U-turn from Center Parcs after it tells guests it will close for Queen’s funeral
Nottinghamshire-headquartered Center Parcs performed a rapid volte-face yesterday evening (September 13) in the face of a furious backlash from customers after announcing that would close from 10am on the day of the late Queen’s funeral.
Yesterday, the holiday park operator announced on social media that guests that are staying at the one of its venues will have to find somewhere else to sleep for the night on Monday September 19 after revealing it would close all of its UK villages that day.
A statement from Center Parcs said: “Following the announcement of the date of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, we have made the decision to close all our UK villages on Monday 19 September at 10am as a mark of respect and to allow as many of our colleagues as possible to be part of this historic moment.
“Guests who were due to arrive on Monday 19 September should not travel, we will reopen on Tuesday 20 September to welcome guests.”
One outraged holidaymaker replied: “Very angry about this – we are not travelling directly to you, so this has left us stranded half way up the country without accommodation for a night. 30% offered is nowhere near close enough to covering the extra costs.”
Another angrily replied: “We paid over £600 for a four day holiday. This has now been effectively cut short by a full day. You’re discounting for those that have a delayed arrival date but what about those of us who have lost the last day of their holiday?!”
However, Center Parcs was forced into a u-turn after the story spread through social media. It backtracked on its plans, and will now let holidaymakers stay on site – even though most facilities will be closed.
The company said: “The vast majority of our guests are either due to arrive or depart on Monday 19th September.
“We have however, reviewed our position regarding the very small number of guests who are not due to depart on Monday, and we will be allowing them to stay on our villages rather than having to leave and return on Tuesday.
“The villages will still remain closed on Monday, and we will be offering a discount for the lack of facilities available on that day.”
