Ludlow hotel hit by Legionnaires disease death goes into administration

The Feathers Hotel has been suffering from "difficult trading conditions" and the decision was made to place the company into administration.

The hotel, which employs 30 people, will remain open for business while options for its future are assessed. No redundancies have currently been made.

Elaine Brown, 69, died on August 26 last year after suffering a stroke as a result of contracting the disease, which was linked to bacteria in the plumbing at the hotel.

Another guest contracted the disease and was diagnosed in April 2017 and has recovered.

The hotel was closed in September after Mrs Brown’s death and reopened in November after two months of remedial work.

In May parts of the hotel were again closed after elevated levels of Legionella bacteria were found.

Raj Mittal and Steve Stokes, partners at specialist business advisory firm FRP Advisory LLP, were appointed Joint Administrators on Thursday.

Impact

The hotel had suffered trading difficulties as the result of the outbreak and a subsequent investigation by Public Health England (PHE) in the West Midlands and Shropshire.

Mr Mittal said: “The Feathers Hotel worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) in the West Midlands and Shropshire to enable a staged reopening of the business.

"Unfortunately, the impact of the initial closure and restricted trading conditions resulted in severe cash flow difficulties, which led to the company entering administration.

“We’re now working closely with the directors to evaluate all routes forward for the business over the coming weeks.”

The owners of the hotel declined to comment.