Stanwell Hotel (Mercure-branded), Stanwell, Surrey
The Stanwell Hotel near Heathrow is owned by Splendid Hospitality and trades under the Mercure brand. The site is used by the Home Office under the Clearsprings Ready Homes contract to house more than 100 single adult male asylum seekers, and was filmed inside for a 2025 ITV News Tonight investigation by Paul Brand[1]Broadcast. In September 2026 the Guildford Dragon reported that Spelthorne Borough Council had granted planning permission for a refurbishment that returns the hotel to broader public use, and that it will no longer be used to house asylum seekers[5]Press. No departure date has been published.
Capacity
56
rooms (96 after the planned extension)
Background
The Stanwell Hotel sits on Town Lane in the village of Stanwell, on the south west edge of Heathrow Airport. The site is operated by Splendid Hospitality and trades under the Mercure brand, but has been block booked by the Home Office under the Clearsprings Ready Homes asylum accommodation contract for the South East of England.
ITV News Tonight (Paul Brand) investigation
ITV News Tonight broadcast a Paul Brand documentary on UK asylum hotels in September 2025 which included filmed access to the Stanwell Hotel. The programme detailed the site's ownership by Splendid Hospitality, its Mercure branding and its Clearsprings contract, and showed conditions inside the building with more than 100 single adult male residents[1]Broadcast.
Firelighters thrown at police; burglary charges
Get Surrey reported that firelighters were thrown at Surrey Police officers at a 2025 protest outside the hotel, with the force deploying public order units in response[2]Press. Separately, Get Surrey reported that seven men resident at the site had been charged with burglary offences following a Surrey Police investigation, with cases listed at Crown Court[3]Press.
Cost analysis
No exact number of residents has been published for this site, and a room count is not a headcount, so no nightly or annual cost is estimated here. ITV News Tonight described more than 100 single adult male residents[1]Broadcast, and Hello Rayo reported in March 2026 that the hotel has 56 rooms, or 96 after a planned extension[6]Press. The Migration Observatory benchmark is £170 per person per night[4]. Crown Court trials for the seven residents charged with burglary add ancillary public spend on top of the accommodation contract.
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
UK asylum hotel avg
£170
NAO
Heathrow budget hotel
£75
commercial
Hostel bed
£30
commercial
Timeline
Timeline
Earlier
Trades commercially as a Mercure branded hotel near Heathrow
2025
ITV News Tonight investigation
Paul Brand documentary films inside the Stanwell asylum hotel.
2025
Firelighters thrown at police
Surrey Police deploy public order officers; arrests follow.
2025
Seven men charged with burglary
Surrey Police investigation results in seven Crown Court cases.
16 Mar 2026
Councillors expect residents to move out
Hello Rayo reports that councillors said the asylum seekers staying at the hotel were expected to move out shortly, subject to planning permission. It gives the hotel 56 rooms, 96 after a planned extension.
15 Sep 2026
Planning permission for a return to public use
The Guildford Dragon reports that Spelthorne Borough Council has approved a refurbishment and that the hotel will no longer house asylum seekers. No departure date has been published.
Sources
- Tonight: Britain's Asylum Hotels (Paul Brand investigation) · ITV News Tonight, Sep 2025
ITV News Tonight documentary by Paul Brand on UK asylum hotels including filmed access to the Stanwell Hotel near Heathrow, owned by Splendid Hospitality and contracted to Clearsprings Ready Homes, housing more than 100 single adult male asylum seekers.
- Firelighters thrown at police as protests spread to Stanwell asylum hotel · Get Surrey, Sep 2025
Get Surrey reports firelighters were thrown at Surrey Police officers at a protest outside the Stanwell Hotel near Heathrow, where the Home Office houses around 100 single adult male asylum seekers under the Clearsprings Ready Homes contract.
- Seven men charged after burglary spree linked to Stanwell asylum hotel · Get Surrey, Sep 2025
Get Surrey reports seven men resident at the Stanwell Hotel asylum site were charged with burglary offences following a Surrey Police investigation, with cases listed at Crown Court.
- 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.
- Asylum hotel to return to regular use · Guildford Dragon, 15 Sep 2026
Reports that Spelthorne Borough Council has given planning permission for a refurbishment of the Stanwell Hotel in Stanwell, and that the hotel will no longer be used to house asylum seekers and will return to broader public use. It gives no date for the residents' departure.
- Stanwell Hotel plans and the asylum seekers staying there · Hello Rayo (Greatest Hits Radio Surrey), 16 Mar 2026
Reports plans for the Stanwell Hotel on Town Lane in Stanwell: the hotel has 56 rooms, and 96 after the planned extension, and councillors said the asylum seekers currently staying there were expected to move out shortly, subject to planning permission from Spelthorne Borough Council. It gives no number of residents.