Fears Himley hotel fire could hit festive bookings
A hotel owner who suffered a devastating kitchen fire says he is worried the damage could affect bookings in the run-up to Christmas.
Mohammed Zaman, who owns The Himley Country Hotel and Restaurant, said the fire had come at a ‘hard time’ in the run-up to the festive season.
Firefighters were at the scene of the Dudley hotel last Wednesday after the blaze broke out just before 5.30pm in the kitchen.
WATCH: Footage shows aftermath of fire
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service described it as a ‘severe’ kitchen fire and said it was believed to have been started by a fryer.
Mr Zaman said: “Obviously it’s a very hard time to get this all right now, as Christmas is coming up and we have people wanting to book in parties and dinners.
“But touch wood we have our temporary kitchen coming in this week.”
The hotel remains open to guests, but the kitchen has been out of use since Wednesday and no food is being served.
Mr Zaman confirmed a temporary kitchen has been ordered, and guests should be able to order food later this week.
The fire was out by about 7pm last Wednesday, and the service said there were no injuries reported.
The hotel is based in Himley, just off the A449 between Wolverhampton and Kidderminster.
Described as its website as ‘one of the most welcoming hotels in Dudley’, the venue offers festive parties for groups as well as Christmas Day lunch, Boxing day lunch, and New Year’s Eve nights.
