Closure of Bovingdon’s Bobsleigh Hotel wrecks couple’s big day

A couple’s dream wedding was destroyed after Bovingdon’s iconic Bobsleigh Hotel decided to close its doors before the big day. Sam Hayhoe and her fiancé Martin O’Connor who were due to get married in February next year were left distraught after receiving a phone call from the Bobsleigh in September telling them their wedding is cancelled due to the closure of the hotel. Sam said: “I first saw the that hotel was closing on Facebook and thought it was the Best Man playing a practical joke on us, but on the Monday I received a call from our wedding planner Cam who told us the wedding was cancelled. “I was shocked, we were told it was closing because it was no longer viable for the hotel to be open and that was it, we were offered no compensation.” Sam contacted several different venues to see if anywhere could match the date and their budget, after several unsuccessful responses The De Vere Hotel offered them the venue and matched their price. A spokesman for the Bobsleigh Hotel confirmed that the hotel will close officially on November 23, they commented: “The hotel is no longer operating at a viable level and to upgrade the existing property to the Macdonald standard would require extensive investment that is economically unviable. “We also completely understand the inconvenience this will cause particularly with those couples who have future weddings booked. We are in contact with all those individuals to make alternative arrangements. “The company recognises that the Bobsleigh is in many ways a part of the local community and the decision to close the hotel has been a very difficult one.” Have you been affected by the Bobsleigh Hotel closure? Email leigh@mynewsmag.co.uk