Resort chief reveals cost of pandemic on business

THE head of one of Wales’ biggest hotels has said the coronavirus pandemic has had a “devastating impact” on the resort.

Ian Edwards, chief executive of the Celtic Manor Resort, one of Newport’s biggest employers, said it had lost “tens of millions of pounds” in lost business since the pandemic began.

Speaking to BBC Radio yesterday, Mr Edwards said: “The pandemic has had a devastating impact, not just on Celtic Manor but on our industry as a whole, it’s just [had] a massive impact,” he said.

“Not just on business but on lives and the livelihoods of the people that work within the Celtic Manor and in the industry. It’s been devastating.”

The pandemic has brought hardship to the doors of many businesses and industries and resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs, and Celtic Manor has been no different.

Last July the Celtic Collection, which includes the Celtic Manor Resort and International Convention Centre Wales, announced it would be making 450 people redundant.

Mr Edwards admitted the resort had seen a high number of departures since the virus hit.

“It’s been awful, particularly for those people who have lost their jobs. When we entered the pandemic we employed over 1,000 people in the resort and the surrounding businesses.

“During that process we lost probably about 350 people within our business, those who were made redundant and those who decided to leave the industry because of the strife it has been under.”

Mr Edwards added that about 150 people had continued to work throughout the whole pandemic, and that about 250 staff were currently on furlough.

But said he was “confident” of retaining the remaining jobs at the resort.

Mr Edwards said the support from UK and Welsh governments had been welcome, but that it had not been enough to make up for how much business had been lost due to the pandemic.

“I sometimes feel like Oliver Twist saying ‘please Sir, can I have some more?’. We’ve been closed for 10 months essentially and lost tens of millions of pounds, and no grant or aid will come close to subsidising that.

“We know when we can open, we will open safely and we will get on with what we do best, looking after our guests and our team.”

He said the resort was still pushing forward with expansion plans including a new hotel in Cardiff.