A popular Suffolk wedding venue and hotel has mysteriously shut up shop overnight, allegedly leaving couples and customers in the dark.
Confused customers with bookings have reportedly been turning up at The Limes Hotel, on High Street, Needham Market, to find the doors locked and no one answering.
Steven Moore, of the Coffee, Craft ‘n’ Moore cafe across the road, said the hotel shut up shop on Friday, May 19.
“There have been customers turning up with rooms booked who had no idea,” he said. “There was a wedding booked for this weekend and they have ended booking the pub down the road at the last minute. It closed on Friday and we do not know why, there was no warning at all.”
Kevin Hunter, clerk to Needham Market Town Council, said the sudden closure of the hotel was “sad news” for the town.
“It is a vital business for the prosperity of the town,” he said .”It is key for bringing people in to the town and in supporting other businesses.”
He said he hopes the hotel will reopen as soon as possible and become a viable and successful business in the future.
Online reviewers have taken to TripAdvisor and other sites to express their anger at the unannounced closure, while several other people reported issues with overbooking in the previous weeks.
A reviewer posted on TripAdvisor on Sunday: “Just turned up to find that the hotel is closed we had book in for two days. The hotel didnt (sic) even have the decency to inform us that they were closed.”
A reviewer also posted a week ago about how they arrived to find they were double booked, with helpful staff finding them another hotel.
Other recent reviewers did report back favourably, but the majority in the past month have been less than three stars.
Despite repeated attempts, the hotel management could not be reached for comment. There was no one at the property to answer the door on Tuesday, with no sign explaining the closure.
The Limes is a licensed civil wedding venue. It is not clear if customers with weddings this summer have been told about the closure or whether they will fulfil the prior commitments.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here