Cumberland shuts for three weeks after fire

London's Cumberland hotel will remain closed until 10 June following last week's fire in the basement because repair work to electrical cables will put the hotel lifts out of action.

More than 1,500 people were evacuated from the Le Méridien-owned hotel at Marble Arch after the fire.

Six people were rescued by firefighters. No one was hurt but one person was treated for smoke inhalation. A few bedrooms suffered slight smoke damage.

The fire, which is not being treated as suspicious, was traced to a minor outbreak in the hotel's basement, which was empty awaiting refurbishment.

The lifts will have to be decommissioned while repair work is carried out on the electrical cables. "The hotel bedrooms are on eight floors and it would cause major inconvenience to guests if we remained operational," said general manager Beverly King.

The work will be carried out in tandem with an existing bedroom refurbishment programme. Evacuated guests were put up at the nearby Thistle hotel, and those with reservations up to 10 June are being rebooked into other neighbouring hotels.

by Nic Paton and Angela Frewin

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 30 May - 5 June 2002