EXCLUSIVE Luxury ‘festival’ hotel Birch is accused of ‘ruining Christmas for hundreds of vulnerable families’ after crashing into administration ‘owing £114,000’ to childcare firm – forcing owner to ‘let 15 workers go’
A luxury ‘hipster’ hotel chain that crashed into administration is being accused of indirectly ruining Christmas for hundreds of vulnerable and disadvantaged children over Christmas due to its collapse.
The Birch Hotel, in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, tried to entice wealthy creatives living in London with its ‘festival’ atmosphere, pottery workshops and sourdough baking sessions.
Using a private members’ model, it was billed as a cross between the ultra-trendy Soho Farmhouse and a creative arts festival, set in 55 acres and just 30 minutes from London. It opened during the pandemic and quickly became an award-winning hotel.
But last month it closed along with its sister hotel, Birch Selsdon in south Croydon, with administrators blaming the collapse on ‘cash constraints’.
Now Jodie Clark O’Rourke, 32, who ran childcare provisions and corporate packages for both hotels, has come forward to MailOnline claiming she is one of several suppliers owed hundreds of thousands of pounds by the hotel group’s management company.
Jodie Clark O’Rourke, pictured on the sixth anniversary of the Birch Hotel opening, she is one of several suppliers owed hundreds of thousands of pounds by the hotel group’s management company
Jodie said her company Active London, an Ofsted registered childcare business, is owed £114k by real estate investment company Aprirose. Pictured: A staff member of Active London pictured at the Birch Hotel
The Birch Hotel, in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire (pictured), tried to entice wealthy creatives living in London with its ‘festival’ atmosphere but crashed into administration
The hotels were a joint venture between Performance Hotels, the management company of former Ace Hotel London managing director Chris Penn and entrepreneur Chris King, both of whom left the Birch Cheshunt in 2022, and real estate investment firm Aprirose.
Jodie and her team delivered children’s entertainment at the two hotels on weekends and school holidays as well corporate team-bonding days. But she also works with local authorities to provide holiday clubs for children from vulnerable and low income families in receipt of benefits.
READ HERE: Luxury ‘festival’ hotel Birch that tried to entice wealthy creatives with pottery, yoga and sourdough baking classes for £150-a-night closes after going into administration
She says her company Active London, an Ofsted registered childcare business, is owed £114k by real estate investment company Aprirose. The lack of cash flow means that she is unable to provide clubs for hundreds of vulnerable children that enjoy them for free this Christmas.
‘We have been left in a very difficult position. The majority of my team was employed on projects for the two Birch hotels, but we also work with local authorities to provide care for vulnerable children over the holiday period.
‘Because of the situation, we no longer have the cash flow to hold all the clubs this Christmas, meaning that at least 400 children will be missing out this year across Barnet, Enfield and Hertfordshire. It is so sad for them as we provided them a safe space, a hot meal and super fun activities throughout the Christmas holidays.’
She said more than 20 of her staff have been affected, and that she had to let 15 go, because of the situation.
‘I was totally gobsmacked when I heard what was happening. One of my team was delivering a workshop at Birch Selsdon on Sunday November 19th, when she got a call telling her to drop everything and call all the parents and tell them to collect their children. They were then told to get all their things and leave immediately.
Actors from the immersive team building events conducting a historical event
Fun time crew from Active London running an evening event at Birch Cheshunt
Jodie’s one-year-old son Joey in a Birch baby grow
A children’s colour run workshop in 2023 held by Active London
‘It was so confusing and upsetting as I had not heard anything about their financial problems. I had to apologise to all my staff but I have made sure they have all been paid and taken the hit myself. It is devastating, Birch was a huge part of our business and we were really part of the community there and loved it so much.
‘Not only did we run Birch’s childcare provisions, we also delivered their corporate events like team-building days to brands such as TikTok, Google, Estee Lauder, Shell, Oatley and many more big names that Birch took payment for and did not pay us.’
‘We are looking for new venues to offer our team building activities, but they were very much tailored to Birch, the history of the building and the fabulous previous owner Lady Meux’.
‘Aprirose Investments were aware of their financial situation and continued to fob us off with our invoices and made as much money as they could out of us. It’s a real injustice.’
The Birch near Croydon opened last Spring, but locals said the area lacked the ‘hipster’ vibe the hotel was trying to attract
The poolside at Birch’s south London sister hotel in Croydon
The Birch Hotel in Hertfordshire emerged during the pandemic and quickly became an award-winning hotel
Birch Cheshunt opened on the estate in 2020 with £8.5million over two years on renovations. The aesthetic was chic and modern while repurposing existing material from the site, which was originally built in 1763 and is a Grade II-listed building. Rooms for non-members started at £150-a-night.
A room at the hotel didn’t come with a TV, with the idea to entice residents out of their rooms.
For entertainment, guests could try pottery, glassblowing, candle making, beekeeping, soda bread making, gong baths, board games or spoon carving at an extra cost.
There were also free film screenings, as well as fitness classes such as HIIT, al fresco yoga, a nightclub-style spin studio and more.
A second hotel opened in Selsdon, south London, last spring, with a membership scheme and two restaurants.
The restaurants, Elodie and Vervain, were managed by Michelin-starred chef Lee Westcott and received a rave review from Observer restaurant critic Jay Rayner.
A room at the Hertfordshire hotel didn’t come with a TV, with the idea to entice residents out of their rooms
The Hertfordshire hotel was billed as a cross between the members’ only club Soho Farmhouse and a creative arts festival set in 55 acres and just 30 minutes from London
Rooms at the hotel did not come with a TV, with the idea to entice residents out of their rooms. For entertainment, guests could try pottery, glassblowing, candle making, beekeeping, soda bread making, gong baths, board games or spoon carving at an extra cost.
There were also free film screenings, fitness classes such as HIIT, al fresco yoga, a nightclub-style spin studio and more.
A second hotel opened in Selsdon, south London, last spring with a membership scheme and two restaurants, Elodie and Vervain, managed by Michelin-starred chef Lee Westcott and receiving acclaim from restaurant critic Jay Rayner.
However, Mr Penn and Mr King left the business just before the new location opened and new management was brought in last February.
This proved too late as the south Croydon hotel closed its doors last month and administrators have just put the Birch Hotel on the market.
Hundreds of staff lost their jobs in Croydon after many of the casual staff had already been let go.
The staff who remained until the end had to learn different roles and it was reported that the gardener was staffing reception.
Writing on Facebook, a former staff member said: ‘Nearly 300 of us got made redundant on the spot yesterday at 12pm with no pre-warning whatsoever right before Christmas.’
Another person claiming to be a former employee said: ‘None of us have been paid/will get paid our final wage which was due next Thursday! Five weeks pay!’
‘So we are heading towards Christmas with ZERO MONEY. Some of those people have young families, new babies, or live alone with no support group around them.’
Locals complained about its south London hotel being overpriced and alienating locals with its membership scheme.
Birch Hotel has been contacted.
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