Center Parcs backtracks on decision to ask guests to leave for Queen's funeral

Center Parcs has backtracked on a decision to ask guests to leave its UK sites on the day of the Queen’s funeral.

The holiday park operator’s social media pages were flooded with complaints after it said it would be closing its five venues on 19 September.

It would have meant some guests in the middle of their stay would have had to leave the parks by 10am and find alternative accommodation for the night before returning the following day.

Center Parcs said it had made the decision “as a mark of respect” and to allow as many staff as possible “to be part of this historic moment”.

But the company has since backtracked and said guests who were not due to depart on Monday could stay in their accommodation.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Center Parcs said: “The vast majority of our guests are either due to arrive or depart on Monday 19 September. We have however, reviewed our position regarding the very small number of guests who are not due to depart on Monday and we will be allowing them to stay on [in] our villages rather than having to leave and return on Tuesday.”

The site’s facilities will remain closed on Monday and guests will be offered a discount.

However, those due to arrive on 19 September have been told not to travel and will not be able to check in until the following day. Center Parcs said affected guests had been contacted and offered “a number of different options”.

The initial announcement saw many customers vent their frustration in comments on Center Parc’s Facebook page.

One commentator wrote: “You’re closing your sites at very short notice as a mark of respect, while showing very little respect for your customers.”

Another added: “We were five related families getting together for our annual family holiday - with two small children and two dogs, three hours from home! Where the hell are we supposed to go for one night?!

“It’s that or cancel some or all of the much-anticipated holiday! Sorry, but this is an awful, awful decision that has left us devastated. By all means close the restaurants and activities, but let us stay on the park!!”

But one commentator wrote that it was "definitely the right decision" as "staff should be allowed to watch the funeral".

Center Parcs’ five UK sites are Whinfell Forest, Sherwood Forest, Longleat Forest, Elveden Forest and Woburn Forest. It also runs Longford Forrest near Ballymahon in Ireland.

The Queen’s funeral date will be a bank holiday, and like existing bank holidays staff will have no statutory entitlement to time off.

It will mark the end of the national mourning period. Government guidance states that it is at the discretion of businesses if they wish to close during this period or during the funeral.

Several major pub groups have told The Caterer they are planning to remain open on the funeral date.

Image: Simon Vayro / Shutterstock