Aberdeen Northern Hotel closes rooms to guests indefinitely due to rising energy prices and cost of living

The owner of an Aberdeen hotel has made the decision to shut the accommodation side of the business because “gas and electricity prices have made it impossible to trade”.

Aberdeen Northern Hotel, which is run by Steven Finnie and has been operating independently for 25 years, will close its 32 bedrooms to guests indefinitely but the public bar will remain open.

The decision to close the hotel side of the business was taken as energy prices soar.

Mr Finnie explained in a Facebook post: “Due to the current energy price crisis, it is with great sadness and frustration that I have had to take the decision to close the accommodation side of the hotel.

“The current gas and electricity prices have made it completely impossible to continue to trade. The public bar is still open but until utility prices come back down we will be unable to welcome guests.

“The hotel has been independently owned and operated for the past 25 years and this is the first time that we have had to close our doors so it is incredibly sad.

“I would like to thank you for your support over the years, and we hope to be able to open our doors again when, and if, things return to normal.”

Last month, a Chinese takeaway in the city was forced to close after nearly five decades of family ownership and serving the community after its energy bills skyrocketed to over £10,000 per quarter.

Owner, Martin Tang, told STV News that despite being offered a cheaper contract, he couldn’t afford to keep his business going.

Last week, Prime Minister Liz Truss announced energy bills would be frozen at £2,500 for the typical household after the energy price cap soared from £1,971 to £3,549.

However millions still face paying more than double what they did last year for their energy bills despite the freeze, campaigners have said.