A Worcestershire couple’s wedding plans have been shattered weeks just before tying the knot, after their venue was turned into a quarantine hotel.
Jon Shaw and Wendy Thornton were due to get married at the Bromsgrove Holiday Inn on July 17 – after 18 months of planning their big day.
But the coronavirus crisis once again intervened to throw their plans into chaos just 28 days before the big day.
Wedny was enjoying a wedding hair and make-up trial with bridesmaids on Saturday, June 19, when the chain phoned her out of the blue to say the venue was no longer available.
The pair, from Redditch, Worcestershire, had been given a food tasting session with the hotel’s chef and chose their wedding breakfast meal on June 8.
But they say the venue had been ‘messing’ them about and not responding to emails ahead of the announcement.
The Holiday Inn closed to the public on Thursday ahead of being used as a quarantine base for UK arrivals coming in from red list countries.
Jon, 55, said: ‘The Holiday Inn has been messing us about and none of this has been pleasant at what should be a happy time.
‘The hotel hadn’t been replying to our messages for ages and then, with 28 days to go, they suddenly phone to say we can’t get married at the hotel.
‘They offered us alternative dates or locations, like the Holiday Inn in Perry Barr, but we hadn’t time to register the wedding in a new area for the same date as you need 28 days notice.’
But thanks to close friends and Worcestershire registrars rallying round to save the wedding, Jon and Wendy are going to be able to get married after all on July 17 at another venue, which had a last-minute cancellation.
The couple, who met while working together at Wilkos in Redditch nine years ago, will now wed at Westmead Hotel in Alvechurch after the local registrar organised a waiver for the venue change, only costing them an extra £120.
But the changes were far from ideal so soon before the wedding.
Jon continued: ‘A poor events co-ordinator was tasked with phoning up all the couples who had weddings cancelled and she sounded really embarrassed.
‘She was reluctant to tell us why, but eventually said that it was because the Holiday Inn was becoming a quarantine hotel.’
Jon says the pair had been stressed out by the changes and began snapping at each other.
They have demanded that Holiday Inn pay the extra costs but have had no reply.
Jon said: ‘Just two weeks ago, the chef and his team led us through a food tasting session for our wedding breakfast and obviously didn’t have a clue about what was going to happen.
‘Wendy didn’t cry as she’s not that kind of person, but it has been stressful and all we wanted was to sit back, relax and have a special time in the lead up to the big day.
‘It’s no way to treat people. I wouldn’t recommend the Holiday Inn to anyone as they ruined our wedding day.’
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Tieran Bhuhi, spokeswoman for IHG, which runs Holiday Inn, said she could not comment on the approach to quarantine or hotel selection.
Ms Bhuhi said: ‘During the pandemic, IHG and our hotels have been proud to support Government-led programmes around the world, which has seen a small number of our hotels being used as vaccination centres, while others are providing accommodation for isolation and quarantine including as Managed Quarantine Hotels Facilities for guests that
are required to quarantine on arrival to the UK, which is being managed by the Government’s Department of Health and Social Care.’
The Department of Health and Social Care has said it is expanding the Managed Quarantine Service to provide enough hotel capacity to ensure British citizens and residents were able to quarantine after returning from red list countries.
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