On a crisp winter morning in Wilmslow, the 'permanently closed' Manchester Airport Stanley Hotel is bustling with activity. Delivery vans pull into the leafy grounds, and young men come and go.
Some of them are heading for a walk, others catch a bus towards the centre of Manchester. Many of them aren't allowed to work, so mostly spend their days trying to fill time.
The 88-bed hotel, which is a five minute drive from Manchester Airport, has been hosting male asylum seekers since summer 2021.
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Men have been placed there by Serco, a government contractor which provides housing and support in the North West for those fleeing war or persecution, while they await news on their immigration status.
Some guests have been living at the hotel for over a year, but according to claims from one former staff member, who spoke to the M.E.N, others stayed there less than a week before "vanishing."
The ex-employee, who asked for their identity to be concealed, said: "Quite frequently, these men would come to the hotel, have their induction and then just leave and we wouldn't see them again.
"There was a register at meal times and if they weren't there for three days Serco would just empty their room. I have no idea what happened to them after that." According to the Home Office, the men are 'not detained' at the hotel, and are free to leave the accommodation if they wish.
The ex-workers' claims come after a Home Office minister revealed that two-hundred asylum seeking children who were placed in hotels, mainly in the south of England, had gone missing.
The Observer previously reported that a whistle-blower from a Home Office Hotel in Brighton had claimed some children were abducted off the street, echoing fears that vulnerable children and adults who have arrived in the UK would likely be targeted by criminal networks.
'The Home Office spent a shocking amount of money'
The Best Western Hotel, located in the small village of Handforth, had previously been advertised as the 'ideal stopover for jetting off abroad' due to its close proximity to Manchester Airport.
It was forced to close during the coronavirus pandemic but was reopened by the Home Office in August 2021, due to pressure on the existing provisions for asylum seekers in the UK.
The worker, who was employed at the hotel for a number of months, described the job as "awful." They were paid £9.50 an hour to work what they claimed were "gruelling" 45 hour weeks. LGH Hotel Management, who employed the staff member, declined to comment on claims made about working conditions.
The staff member claimed the Home Office spent a "shocking" amount of money running the hotel, compared to what local staff were paid for working there. The Home Office said they do their best to ensure money is spent the 'most effective way.'
"They (asylum seekers) would get taxis paid by Serco, and they would have laundry done by an outside dry cleaning service," they said.
"They spent a weekly total of £3,000 on average which I knew because it was my responsibility to invoice and take payment for this. I don't blame the asylum seekers, many of whom were so lovely, but I felt something needed to change."
A spokesperson for Serco said they provide 'appropriate transport' under their contract with the government, where the journey is over three miles. "There is a laundry service for people living in hotels, so they can have clean clothes," they added.
The worker said it was difficult to make connections with the guests due to language barriers, but did their best to make sure they felt welcome. They recalled how some of the residents were 'very chatty' whilst others kept themselves to themselves.
'We just had to empty their rooms for the next person'
Most of the men residing in the hotel at the time had come from parts Asia, the Middle-East and Africa. "Some of them would literally come out of their room for dinner and then you wouldn't see them again until the next meal," they said.
"The guests were allowed to come and go as they pleased but if they couldn't go for more than three days. If they didn't come back we just had to empty their rooms for the next person.
"They used to come to the hotel straight from down south but a lot of the time after the paperwork was done they'd just go."
The former employee said there were around 500 men who came and left the hotel in the time they worked there. Many of them, they said, would disappear from the premises just days after arriving.
"They'd leave and we were instructed by Serco to go and clean their bedrooms and quite often all their stuff was in there," they said. "I know they didn't have much anyway but it's like they had just gone.
"All their paperwork was still there. The limited amount they had like the tracksuit bottoms and the basics were still all in the room. It was strange, it was like they'd just vanished."
The worker said she often noticed flash cars pulling into a concealed layby at the side of the hotel, where men would be picked up and sometimes dropped back later that day.
"Some of them came back wearing much nicer clothes," she said. "But if they didn't come back, it was just 'oh wait 72 hours and then we'll clear their room.'
"I formed good connections with some of the men. There was was one lad who had left his country at 15 and basically came here on foot. He had taught himself English through YouTube. I felt for him.
"It's really sad to be honest. We never used to know their names as they always came and went. We would always just refer to them as their room number.
"I know people have their opinions but I genuinely felt for them. It's barbaric what's gone on in their country. That's how I used to see it. They had gone through hell to get here so the least we could give them was somewhere comfy to stay."
'We'd rather live anywhere else'
When the Manchester Evening News visited the hotel, guests told us that the staff working there were 'good people,' but that they longed to be able to live independently.
One young man, who travelled to the UK by boat from France said would love to be able to get a job, but that the Home Office did not permit him to do so. He had been living in the hotel for around four months and was on his way to Manchester city centre for the day when we spoke to him.
The Home Office said that asylum seekers who have a claim that's been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, are allowed to take up jobs on the shortage occupation list.
"The staff here are good people and the rooms are clean because we look after them," he said. "I moved here by myself and it's hard, I don't know anyone. People come and go all the time.
"I'd love to be able to get working or training but the Home Office won't allow that. Perhaps if they allowed that we wouldn't need to stay in these hotels. It's costing the government millions to keep us here. If we could work they wouldn't need to spend so much money on us."
Two young men from Eritrea in Africa, had lived in the hotel for around a year but said they would 'rather live anywhere else.' They spend most of their days bored, unable to get work or an education.
"We'd love to be able to get a job so we can leave," they said. "At the moment everything here is paid for us but we'd like to be able to earn our own money."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Home Office regularly reviews levels of support provided for accommodation, food, clothing, transport and sundries for asylum seekers to ensure money is spent in the most effective way. They are not detained and are free to leave the accommodation for a number of reasons, such as visiting family.
"Asylum seekers can take up jobs on the shortage occupation list if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own."
A spokesperson for Serco said: "Serco provides appropriate transport under our contract; people are required to go to certain locations such as for an interview with the Home Office, hospital appointment where the journey is over three miles. There is a laundry service for people living in hotels, so they can have clean clothes.
"Our priority is always for the safety and wellbeing of the asylum seekers we accommodate and we are proud of the care that our teams provide. Serco attempts to contact asylum seekers who do not turn up for meals and we notify the Home Office."
LGH Hotel Management, who run the Best Western Hotel, declined to comment.
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