Red Lea, Scarborough: Anglo American says it is using hotel after surprise at sudden closure

In January, the Red Lea Hotel on the Prince of Wales Terrace announced that it would not be accepting new bookings for the rest of the year.

A printed notice on its door and an announcement on the three-star hotel’s website left several residents wondering the reason behind the announcement.

The hotel’s website said: “We regret to inform you that The Red Lea is fully booked for the entirety of 2024, and we are currently unable to accommodate new reservations.”

However, at least part of the ‘hotel mystery’ may have been solved after multi-national mining company Anglo American revealed that it was utilising local accommodation to house some of its specialist workforce.

The company said that as it needed people with specialist skills to help it construct parts of the Woodsmith Project in Whitby, it was using local accommodation providers accordingly.

A spokesperson for Anglo American said: “We’re currently employing over 1,000 local people in the construction of the Woodsmith Project, which is already delivering significant benefits in the local area.

“We provide accommodation in a variety of facilities, including the Red Lea, across the local area for our workforce who live further afield and that bring the specialist shaft sinking and tunnelling skills that we need.”

The Red Lea Hotel was also contacted for a comment but did not respond by the time of publication.