IHG focused on staff and guest safety after Holiday Inn hotels attacked

IHG Hotels and Resorts (IHG) has said it is prioritising the safety of its guests and staff after two Holiday Inn hotels were attacked by protesters over the weekend.

Prime minister Keir Starmer has condemned “far-right thuggery” after masked individuals attacked police and hotel buildings.

South Yorkshire Police said several officers were injured in “deplorable acts of violence” when 700 people gathered outside the Holiday Inn Express Hotel in the Manvers area of Rotherham on Sunday (4 August).

The BBC reports the Rotherham hotel was being used to house asylum seekers, though IHG has not confirmed this.

Glass bottles, beer cans and planks of wood were thrown at police officers while hotel windows were smashed as people tried to enter the premises.

A generator, grass areas and a large bin close to the window of the hotel were also set alight.

No hotel employees or residents were injured as a result of the violence.

A heavy police presence will remain outside the hotel and surrounding area on Monday morning.

Assistant chief constable Lindsey Butterfield said: “Today in Rotherham we have seen our officers attacked and at least ten injured, significant damage caused and a fire set outside a hotel full of terrified residents and staff.

“The mindless actions of those today have achieved nothing other than sheer destruction and leaving members of the public and the wider community in fear.”

Meanwhile, Staffordshire Police has launched an investigation after an officer suffered a suspected broken arm in violence at a Holiday Inn hotel in Tamworth on Sunday night.

Officers were attacked with petrol bombs and fireworks and hotel windows were smashed. No one inside the hotel was injured.

Assistant chief constable Stuart Ellison said: “There have already been more than 100 arrests nationally in connection with these acts and I expect those who are identified will meet the full force of the law.”

Violence has spilled onto the streets of towns and cities across the UK after three children were killed in Southport last Monday (29 July).

Glasses were smashed when far-right protesters stormed the Pasture restaurant in Bristol on Saturday, while diners were moved inside, according to BBC reports.

Chef Gary Usher wrote on X that staff across the Elite Bistros group in the north-west had been given taxis home to keep them safe.

Prime minister Keir Starmer said those taking part in the violence would face “the full force of the law”.

A spokesperson for IHG said: “The safety and security of our guests and colleagues is always our priority.”

IHG did not confirm if the hotels were being used to house asylum seekers but directed further enquiries to the Home Office.