will close in coming months · Blackpool Lead, 19 Apr 2026
The Blackpool Lead reports Serco emails to staff giving closure dates for five Serco asylum hotels: the OYO Evesham Hotel on 31 May 2026, the Britannia Ashley Hotel and the Chimney House Hotel on 30 June 2026, and the Britannia Nottingham and the Metropole in Blackpool on 13 July 2026, because the Home Office chose not to extend the contracts.
- Nottingham's Britannia Hotel among 13 no longer housing asylum seekers · West Bridgford Wire, 12 Aug 2026
The Home Office has confirmed that the Britannia Hotel on St James's Street, Nottingham, is among 13 hotels in England that have stopped being used to accommodate asylum seekers, with residents relocated to alternative accommodation.
- Britannia Hotels statement on future of Nottingham hotel after asylum seekers moved out · Nottingham Post, via Yahoo News UK, 13 Aug 2026
A Britannia Hotels spokesperson confirms that Britannia Hotel Nottingham is no longer providing emergency accommodation to people seeking refuge. The paper says the hotel, which has more than 160 rooms, had housed asylum seekers for at least six years.
- Asylum accommodation in the UK · Migration Observatory, University of Oxford, Aug 2025
£170 per person per day in hotels (2024/25 average); used for per-hotel estimates and food/utilities breakdowns.
- The Home Office's asylum accommodation contracts · National Audit Office, May 2025
222 hotels in use; £1.296 billion annual (2024/25); per-hotel approximately £5.84 million.