Hampton by Hilton Westhill, Aberdeenshire

The Hampton by Hilton sits on Westhill Drive in the Aberdeenshire commuter town of Westhill, on the western edge of Aberdeen city. The site was block booked under the Mears Scotland regional contract for the Home Office and more than 300 single adult male asylum seekers were staying there in June 2025. An Aberdeenshire Council report of 27 March 2025 says the Home Office received Ministerial approval in February 2023 to use the hotel for a maximum of 330 single men, making it the largest contingency accommodation site in Scotland^[4]GOV.UK. BBC News reported that the hotel began accommodating asylum seekers in March 2023^[5]Broadcast. The local MP, Andrew Bowie, opposed the decision from the start, saying on 29 March 2023 that Westhill lacked the facilities for an influx of 173 more people^[3]Press.

On 23 August 2025 the site was the focus of a substantial standoff between anti asylum protesters and counter demonstrators. Police Scotland deployed public order officers across Westhill to manage the gathering, and regional press coverage detailed concerns from local residents over policing and community impact. The standoff was a significant factor in the Home Office's subsequent decision to begin moving residents out of the site^[1]Broadcast.

In September 2025 the Press and Journal reported that residents from the Hampton by Hilton Westhill, alongside other Aberdeen city sites, were being shuttled by taxi to Farmer's Hall student halls in Rosemount as part of a wider relocation programme^[2]Press. STV News confirmed the Home Office was considering a full exit from the Westhill site following the relocation^[1]Broadcast. The hotel did not close. On 28 November 2025 the Press and Journal reported an alleged assault on an asylum seeker at the hotel, allegedly by other residents. It said the hotel had housed asylum seekers since 2023, and that more than 300 people had been staying there in June 2025, some of whom were then moved to Rosemount^[6]Press. On 15 April 2026 it said the Hampton by Hilton in Westhill is also being used as an asylum hotel^[7]Press.

At the £170 per person per night Migration Observatory benchmark^[8], a site with more than 300 residents, as reported for June 2025, implies headline taxpayer exposure of about £51,000 per night and roughly £18.6 million per year. That places Westhill among the more expensive single sites on the wider portfolio relative to the May 2025 NAO average of about £5.84 million per hotel^[9]NAO.