Bath hotel in hot water
Dukes Hotel in Bath has been put into voluntary administration by owner Sebastian Hughes, six months after he closed the two-Michelin-starred Blinis restaurant in the city.
The 18-bedroom hotel has been handed over to a bank, although Hughes, who runs Chase Hotels with his wife Philippa, will continue to run it day to day.
A big drop in American tourists to Bath is blamed for the hotel's poor performance since the 11 September attacks, plus the effects of the foot-and-mouth epidemic.
The same reasons were given for the closure last September of Blinis, the restaurant run with chef Martin Blunos, when Chase announced it was concentrating on its hotel businesses - Dukes, St Olaves in Exeter, and the Holme Chase on Dartmoor.
The Dukes administration is being handled by the Numerica Business Services Group.
