Newquay hotel and nightclub close suddenly

Hotel Victoria closed its doors on Monday and future plans for the building are unclear

A hotel and nightclub in a Cornwall seaside town have closed suddenly, with staff placed at risk of redundancy, a councillor for Newquay has confirmed.

The Hotel Victoria, a mainstay on Newquay's East Street since 1899, shut its doors on Monday, Cornwall Council member Louis Gardner told the BBC.

Staff have refused to comment and future plans for the building have not been confirmed, but the hotel has disappeared from its own booking website and is not accepting guests.

Meanwhile, the closure of Berties nightclub and plans to shut the next-door pub, Bertie O'Flannigan's, have been described as a "massive shame" by Newquay community members.

Louis Gardner said a number of staff members have contacted him

Gardner, councillor for Newquay Central, said he had been contacted by staff to inform him they were at risk of redundancy.

He said: "It's come as a shock to us all.

"We are going to see 60 job losses in the hotel itself and surrounding businesses.

"We hear that another large hotel group has bought it and we hope we will see some major investment back into it because it's a major asset and well-loved."

He added: "A number of staff have contacted me saying they now face redundancy and it's a horrible time of the year in the run-up to Christmas."

He said he hoped workers would find alternative employment in the town.

He said Newquay needed investment, having lost a number of hotels, and that the "shape of the tourism industry" had changed but that there was still a place for historic hotels.

On the loss of Berties, he said Newquay's night-time economy still had the potential to thrive.

Berties nightclub has also closed its doors

Meanwhile, Tony Townsend, former marketing manager for Hotel Victoria, said the closure was "extremely sad".

He added: "I think a lot of people have grown up with, certainly Berties, as part of their life and they maybe went along as a youngster, as a teenager.

"I think it has been a big part of people's lives."

Mr Townsend described the club as an "absolute fixture", especially during summer holidays, with a capacity for up to 2,000 people.

He said: "We could have some of the biggest acts in the UK and some of the biggest DJs. Culturally, that was really important."

A social media page for Berties read: "Unfortunately this is the last week of Berties.

"We will be closing our doors for good from Monday November 25.

"Thank you to everyone for your continuous support over the years. We will miss each and every one of you!"

Iskander Deniz says the closure could impact his nearby business

Marina Dee, who has lived in Newquay since she was nine, recalled happy teenage memories of clubbing at Berties.

She said: "It was just an amazing place to meet up, it's just such a shame that it's closing.

"We're losing so much of Newquay since I was growing up here."

Mandy Davies also said the closure of Berties was a "shame".

She said: "You just always worry what it's going to be next.

"It needs more hotels here to stop people thinking you can only stay in houses... you just need someone to invest.

"It needs to stay a hotel, there needs to be investment in the town."

Iskander Deniz, who runs a business in Newquay, said customers from Berties used to frequent there so the closure would impact others too.