The Home Office revealed this year that funding for non-essential toiletries, over-the-counter medication, and taxis will stop, and hotel occupants would be expected to spend their Universal Credit to cover the costs.

 

An FOI request was submitted to the Home Office in attempt to gain more accurate information, but they were unable to comment, stating: “UKVI can confirm that the Home Office holds the information that you have requested. However, after careful consideration we have decided that the information is exempt from disclosure.”

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Several sources have shared that these cutbacks impacted their daily lives however, it was not just the Home office that were failing to provide necessities. Despite acknowledging complaints from guests, managers failed to provide culturally appropriate meals, resulting in malnutrition and parents needing to spend their limited income of £39.63 on outside food to feed their families.

 

Najiba Rafiei, a student staying at the hotel shared comments on the foods quality saying:

"The food is not great, the meat is very slimy and I’m just tired of eating meat and rice. Some families, smaller families can afford to go out and bring food from outside but big families can not afford to do that, expenses do not cover it.”

 

Another anonymous source said that the hotel did not respond to guests' needs, including rumours of no vegetarian meals and a limit of halal meat options, as well as management 'refusing' to hire an Afghan chef, all of which contributed to problems during Ramadan.

 

He said: “My son, he is 16 years old and he is vegetarian, it was difficult because they never had food prepared, no vegetarian food, not at all.

 

"In the hotel, some people had money, we didn’t so it was difficult for us to find food for him. I borrowed money from one of my friends so we got food from restaurant outside. During that my son became very thin.

 

"It was the managers problem. They didn't want to spend much money and say we cannot find a cook for that. I think there is corruption inside the hotel.”

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Screenshots provided from one source show conversations with management who sent mixed messages surrounding the situation of hiring an Afghan chef:

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After becoming distressed with the situation, a Home Office representative was contacted; however, after meeting with her face to face, she failed to assist and ignored the complaint.

 

Our source continued saying: “It was my first time I went and I wanted to talk about these problems to her but she was a very careless to that. But she was changed, another guy came Darren. He was good guy. He was nice guy. Very polite, very humble. But he told us that it here is not enough allocated money for food, for your accommodation, and the other stuff mentioned.”

 

STAFF AND MANAGMENT CAUGHT INVADING PRIVACY 

19-year-old Elyas and his family embarked on a tiring journey from Kabul to Liverpool in August 2021 just after the Taliban overthrew the Government. Fearing for his fathers safety, the family left their home with just a few suitcases and left for the UK.

 

​On the third day of their quarantine in Manchester, Elyas and his family received the devastating news that their home had been raided by the Taliban.

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​Although being entirely grateful for the sanctuary the UK government have provided, Elyas has bravely come forward to share the mistreatment he experienced whilst staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, the place himself and his family called home for 7 months .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elyas has bravely come forward to share his experience  said that it was open to outside guests however, they “quickly changed their policy” and began to accommodate only Afghan refugees.

 

He said: “It’s not like a hotel there, 3 days after we arrived, the treatment just changed. Some of the staff were lovely and friendly but some were just horrible and rude. One of the receptionists said to a group of us in the lobby after our job training ‘why aren’t you working, I’m working you stupid people.’ I understand some people sometimes get overwhelmed and say things they don’t mean but it’s the Home Office, they aren’t doing anything.”

 

After this occurred, Elyas and others were infuriated and filed a complaint to the Home Office but after waiting for a response, it was radio silence and they did not receive a reply.

 

One might think that management at the hotel would step in to stop this, however, this was not the case. It turns out managers within the hotel were also causing issues along with the staff and creating a tense environment for the guests.

 

Elyas went on to describe an incident in which he returned to his room to find his  fire alarm on the floor. Not wanting to tamper with the electrical wires Elyas safely left the alarm on his dresser to only to experience management entering his room without notice and consequently targeting him for the damage. 

 

Elyas said: “When I went back to my room after cleaning, the alarm was on the floor, I was on the phone with my friends on my bed. When I saw the alarm, I didn’t put it back I just put it on the side.

 

“When the manager came into the room he started shouting at me and said why did I remove the alarm, I tried to explain that it was on the floor but after calming down he said he would talk and then said he would charge me for the alarm. 

 

“I got a headache after all the shouting, he didn’t have a right to treat me like that. If a British person was in that room would he have done the same?”

 

​Multiple accounts have been shared with similar experiences with staff entering their rooms without permission, particularly cleaners who would take pictures of the rubbish left in the room and complain about it on a private group chat made for workers at the hotel.

 

​Another anonymous source who managed to access some of the images taken and has shared them for this investigation:

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NO MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AVAILABLE 

One former Afghan police chief who stayed at the hotel and chooses to remain anonymous has also boldly stepped forward to make an appeal to Parliament on behalf of the mental and physical wellbeing of retired Afghan military officers.

 

According to RefugeeCouncil 61% of asylum seekers experience serious mental distress and despite Boris Johnson claiming that 'rapid access to mental wellbeing support' would be included in the government's programmes, Afghan refugees have been left in limbo, with confusing policies, a backlog in the NHS, and long waiting lists preventing them from receiving the care they require. 

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Our source said: "As I entered into this country, I first of all wish that a medical team to come in front of us, to check our health and to help us but no, they dropped us seven and a half months into hotels.

 

“7 hours In one room, even if it is a golden cage, it's very difficult. I suffer from insomnia, even loneliness and I feel I’m under pressure."

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“I have very chronic health problems. I’ve had ulcers many times, got gastritis, back problems, joint problems and I have glaucoma in my eyes. 

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Our source has had to wait 9 months for medical help after the hotel failed to arrange it, but he will finally be examined by a doctor in June. Despite his relief, he feels that the Home Office should set up secure mental health care for refugee troops around the country.

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He said: “My health care is important for my life here. If you are soldier in other countries, if they go to Afghanistan or Iraq or Syria, when they return a doctor or psychologist looks at them. 40 years I was in war. No one looked at me as a man who has suffered so long. Never so here. I felt that discrimination. The Home Office. I think they also had some limitations, I think they were under pressure of top authorities but they never updated us, always kept us in psychological tensions.”

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Along with struggling to access mental health support, our source has experienced yet another setback in regards of his resettlement. 

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Being 60 years old, our source had retired from his career in Afghanistan and  meets the UK military retirement age, therefore he should be eligible for a pension. He has nevertheless been receiving weekly calls from the job office and has been assigned to manual labour.

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He said: “I'm retired, but here the job centre, they ask me to come and they offer me many jobs, restaurants, supermarkets, unloading trucks. They offer me these jobs but I am damaged, I am tired.

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“More than 20 years, shoulder by shoulder I fought with your soldiers, your generals, but why do they receive proper retirement and treatment here, but I must come to work for 250 pounds.”

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Our source wishes to convey a message to Parliament, requesting that the government take proper care of retired Afghan military officers and implement measures to ensure that they receive the treatment to which they are entitled.

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“I have master degree, I have experience, I am a military man, but they are careless to that. I don't complain to the officials of the job centre as it’s their agenda to look at me every week but the policies from the top is wrong. 

My body must be used to reduce the expenses on the government but, if this society this government needs my experience, my knowledge I am ready. If they don’t need that, I should enjoy my retirement.”

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Although this investigation has only looked into one hotel within the UK, the issues raised by our sources have exposed the shortcomings within the Home Office's policies and have exacerbated the need for more secure support to be put in place for Afghan refugees as 12,000  remain in hotels throughout the country.

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We approached IHG Hotels & Resorts for a comment but they have declined to answer.

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