ABERYSTWYTH’S Conrah Country Hotel is being mothballed until next spring due to the effects of Covid-19, it has been announced.

The 17-bedroom luxury hotel – a prime wedding venue located just four miles out of Aberystwyth – has been run by the husband-and-wife team of Geraint and Wendy Hughes since 2014.

At the onset of the lockdown on 23 March the distraught couple posted that they were having to close the hotel ’with a heavy heart’.

“We have taken this decision to protect not only our staff and customers, but also our local community and NHS,” they said.

“We hope that you will agree that this is the sensible way forward and wish you all well through this terrible time.”

Now, three months on, Mr and Mrs Hughes say they have been forced to take the difficult decision to mothball the hotel until March.

“To protect the well-being of our staff, customers and Ceredigion as a whole from Covid-19, we have taken the difficult decision to place the hotel into hibernation until spring 2021,” ran their latest Facebook post.

“We would like to thank all of our lovely staff and customers for their loyal support over the last six years and look forward to welcoming you back to Ffosrhydgaled in the spring.”

Mr Hughes subsequently told the Cambrian News he and his wife felt they had been left with no alternative.

“What’s forced our hands is the lack of meaningful financial support coming from Welsh Government as well as changes to the furlough system,” he said.

“How can Welsh Government expect employers to pay contributions to their workers’ wages when there is no money coming in through the door?

“As far as I’m concerned there’s been a lack of clarity from First Minister Mark Drakeford, although I suppose you cannot hang your hat on anything a politician says when a virus such as this is so uncharted.

“But when he suggested that hotels could leave trays of food outside guests’ rooms I thought ’forget it’. Half of our income comes from our restaurant and function room.

“The most unfortunate thing about all this is that we’ve built up a truly fantastic team here at the Conrah and now all 28 jobs will be lost.

“We’d be delighted to bring all staff back in the spring, but everything is up in the air at the moment. We’re looking to re-open at the start of March - that’s the hope.

“Welsh Government were aware of the position hotels such as ourselves were being forced into, but the type of grant support on offer was nowhere near enough.

“If they were being truly responsible they would ask what it costs for a business such as ours to go into hibernation.”

While expressing regret at the move, customers have also been quick to praise the hotel’s ’considerate and responsible’ decision in the wake of the pandemic and say they are looking forward to returning to the Conrah next spring.