Barclay brothers’ Sark hotels to close

Conseiller Sandra Williams said the closures were "unfortunate" but Sark was still open for business

All the hotels in Sark owned by the Barclay brothers will be closed in 2015.

The four hotels, Dixcart Bay, Petit Champ, La Moinerie and Aval du Creux, are no longer accepting bookings.

No-one from the management company, Sark Island Hotels, has yet commented on the closures.

Sark's Tourism Committee chairwoman Sandra Williams said: "Although this is unfortunate... Sark is still very much open for business."

She said: "We are perplexed about the decision to close their hotels when this season has been so successful."

Two of the four hotels, Aval de Creux and Petit Champ, did not open this summer.

The Barclay brothers live on the neighbouring island of Brecqhou

Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay live on the neighbouring island of Brecqhou and own a number of businesses in the island through Sark Estate Management, which runs Sark Island Hotels.

Kevin Delaney, who runs Sark Estate Management and also edits the independent Sark Newspaper, would not comment on the closure.

However, in the publication he has blamed the lack of a local customs post in Sark, meaning visitors have to travel via Guernsey, Jersey or Alderney to clear customs, for the decision.

He said he told staff: "We will not be opening any of our hospitality businesses next year in any shape or form or for any foreseeable period after that."

It is not clear how many jobs will be lost because of the closures.

Conseiller Andy Cook said passengers numbers to and from Sark were up by nearly 2,000

There are two independently run hotels on the island as well as 10 guest houses, 16 self-catering properties and two campsites.

The press release from the Sark Tourism Committee quoted a number of these businesses in support of its claims visitor numbers rose in 2014 compared to 2013.

Among them was Paul Armorgie, from Stocks Hotel, who said it had been a "record-breaking year" with "an increase of over 40% for our accommodation".

He said: "Our reservations for 2015 are currently 25% ahead of this time last year and we have seen a huge surge in the demand for weddings, parties, events and group bookings."

Conseiller Andy Cook, chairman of Sark Shipping Committee which runs the regular passenger services to the island, said passenger number had risen from 48,655 in 2013 to 50,521 in 2014.

The brothers closed their businesses in the island for nearly two weeks in 2008 after the majority of the candidates they had supported failed to win seats in the island's first fully democratic elections.