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Owner 'so sorry' over wedding heartache

by Alice McKeegan
2/ 9/2008

THE owner of the Broadfield Hotel has apologised to 50 couples who had their wedding plans ruined by its closure.

When tracked down by the Observer, Andrew Kusytsch revealed that the business had lost thousands of pounds since he took over in 2003.

He called in the administrators in July amid mounting losses, believed to be in the region of £100,000, and the looming threat of bailiffs. He insisted that he did everything possible to try to rescue the business and eventually took the difficult decision to close the hotel last Tuesday.

He said: "My wife and I bought the Broadfield in 2003 when it was at an all-time low.  A lot of people told us we must be mad to take on a hotel with such a bad reputation, but we had always wanted to run a hotel and we put our heart and soul into it.  We put almost all our money into it too.  The idea was to rescue the business and protect our employees’ jobs and safeguard all the functions. Unfortunately, we could not reach a deal with the administrator who made certain demands which, in our view, were excessive and would prevent us from rescuing the business."

He claims that he was told by the administrator on 22 August that removal vans would be sent to the hotel that afternoon. But he decided to carry on trading to allow weekend functions to take place.

He said that any deposits taken during the bank holiday weekend were not banked and he was devastated by what had happened.

He added: "This has been the hardest month of our lives. We have been called all sorts of names and had threats made against us. Our concern was always to protect our customers’ bookings and safeguard jobs. We are shocked and bewildered. Losing a business is never a nice thing. All we can say is sorry to our customers, staff and suppliers. We never meant for this to happen."

It is thought 15 weddings had been booked for before Christmas and 35 in the new year. All had paid at least sizeable deposits.

Thirty-six hotel employees have been made redundant.

Mr Kusytsch hopes that a buyer can still be found for the hotel so that next year’s events can be saved. Any interested parties can email him on rescue@broadfieldhotel.com .

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen has praised hotels and other businesses with function rooms for rallying round. He said he had been in touch with the Town Hall to confirm they will do all they can to accommodate any disappointed brides, grooms or anyone else who has been affected.

He added: "I think it is a real shame that the Broadfield Hotel has had to close and my thoughts are with all staff affected. As a regular customer for a number of years, I hope that it will not be long before this hotel, set in splendid gardens, reopens."

Marie Curie Cancer Care fund-raisers are searching for a new base following the closure of the Broadfield. The group has held regular meetings at the hotel for over three years, raising about £66,000 during this time. Members are now searching for new premises where they can meet for a few hours each week. If you can help, contact 01706 372273.