The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Closure of city’s Treetops Hotel spells end of era
Dozens of redundancies and weddings cancelled as venue shuts
MORE than 70 workers have been left jobless and dozens of events have been cancelled with the sudden closure of an Aberdeen landmark.
The Treetops Hotel on Springfield Road has ceased trading with immediate effect after staff were told to pack their things and “not come back”. Its owners have blamed “difficult trading conditions” for the move but said there is the potential for it to re-open in the future.
The closure means scores of event organisers, including future brides and grieving families arranging funeral teas, have been left scrambling to find a new venue.
Katie Richards, who was due to tie the knot there in August, said: “I’ve paid everything up-front so I’m concerned I might have lost all my money – we have a four-year-old son and scrimped and saved for the last five years to afford this wedding. I’m absolutely distraught.
“I don’t know what’s happening. There will be plenty of other people with weddings booked too.
“It’s a disaster.”
Dozens of workers have been made redundant and scores of events left cancelled following the sudden closure of a long-standing “landmark” Aberdeen hotel.
The Treetops Hotel on Springfield Road shut its doors yesterday, with bosses blaming the devastating move on “difficult trading conditions”.
It had been operating as a franchise of global hotel chain Hilton’s DoubleTree brand, though customers were told last month the branding was being removed.
They were told the hotel would continue as an independent venue, but have now spoken of their “shock” at its immediate closure instead.
The Treetops first opened in 1964 and has been a mainstay of the city’s hospitality sector ever since.
Its owners said the hotel has ceased trading with “immediate effect,” adding they are considering the possibility of reopening under new management.
Should it find a second life as a going concern, however, it would do so with a new workforce.
Jayne Groundwater, the Treetops’ former events co-ordinator, said more than 70 members of staff were called to a meeting where they were told to pack their things and “not come back”.
She wrote online: “Devastation, confusion, sadness and anger are just some of the emotions we are feeling, as we have to put our lives on hold.
“With no legal advice being provided and little communication from the company, we are at a standstill.
“Ultimately, all 70-plus staff are now unemployed with little hope the hotel will continue to trade.”
Many other city hoteliers have been trying to help affected Treetops customers with special deals, offering them a replacement venue for their cancelled events.
A spokeswoman for the Palm Court Hotel said: “While we acknowledge the various hardships faced by hotels, restaurants and really businesses of all shapes and sizes in Aberdeen recently, our primary concern lies with the many hundreds of customers who will be acutely affected by this closure.”
Stephen Gow, general manager of the Chester Hotel, added: “No one in the hotel industry wants to hear of people having bookings cancelled and we will do everything we can to help those who may be affected.
“Coming in the wake of so many hotels recently experiencing extremely challenging times, it is important that we as a hotel industry work together to protect the future of quality tourism and that we work with local authorities and governments to give us an enabling framework in which to operate.”
Andrew Martin, from the Aberdeen and Shire Hotels Association, said the Treetops brand had been “synonymous with quality for many years, so it’s very sad to see an iconic hotel enter into a difficult trading situation”.
A Hilton spokesman said the hotel had “ceased to operate” under the DoubleTree brand.
Ward councillor Martin Greig said: “The sudden experience of redundancy is really hard and unpleasant.
“The Treetops has been a landmark for decades. We deserve to know what happens next.”
And North East MSP Tom Mason said the closure was a “huge blow” for Aberdeen and “absolutely devastating for all the staff who work at the hotel”.
“Ultimately, all 70-plus staff are now unemployed with little hope the hotel will continue to trade”