Anger as Center Parcs announces closure of UK resorts for Queen’s funeral

Center Parcs has been accused by customers of “ruining people’s holidays” after it announced that it would close its UK sites for 24 hours from Monday morning to mark the Queen’s funeral.

The criticism came after the holiday company announced that guests at its five UK parks would have to leave by 10am on Monday, even if they are in the middle of their stay, and will not be able to return until the same time on Tuesday morning.

The company said in a statement it had made the decision “as a mark of respect and to allow as many of our colleagues as possible to be part of this historic moment”.

It added: “We hope our guests will understand our decision to support our Queen on her final journey.”

The decision to close means that any guests who are in the middle of their holiday on Monday will have to spend the night elsewhere, or otherwise go home early.

However, Center Parcs told holidaymakers on social media that while they would have to vacate the park overnight, they could leave their belongings in their accommodation.

The company asked customers who were due to arrive on Monday to delay their arrival until the following day, and said it would not be possible for guests to stay on site to watch the funeral.

Center Parcs, which is owned by Canadian investment firm Brookfield Property Partners, said the “vast majority” of guests were scheduled to arrive or depart on Monday.

It added that holidaymakers who wanted to cancel their stays were being offered a full refund, while a partial refund was available for those whose holidays would be shorter than expected.

Customers expressed their anger at the company’s decision on social media.

One of those affected wrote on Twitter: “You have ruined our family holiday that we have been saving and eagerly awaiting for months! There is no acknowledgment of the wider impact to your customers; our wasted holiday booked off work, further travel costs.”

Another customer tweeted: “What do you propose we do on Monday as we have nowhere to go, and it’s too far for us to drive home, and then drive back the next day?”

A third called it “an absolutely shocking decision”, adding that they were “travelling from the other end of the country” and would now have to “scramble to find alternative accommodation at this late stage”.

Some customers complained that their travel costs would not be refunded if they had to cancel, while others said there were waiting times of up to an hour to get through to the Center Parcs customer service team on the phone.

Center Parcs said all customers affected by its decision to close would receive an email on Tuesday explaining the options available to them, including refunds and cancellations.