A HOTEL and spa in Darlington has announced there could be up to 20 redundancies as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There could be “potentially over 20 redundancies” at Rockliffe Hall, a hotel and spa in Hurworth-on-Tees, while a number of casual staff will also not be offered work and some fixed-term positions will not being renewed.

Despite this, staff have been described as its “greatest asset”.

The job losses are a result of the coronavirus pandemic and its “significant impact” on the hospitality industry, which still faces an uncertain future despite many cafes, restaurants and hotels reopening on July 4 - including Rockliffe Hall after closing its doors on March 22.

The hotel, which also has a golf course, will go through a consultation period before any redundancies are made, meaning changes will not happen ahead of reopening.

Jason Adams, Rockliffe Hall’s managing director: “The significant and unfortunate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the UK hospitality industry is well documented.

“Like many businesses in the hospitality sector, we have had to make the difficult decision to restructure in order to protect the long-term future of the resort.

“Whilst the furlough scheme has been welcomed, and we have thus far been able to top up all team members’ furlough payments to 100 per cent, it is anticipated that the industry will not fully recover for months or even years, with social distancing measures resulting in reduced capacities for a while to come.

“This sadly means redundancies across the business. We are now about to commence a consultation process with a view to delivering the structure required to service the business in the new environment.

“This will be achieved through a combination of a number of casual staff no longer being offered worked, some fixed term positions not being renewed and potentially over 20 redundancies.

“My team are Rockliffe Hall’s greatest asset, and I am naturally devastated that we need to make these changes.

“I would like to reassure our valued guests, members and friends that the guest experience will not be affected by the restructure and we aim to protect as many jobs as possible throughout this process.”

The site is set to reopen on July 4 with an online check-in service, temperature checks and fewer guests.