It's all up in the air (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

It's all up in the air

Andrew SpinkA SWINDON hotel says it stands to lose thousands of pounds if bookings made by organisers of the Royal International Air Tattoo are cancelled.

Andrew Spink, manager of the De Vere Hotel in the Shaw Ridge Leisure Park, said he may have to make a last-minute attempt to fill 100 rooms after being told they might not be needed by personnel attending next month's show in Fairford.

The 43-year-old, who began working at the hotel in 1992, said unless plans changed, it would be a massive blow.

"It is still unclear what they are doing at the moment but we have been asked to release the bedrooms ahead of a four-week cancellation window," he said.

"It will affect the business massively because the 100 beds were booked for five days and we don't have any other business down to replace them."

Mr Spink said he was working with booking agency Centrepoint in Old Town to resolve the problem.

"I'm disappointed that this is the current situation but we are hoping for a positive outcome," he said.

Other hotels in Swin-don said they were not expecting any cancellations.

Stuart George-Priston, operations director for Centrepoint, said cancellations happened every year.

"It is the nature of the show," he said. "You have some crews cancel on one day and new ones coming on the next day.

"We are using more hotels in Swindon than we normally do.

"The rooms were released because there were no guarantees that there would be people to put in there.

"The air force does not want a bill for empty bedrooms 100 rooms booked for five nights is a lot of money."

An Air Tattoo spokes-man said: "It is our normal policy to block book rooms in a number of hotels early in the year through our accommodation agency Centrepoint.

"Then, as soon as a more realistic figure emerges, we release rooms in accordance with each hotel's terms and conditions.

"Centrepoint is in constant contact with a number of hotels in and around Wiltshire and

Gloucestershire, including the De Vere, and has excellent working relations with them."

Around 250 aircraft are booked to appear at this year's air show which will be held on Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 17.

For more information visit www.airtattoo.com.

Ben Payne