Owners of a controversial hotel where nine people died during lockdown have seen their firm’s value soar by nearly £630,000.
GDB Hotels benefitted from an influx of public cash for housing homeless people since the start of the pandemic nearly two years ago.
The company’s Alexander Thomson Hotel in Glasgow provided accommodation for the homeless and has come under heavy criticism.
Some nine deaths were reported at the Argyle Street building between April and December 2020, with eight believed to be related to drug abuse.
The hotel, which is understood to have closed for refurbishment last month, received cash from Glasgow City Council.
In the company accounts for the year ending March last year, GDB Hotels enjoyed a substantial rise in its net assets.
The figure jumped from £1.47 million for 2019/20 to £2.1m for the following year.
Last night homeless charity Shelter Scotland said providing temporary accommodation wasn’t only “costly” but can be a “nightmare” for those affected.
The GDB Hotels group includes The Rennie MacIntosh Station Hotel on Glasgow’s Union Street, which the Homeless Project Scotland charity recently branded “not fit for humans to be in” after pest control experts dealt with a mice problem.
That hotel also received public money to accommodate the homeless.
Two people died at the Alexander Thomson Hotel on the same day in July 2020. A 25-year-old man was found dead just five minutes before paramedics were called to treat a 44-year-old woman, who later died at the scene on July 28.
The hotel - named after the famous architect Alexander Thomson - takes normal booking from paying customers but police previously described it as effectively a homeless hostel.
A 38-year-old woman staying at the hotel died on April 25 2020, followed by a 21-year-old man who was pronounced dead on May 17.
On June 7 a 43-year-old man passed away, after which a man of the same age died on June 21.
A 49-year-old woman died on August 27, with another 48-year-old female passing away the following day.
Another man reportedly died on December 8 that year.
Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Shelter Scotland hear stories every day from people who face months and sometimes years in temporary accommodation such as hotel rooms.
“It is costly for both local authorities and individuals, making the provision of affordable temporary accommodation a challenge.
“However, the true impact of temporary accommodation is not just the money that it costs. Life can be a nightmare for people in temporary accommodation. Having no safe, permanent place to live is disruptive and makes it more difficult to access health and wellbeing services.
“We can only end Scotland’s housing emergency by increasing the supply of secure and affordable homes.”
A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “The financial position of the company is clearly a matter for them to address.”
GDB Hotels were contacted for comment but didn’t respond.
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