Westminster hotels and restaurants on alert following terror incident

22 March 2017 by
Westminster hotels and restaurants on alert following terror incident

Hotels in the London Westminster area are on alert after two incidents near Parliament this afternoon which the police are treating as terrorism.

Two people have been killed, including a police officer who was stabbed, and several buildings are in lockdown. The restaurant Roux at Parliament Square has reportedly been evacuated. The alleged assailant was shot by armed police.

There are also reports of a car driving into people on Westminster Bridge before driving into the railings of the Palace of Westminster.

Around 12 people are believed to have been involved, people are being treated at the scene, and Westminster underground station has been shut.

All five Park Plaza hotels on London's South Bank, including the 1019-bedroom Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, remain fully operational. A spokesperson for the group said that guests are being referred for advice to the Met Police and its Twitter feed.

Roux at Parliament Square restaurant was evacuated this afternoon, along with other buildings in the vicinity, by the Met police, who directed staff and guests at the restaurant to St. James's Park underground station. Staff have been told they will not be able to get back into the restaurant until tomorrow.

A spokesperson for the Corinthia hotel near Embankment said: "We are monitoring police reports and advice, have locked down our entrances and exits to streets, with only front entrance operational and manned by our security. HR are managing any staff travel issues or questions"

A spokesperson for Marriott, which operates the London Marriott County Hall hotel nearby, said: "For now, we are operating at heightened security and continuing to monitor the situation closely. Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by these tragic incidents."

British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: "Yesterday's tragic events in London are a reminder that it is important for pubs to be vigilant to the threat of terrorism.

"Pubs should monitor advice from the police, brief staff, and certainly consider terrorism as part of their risk assessment of the premises. There is a section that covers this in our risk assessment guidance, ‘Managing Safety in Pubs & Bars', which is freely available on our website.

"Safety should be regularly reviewed, and issues to consider are any weaknesses in a CCTV system, and how you would respond to a threat, such as a suspect package or suspicious item, search plans and evacuation plans.

"In London, there is also a co-ordinated alert system for most outlets linked to the police, and similar arrangements in other parts of the UK. The BBPA will also ensure that any further advice is passed on to our members."

Paris hotel occupancy rates halved after terrorist attacks >>

Police call on hospitality industry to help prevent terrorist attacks >>

Videos from The Caterer archives

Are you looking for a new role? See all the current hospitality vacancies available with The Caterer Jobs

The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking